PMC - Professor Stone Mystery Cache

The gavel came down.

“SOLD! To the gentleman in the back row.”

Lou slid down low in the seat. His heart drummed erratically in his chest, wild with hope. These were, perhaps, the last remaining possessions of Professor Stone. Not long ago, he’d unearthed the old man’s journal. Full of meticulous sketches, odd notations and esoteric verse, it had been hidden; wedged behind the crumbling stonework of a simple fireplace in the dilapidated house he’d purchased from the man’s estate. It had been sitting vacant for many, many years; its owner’s whereabouts unknown. Gently thumbing through it, Lou noted that the scribbled entries became increasingly bizarre with allusions of treasure, secrecy and paranoia, ending abruptly at a page apparently ripped from the binding. He placed the fragile book on a shelf alongside his own leather-bound tomes. Lou planned to restore the home and it would be nice to keep something to remember the man who’d vanished so long ago. There were interesting theories about what might have happened to him. Most claimed he’d succumbed to his irrational delusions of imminent peril and simply expired. Others suggested his compulsion to escape to a less worrisome life culminated in a sudden departure. Some even thought he was one of the few.

Recently the rumors had started again. A long lost treasure, its whereabouts safeguarded. Stories of miscreants who would stop at nothing to obtain it. Whispers about bits of information entrusted to acquaintances of those who’d discovered it. There was much speculation about the identity of those original few. The mere existence of the treasure had been debated for generations. Lou thought about the journal. Had the old man known of the treasure? Had those unworthy of its possession pursued him? His intent was to restore the small house, but now the journal shifted his focus. Was the old man a descendant of one of those few, or had he simply gone mad? Lou retrieved the small, gold embossed journal and this time he meticulously pored over it. The last remaining page caught his attention:

Lou had read that last page so many times he could recite it by rote. He would often find himself veering off on all kinds of tangents, trying to figure out its hidden meaning. He knew he was obsessed, but he couldn’t stop. Too many times he’d startle back to reality as he realized his thoughts had drifted yet again. At night he would dream about the significance of the words, but when he awoke nothing made sense. He assumed the missing journal page would hold the key, yet despite an extensive search, it was never found. He wondered if there were others like him. Surely he wasn’t the only one who’d come across evidence that the rumors were true. Sometimes he felt like people knew of his discovery, because sometimes he had the sensation of being watched.

After many twists and turns, pausing to detect suspicious sounds and cautiously peer into the blackened shadows, Lou arrived home with the old wooden box. Had he been followed? Anticipation had his heart pounding again. After setting the box on the table, he tried to calm himself as he readied and lit a fire to warm the room. Turning to the box he hesitated as a nervousness twisted itself into his subconscious. Carefully he pried off the lid, mouthing a silent prayer before peering inside. His eyes darted over the trivial items and slowly his heart sank. The missing page wasn’t among them. Cursing himself, he dumped the contents onto the table and hurled the box at the fireplace. He’d gained nothing but a threadbare lap quilt, calabash pipe, silver hip flask, spectacles, dog-eared copy of Newton’s 'Principia' and the sudden, overwhelming sense of defeat. Devastated, he hung his head and vowed to purge the mystery from his mind. To save his sanity, he had to let it go. It was over.

In a stupor, Lou removed the disappointing objects from the table and placed them on the shelf alongside the journal. He sullenly shuffled towards the fireplace, prepared to burn the useless box. Reminded of how much misplaced hope he’d foolishly invested, Lou glared at the empty box and cursed as he gave it a good kick. Thunk. He kicked it again. Something didn’t sound right. Afraid to form any promising theories, he knelt down, anxiously rapping his knuckles on various sections of wood. There was definitely something odd. In hindsight, he should have carefully disassembled the box, but in his excitement he stood up and stomped down hard. The box collapsed in on itself like a fortune cookie, revealing a folded slip of paper. Hands trembling, Lou removed what he knew was the missing journal page. He sat down at the table and flattened it out, studying it while absentmindedly pressing out the creases. Poring over the page, his brows knitted as he silently recited the verse. Deep in thought he closed his eyes and tried to rub the tension from his forehead. Suddenly he stopped. A knowing smile slowly crept across his face. Looking at the page again, he knew exactly what he had to do. Lou leaned his head back and with a gratified sigh of relief whispered, “Thank you, Professor Stone.”

Check your solution

PMC: PUZZLE MASTER'S CHALLENGE

This puzzle is part of a series of puzzles created by the greatest Puzzle Masters of the Mid Atlantic Region. There are a number Puzzle Masters contributing to this series. Solve all of the Puzzle Masters' creations, follow the storylines, gather the clues and find the final. Will you accept the challenge?

Each puzzle is a unique work of art created and owned by each Puzzle Master/Puzzle Team. In each cache there will be a clue that you must gather and record. These clues will lead you to a final mystery cache located somewhere in the mid-Atlantic region. This series is designed to lead you on an epic adventure that will require Master puzzle-solving skills and extensive travel to unique locations. You must travel and log in at each cache in order to claim a find on the final. Due to the extensive time and effort put into this challenge, the cache can be done as a group but each member of the group must go to each cache site and sign each log. Dividing into sub groups and pooling your efforts will not be allowed.
 

PMC: THE PUZZLE MASTERS

Listed below are the owners and creators of each cache in the series. As each cache gets released, the link to the cache will be added to the roster.

 

 • cinderbankers PMC - The Box
 • CondorTrax PMC - I Dislike Numbers
 • Dirty Bird and Big Nasty Brain PMC - Creative Confusion
 • East Village Family PMC - Urban Renewal
 • Ekitt10 PMC - The Message
 • Frodo_Underhill PMC - Quick Brown Fox +-25
 • GALAP PMC - Uncle Buck's Cards
 • GerIRL PMC - Hibernia
 • Grunriese PMC - Flatlander
 • Hostanut PMC - The Order
 • M_and_W PMC - The Sun, Moon and Stars
 • mblatch and ericles PMC - S.E.T.I.
 • ODragon PMC - A Tribute To Caching
 • Resolution PMC - Professor Stone
 • Vinny & Sue Team and MMammel PMC - Song of the Master Sun
 • we3girlsnaguy PMC - The Meeting House

AND THE FINAL.....

An elusive cache. It has been missing for a long time. Can you find it? .

 

 • Puzzle Masters Challenge Team PMC - The Final