Magic Pot in the Cave of Priceless - Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Before the first light of dawn brushed the hills, Timo stepped out of the cottage with the map rolled tightly in his pack and Grandmother Leya’s ribbon tied firmly around his wrist. The village still slept, and the only sound was the distant hoot of an owl and the soft whisper of the wind in the trees.
He made his way into the forest, guided by the markings on the map—a trail barely visible, winding between ancient oaks and moss-covered stones.
The path was unlike any he had walked before. It twisted and shifted, sometimes disappearing entirely, then reappearing beneath his feet as if the forest itself were watching him, testing him.
But Timo pressed on.
As the sun rose behind the trees, golden light streamed through the canopy and shimmered on something ahead—a strange stone arch, half-covered in ivy. Symbols were carved into the stone, worn but still visible.
He unrolled the map and gasped. The arch was on it—a gate drawn in ink with a curious message beneath:
“Only the eyes that seek truth shall see the Fox.”
Just then, the leaves rustled behind him. Timo turned quickly, heart pounding. Nothing. Just trees and shadows.
Then, a flicker of movement. A shape—quick, graceful, orange and white—vanished behind a bush.
“The Riddle Fox,” Timo whispered.
He stepped forward cautiously. “I don’t want gold,” he said aloud. “I want to understand.”
The wind stilled.
Out of the shadows, the Fox stepped.
Its fur shimmered like fire, and its eyes glowed gold, wise and ancient. It sat gracefully before him and spoke—not with a mouth, but with a voice that echoed inside his mind.
“Many walk this path for riches. Few for reason. Why do you seek the cave, child?”
Timo’s hands trembled, but his voice was steady.
“I want to know why the cave is called ‘Priceless.’ I want to know what’s in the Magic Pot.”
The Fox stared at him. Then it nodded.
“Very well,” it said. “Answer my riddle, and I shall give you the last piece of the map.”
Timo held his breath.
The Fox circled him once, then asked:
“I have no voice, but I can teach.
I hold no weight, yet I can reach.
You cannot see me with your eye,
But without me, hearts may die.
What am I?”
Timo closed his eyes. He thought of the stories Grandmother told, the look in her eyes, the cave’s test, and what she said about the heart.
Then he whispered, “Hope.”
The forest grew still.
The Fox bowed its head.
“You may pass.”
From beneath its tail, the Fox dropped a folded piece of parchment—the final part of the map. When Timo looked up again, the Fox was gone, vanished into the leaves as silently as it had come.
Timo pieced the map together on the forest floor. Now, it was complete. The path to the Cave of Priceless was clear.
He smiled, heart beating faster than ever.
The real journey had just begun.