All three of us crowded around it, hoping for revelation—but got nothing. We cast more spells on it and tried pairing it with the original brick we’d brought from Pittsburgh. Still nothing. Wondering if there might be more gold bricks around, we did another search of the property but came up empty. Hot and hungry by this point, we decided to call a break and get some lunch. We went to a German restaurant and were surprised to see how crowded it and other restaurants in the park’s small town were.

“There’s a fishing convention in town,” our waiter told us. “Hope you’ve got a hotel if you were planning on staying.”

We hadn’t gotten one yet, actually, though we had been discussing staying overnight to possibly search the park again tomorrow. “Maybe we can find another nearby town,” I mused.

The waiter brightened. “My uncle runs a campground that has vacancies right now. He’ll even rent tents and everything. Cheaper than a hotel.”

Cost wasn’t an issue, but after a brief discussion, we decided to follow up on the offer and go out to the campground, simply because of its proximity to the park. We were able to rent what we needed, get set up, and then make another trip to Ha Ha Tonka before it closed for the night. Once more, we found no answers in either the park or the brick. We tried to tell ourselves that morning would bring fresh perspective, but none of us would give voice to the burning question hanging between us: What were we going to do if we weren’t able to find the gold brick’s secrets?

I longed to discuss it with Adrian, but there’d still been no communication since my last update. Dutifully, I sent him another report about what was going on and then prepared for bed, unwilling to admit how much his radio silence bothered me. Exhausted from a long day, I soon fell asleep in the rented tent . . .

. . . and was awakened a few hours later by a panicked Eddie.

“Sydney! Jackie! Get up!”

I opened my eyes and instantly sat upright. “What? What is it?”

He was standing in the unzipped opening of the tent, pointing outward. Ms. Terwilliger and I scrambled to his side and looked where he indicated. There, out in the moonlight, a glowing puddle of what seemed like molten gold was oozing over the ground, coming toward us. Where it touched, it left scorched grass and earth behind.

“What is that?” I exclaimed.

“The brick,” said Eddie. “I was on watch inside and noticed it starting to glow. I picked it up, and it nearly burned my hand. I threw it outside, and it melted into that.”