The path ahead was a slippery slope. The explorers’ great resolve was challenged by their lack of a steady balance. The moistened floors soon became untenable for the eager explorers. Then suddenly, the explorers collapsed against one another and fell down a very precarious ramp.

The ramp led everyone through a tunnel of illustrious crystals. The tunnel shone brightly as the explorers made their downward spiral. The tunnel’s light shone continuously, even as the group launched from the ramp and into a heavy body of water.

The group fell with a great splash. Slowly, they emerge from the water and find themselves in a new chamber. The chamber was expansive. Crystals jutted through the walls. Their sparkles refracted on the explorers, shading them under a cool blue tint. It was a beautiful sight for all. But at the same time, not everyone was caught under its spell.

Once again, Alumak was unaffected by the mystical anomaly. But unlike before, his doubts did not come from a place of skepticism. Rather, it was because Alumak was cold. From head to toe, his skin was as cold as ice. Alumak may have gotten out of the water, but the chills remained.

“Hey, Alumak. You look pretty cold,” Donald joked, “Why not remove some layers if you feel so brave?”

“Ahhh, clever thinking, my friend,” said Alumak.

Donald failed to realize that his joke would be taken seriously. To his surprise, Alumak would actually strip from his layers, removing them as quickly as tearaway pants. Alumak was definitely a sight for sore eyes. Though in this case, seeing the Arab in nothing but his trousers made Donald’s eyes very sore.

“Ahh… much better,” said a relieved Alumak, “Come, friend. I can strip you from your layers as well.”

“Aah! No!” Donald flinched, “Just… Dry off and let’s move on.”

Now that the explorers were in shallow waters, their journey continued through the flooded chamber. Their only guidance was the crystals. The crystals must be important. It seemed that wherever they walked, their eyes continued to follow. It was as if a spirit watching their every move. The explorers trudge until they finally reach ashore. Their path was halted by a towering wall. In front of the wall was a sign with another Hebrew inscription. Once again, their translator transcribed the message.

“For wisdom and truth does value lay. Give up what does not provide value. So sayeth the Lord.”

The inscription reminded Donald and Alumak of their notes. If they remembered correctly, the text may be in reference to the observance of Lent, an event synonymous with Christian and Middle Eastern traditions.

Despite this, they were stumped at how it could work in this current context. Even if the idea of Lent was true, none of them had any valuables to part with. And they certainly could not give up eating, as they’ve gone nearly a full day without another meal.

But then, as the others stumbled over themselves, Dewey’s eyes were drawn to the sign. As he observed it, he wiped some excess dust from its underside, thus revealing a follow-up to the original inscription. In plain English, the text said:

“Please insert 25 Cents to move forward.”

“Huh. Uhhh…” Dewey uttered sheepishly, “Any of you guys got a quarter?”

The walls open upon the payment of the toll. The streams flushed through its cracks, allowing the explorers to continue their journey. The road ahead was desolate, with only a watery trail to guide their path. But as they walked inside the chamber, its light quickly dimmed.

“Do you think it's too late to turn back?” the triplets asked themselves. But so soon did they ask their question, so swiftly the doors shut behind them.

“Will you boys stop doing that!” Donald complained.

With the walls closed behind them, the gang had no choice but to follow the stream. Their progress became uncertain as no one was sure of how to make of the cavern’s strange trials. Their inhibitions heightened once a striking pain yanked at Donald’s brain stem.

Then, strangely, Donald froze. The others demanded to know why he stopped. Donald would open his mouth, but the voice that spoke was not his own.

“Hear this,” said the booming voice, “The anointed shall remain untouched by the evils that surround them.”

The others cowered, thinking Donald had been possessed. They would try to reach for him, but the sailor seemingly returned with a shake of his head. For a moment, things seemed normal. That was until Donald was called by a familiar voice.

“Donald?” a feminine voice called.

“Daisy?” Donald answered, “Daisy, is that you?”

“Daisy? What on Earth?” Scrooge asked, “Donald-…”

“Hold on, Daisy!” Donald exclaimed, speedily chasing after her voice.

“Donald? Donald, where are you?!” cried Daisy.

Before they knew it, Donald rushed into the deep, dark, dwelling darkness. The others gave chase, ultimately rushing deeper into its gaping maw. They hurry down the rushing stream, splashing droplets against the dark. They chased the fervent duck, unaware that unseen forces would be awakened by their endless racket.

A growl followed their movements. Ever so suddenly, an unseen resident of the dark would awaken from its slumber. The slumbering spirit watched carefully, feeling their panic ooze through its ethereal senses. Their noise clashed with its slumber, prompting the spirit to make a sound.

“Hurrggh… Huhhh…” uttered the spirit.

The spirit observed the group carefully. They may not see the spirit, but the spirit saw them clearly. Seeing this, the spirit would recede from its violent ambitions and instead try to toy with the intruders. To start, the shadow dissolved the river. Separating them would be the spirit’s next step, an easy feat considering the distance between the wayward duck and the larger group. Once that was done, the spirit took the smaller group as its first target.

The explorers could not see it, but they could feel the spirit work against them. They were soon blinded by the spirit, pushed from their waning partner, and more towards each other. The group was then prodded by the spirit, lifted by the torso, and shaken about.

The spirit then threw them into a black abyss. As they fell, the spirit trailed up and down their bodies, pushed through their clothes, and strangled their appendages. The sick spirit even had the audacity to pluck their eyes from their sockets and juggle them about.

The shadow then took each pair of eyeballs and brought them close to its face. Each pair of eyes was lowered to its pursed lips. The spirit would whisper dark musings directly into their corneas. Its coaxing calls such as “Won’t you play with me?” were transmitted directly into their brains.

The spirit’s games separated Donald further from his group. His separation seemed wider by the mile. Donald would continue to chase after Daisy’s loving cry, even promising to be a better man for him if he survived. But alas, Donald’s promises could only take him so far. It would be only a matter of time until the darkness swallowed him whole.

But all was not lost. As the saying goes, “The only thing that could break the tether of hypnosis was love.” That love could best be shown by the love of Donald’s nephews. In an unexplained way, the triplets were able to break from the shadow’s binds. They pulled themselves together, trying to find the strength necessary to be strong. While the adults ran like headless chickens, the triplets were on a different plane. They may still be in fear, but nothing was scarier than losing family.

To break Donald from his curse, the triplets had to act fast. Their plan would come in the form of Dewey’s quick thinking. First, the little duck would slap his brothers into consciousness, then pull out his trapeze toy from the market. Together, he and Huey would break the trapeze and rebuild it into a makeshift slingshot. Then, using small buttons and pebbles collected from the desert, Dewey would fire at Donald’s supposed direction.

Dewey had to use his blind spot in a room surrounded by blind spots. But by either luck or faith, Dewey’s shots managed to strike Donald directly in his occupit. The headshot disconnected Donald from his hypnosis, causing the sailor to fall forward with a hilarious thud.

The triplets congratulated themselves for saving Donald. Unfortunately, that did not save them from the curse of the restless spirit.

“Ee-yow!! The spirit’s back!” Huey decried.

“It’s too dark to see in here!” Louie shouted.

“Aye! Oof!” Scrooge exclaimed, “But we cannae go on without another match!”

“We need a light… and a doctor!” Alumak whined.

They needed a light to combat the dark. But lo and behold, their answer was nestled between the thumb and index of a misshapen miser. It was a twinkle, but it just might work.

“Scrooge, sir! Hold on…!” Alumak shouted.

“What… ACK!” Scrooge shouted, “Hey! Leggo of me’ hand!”

In a moment of desperation, Alumak grabbed Scrooge’s finger and waved it around. The waving of Scrooge’s crystal finger caused a refraction. The supposed light blinded the spirit. The spirit shrieked as exposure to the crystal meant the dark’s destruction. Alumak used Scrooge’s finger to reflect its light against Scrooge’s cufflinks. Its glimmer pierced through the darkness, immolating the shadows at their very core. Scrooge and Alumak laughed as they realized the power they wielded.

However, their actions would only anger the spirit. The furious apparition would strike back at the colorful rebels, unleashing a war cry that called upon other restless spirits. Altogether, they targeted the little dim light that sat at its center. Snarls and growls echoed through the room as the entire group huddled around their shimmering torch. Once they had everyone, they pounced on the explorers, aggressively showering them in a coat of endless darkness.

The light was snuffed out. Darkness remained once more.

But then, a beam of light pierced through the darkness. Like a laser, the beam tore through the shadows, erecting a shield that protected the innocent from the evil that once surrounded them. The shadows erupted, but their actions would only seal their fate. As the strange voice said, “The anointed shall remain untouched by the evils that surround them.”

The crystal’s light erased every remnant of darkness, killing the spirits that once inhabited the space. What remained was an illuminated cave. From their point of view, that illumination must be an exit. The adventurers rush to the light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately, that end would narrowly be avoided by the stop of a dime.