The scholar descended a darkened staircase, each step caked in moss. A cool wind blew across his face as it escaped into the world above. As he advanced, he was extraordinarily cautious in the placement of his feet, careful not to fall into the gloom below. After what seemed like an eternity, the scholar was surprised to find the cracked stone flattening out beyond the base of the steps. He lit a candle and peered into the vast, empty chamber before him. Though no sooner had he done so, than two massive braziers sprung to life against the opposite wall, rendering his small candle useless in the dancing light of the mystical flames. They glowed brightly as they moved to an unseen rhythm, but their most interesting feature was not the vigor of their dance, but the sparks they emitted each time they leapt into the air. A rainbow of colors jumped from their fingertips in a seemingly random order. Yet, as the scholar watched, the sparks seemed to eventually repeat themselves, as if communicating something in their colorful language.
He eventually broke from his stupor to approach the immense stone façade sitting between the braziers. It appeared to be a door of sorts, but try as he might, he could find no handle. Nothing moved under his gloved hand as he dragged it across the remarkable decorative carvings. At the center of these strange designs sat an enigmatic symbol, a figure 8, squared-off at every vertex. 3 bright points of light emanated from the symbol, one red, one blue, one purple. The scholar reached into his bag and pulled forth another of these shining stars, this one orange in color. He quickly reached up and slid it into place among the others, where it seemed to glow even more brightly. Two more followed, a new hue each time, until every vertex of the figure eight was lit by a different star. Their order carefully determined, fixed in the scholar’s mind.
He quickly stepped back, expecting some grand spectacle which never came. The stars seemed to wink at him from their new home upon the wall. Understanding this playful hint, the scholar looked to his side, then back at the symbol. Suddenly, the sparks began to make sense. Each was the giddy speech of a single star. Together they formed a chorus which communicated a deeper message. The scholar opened his notebook, jotting down 3 digits, then 3 more. The stars nearly jumped for joy at his realization. Speaking the digits aloud, he was startled by the grinding of stone against ancient stone. The monumental doorway opened, and a soft breeze escaped, smelling of damp moss and victory. The scholar stepped forth into the darkness and disappeared, swallowed by the gloom.
This cache contains the South Sound Gong, a tribute trackable to the notorious Seattle FTF Bell. Those who have been first to find on south sound gong puzzle caches have thus far sought to publish their own mysteries in honor of the gong, passing the torch to the next first to find. I am the 7th person to have published a cache in this series. Read about the gong here - http://coord.info/TB61XM5.
