Photo one::https://pixabay.com/photos/man-young-male-adult-sleeping-909049/
Edward had suddenly woken up from sleep, he had sweat on his forehead and he felt a strange restlessness, he had probably had a dream that he was afraid of, but after getting up he could not remember anything, he Saw it, his mother also woke up and asked him-
What happened, oh my son, why are you looking so upset, it is 2 o'clock at the night, you please try to sleep.
Mom, I'm fine, maybe I had a dream, which opened my sleep, and now I am trying to sleep again.
Saying this Edward fell asleep again, but he could not sleep for a long time when he came to sleep around 4 o'clock, he saw the same dream again, he saw that he was going to a cave on the top of a mountain, and he was caught by some stranger’s unknown persons. All these strangers were very strange and their clothes were even more strange than them
And the people surrounded him, and they are shouting. But he is moving forward, some invisible force is pulling him towards a big statue, the head of this statue is like a bird and the body is like a fish.
When he woke up in the morning, he do not remember anything from his dream. After getting up he got busy with his daily chores and forgot about the dream completely.
It had been almost 4 months since this incident, Edward had almost forgotten about that dream, and used to go to other cities 3 days a week in connection with his floor and walls tiles business.
Edward was very busy because of business. One day like this he was in a 3-star hotel room in some city, and he was watching a football match on television to pass the time.
When the advertisements came in the middle of the match, he pressed the button of another channel from the remote as usual.
International news was coming on this channel, he saw that the newsreader was saying that a very ancient statue and a big fort have been found on the top of mountains in the country of Congo which is said to be more than 600 years old, and the videos of that place and the statue was also showing continuously on television.
Seeing this statue, Edward's eyes left open in surprise, he sat down on the sofa. He could not understand how the idol he had seen in his dream and it was the same idol he was seeing on television.
Forgetting the match, he listened carefully to that news and also watched the scenes shown in it. He was fully convinced that this was the same idol and place that he had seen in his dream 4 months back.
Edward had never told anyone about his dream until now because he was considering it a part of everyday life. But now he couldn't keep quiet and told his very trusted friend Stephen by his mobile about the dream and the news,
Dear Stephen today a news is flashing on the television that a ancient fort is found in the Congo and the Idol shown in that news is very same which I was seen in my dream 4 months back ,Stephen also surprised to hear all this.
He replied to Edward don’t worry my friend we would think about it together when we got back to our hometown. And than he said that I will find out full details about the veracity of this news ,we will sart out the problem .
Two days later Edward and Stephen met and discussed that dream and news, then decided that they would go to the country of Congo to see that ancient fort and statue.
After taking this decision, both of them started preparations for the journey, the country of Congo was a hill country situated at a distance of 15000 km from their country, the original inhabitants of there were people of ancient civilizations, there was little impression of modernity.
There were mostly forests and mountains, except for some urban places, there was no airport to go to the place where the fort was found, to reach that place, one had to go through about 200 miles of rugged forests, and on the way Wild animals could also have to be faced. The night before the day of the trip, Edward again had a dream.
A man who had buffalo horns on his head appeared to him in a dream and warned him to avoid the black stone, adopt the white one only . You will get the treasure, which is yours only. Nothing came to Edward's understanding, but even in the morning he remembered this dream and its words.
The next day Edward and Stephen took a 15-day break to visit the country of the Congo, then for three days, crossing the sea, road and forests with great difficulties.
After crossing the urban places, both of them had to cross the forest for about 10 hours, they did not even find any vehicle thereto reach that place , but maybe some unseen power was helping them , when they were thinking of going ahead through the forest Then they saw a car and motorcycle rental shop, they rented a motorcycle with tank full petrol and took 10 litters of petrol extra for any emergency .
Now both of them had to go about 300 km even from the short cut of forests , they started the journey at 8 in the morning, the shopkeeper given them a short rout road map. Halfway through, both of them stopped the motorcycle to rest under a tree and lay on the ground.
Suddenly a person came down from that tree and said,
don't be late, go early, the whole life has been spent for rest.
Seeing the stranger man in such a dense forest, they both got scared but he had disappeared from their eyes.
Out of fear, both of them started their journey again, and reached that fort before the sun set, that place was on a deserted hill with wild trees. And that was looking like a haunted place.
Photo 2-https://pixabay.com/photos/edinburgh-castle-edinburgh-castle-959083/
Situated among the surrounding rocks, a detachment of the Congo Armed force was also stationed there. With permission from the sergeant of that contingent, they both entered that fort, once again Edward was filled with wonder, on the walls, there were portraits of a man was dawned like him.
And inside the fort near the statue, there was a white and black square stone floor, Edward and Stephen were about to move on that floor suddenly Edward remembered his dream, avoid black, adopt white. Edward told Stephen to walk only on the white stones, Stephen did not understand yet both of them started moving on the white stones, reaching the statue, as soon as they set foot on the last white stone, a mechanical sound came from the back of the statue.
both of them and guards there were very much stunned and reached the back of the statue they saw that the back part of the statue had opened from the middle and a box was visible inside.
The guards and they together took out that box from there and opened it, it was filled with about 300 bricks of gold which weighed more than 350 kg and its international market price was about $ 23,000,000, a handwritten leather piece was also found in that box and the letters was that The owner of this treasure will come to collect it after about 600 years.
Both of them handed over that amount to the government there, the government tried to reward them but Edward refused to take that amount, only taking the money for their travel and expenses on the way. For the next few days, Edwards's name was discussed on television and he was shown in news.
With that money, many economic problems of the Congo country were solved. That fort was given Edwards's name and it became famous by his name.
He did not believe in reincarnation but after this incident, he could not understand why God chose him to find that ancient treasure all over the world, all this also became like a dream for him.
(This is a story written for the monthly prompt Ancient for the month of September 2022 published and hosted by 
