Tommy tumbled down on the long slide, going from one slide to another in different directions. He barely had any time to catch his breath when he fell through a hole at the end of the slide and landed on some soft golden dough.

Although filled with gold coins, the ground felt smooth rather than hard-edged. A vast array of light brightened up the room as Tommy followed the source of that power.

As Tommy wondered for a moment what he would do all alone and how he would get out of here, he reached the top of the peak. A shiny yellow object on a pedestal awaited him. Tommy reached over and picked it up, rolling it gently in his hands and inspecting it.

As he wondered if it’s the right one or not, the walls trembled, and the ground shook violently beneath him. Was the whole temple-like pyramid crumbling apart with him in it? Before Tommy had any time to think about his predicaments, the gold dough swept him off his feet and carried him across the room, making him ride on top of the waves like a surfer. The adrenaline and rush kicked in as he could feel the excitement and danger lurking in. Tommy spotted a small crevice in the wall up ahead and jumped into it, crawling his way out of the golden place with the gem still clasped in his hand.

.-.-.-.

Meanwhile, Maggie still tried to find her way back to the main lobby of the pyramid with the help of the crystal, but it didn’t seem that she got any closer and with no signs of the other two boys anywhere either.

What’s going on? I thought I figured it all out. Have I been doing this all wrong? I—

Loud crashing noises resonated through the dark hall as the Earth shook beneath her feet. Large falling debris fell all around her as her thoughts got cut short.

Uh oh. “This is bad; I need to get out of here!” She cried.

Maggie panicked and ran for her life, trying to dodge the falling rocks from the ceiling and avoid the widening cracks in the floors.

Without warning, she felt a tremendous force hit her squarely in the head, causing her to fall back against the ground.

Thankfully, Maggie didn’t get injured by the falling object. She got up off the ground, only to find Tommy lying next to her, rubbing his head as well.

“Where did you come from?” They both asked as they pointed at each other. “Hey, I asked you first!”

“Guys, the main door to this place is closing up!” Antonio exclaimed.

“Where did—?”

“There’s no time for that; we got to hurry!”

The three glanced at the big door slowly closing. The pyramid filled up with more and more sand as it poured in through the cracks, with more rocks falling from the stone walls and ceilings. Antonio, Maggie, and Tommy made a mad dash toward the door, dodging falling rocks and sand. They slid under the door before it could close in on them.

.-.-.-.

Antonio, Tommy, and Maggie ran until they reached a safe spot to stop and catch their breath. They turned back as the sand hole engulfed the pyramid whole, leaving nothing but smooth sand in its wake.

“Aw man, now it’s destroyed, and we weren’t able to get the gem...” Maggie said, lowering her head.

“Are you sure about that?” Tommy asked as he pulled out the gem from his pockets to show to others. “Ta-da!”

“But is that the real one?” Antonio asked, adjusting his glasses. “Because I could’ve sworn that the one I found is the real one...” He added as he pulled out one from his pocket.

“Which one is it then?” Maggie questioned, quickly exchanging glances at the objects.

The one in Maggie’s pocket, that the group found earlier, floated out. It, along with the other two gems, circled each other for a moment before fusing into one big jewel with a bright blast of light. Seemed like they found what they were looking for, after all.

As they followed the gem back to the obelisk, Antonio couldn’t help but think the wind had gotten stronger. He wrapped his arms around his body and glanced back, only to find a significant sand tornado barreling toward them.

The roar grew deafening as the winds pelted them with grains of sand. The giant funnel cloud engulfed everything in its path. They knew they had to hurry inside the safety of the pylon or get lost in the approaching sandstorm forever.

They ran as fast as they could, and made it safely inside, but Maggie and Antonio struggled to get the door closed against the gravitational pull from the winds outside. They had to shut down the obelisk and fast.

As Maggie and Antonio battled the winds at the door, Tommy hurried over to the control panel to find the tan-colored buttons and rapidly pressed them. A portal appeared at the base of the control panel; the three jumped inside without a moment to lose.

Just as the last explorer was clear of the portal opening, the tornado lifted the massive pylon off its foundation and consumed it, leaving little evidence that it ever existed.