The Mystery of the Stone Circle

Lena and Petya stood on a green hill, gazing at the majestic stone columns of Stonehenge. Here, among these ancient megaliths, as the map had promised, there was supposed to be not only a monument of the past but something much more mysterious.

“Can you imagine what we’ve found here?” Lena exclaimed, unfolding the ancient map they had discovered in an abandoned archive at an archaeological museum. “It clearly shows that a time machine is hidden here!”

Petya looked at the map, barely able to believe his eyes. The ancient map was worn, the paper frayed, and it was covered in incomprehensible symbols, but the lines and markings led directly to this location. It was clear they were on the verge of a major discovery.

“Do you think it’s true? A time machine? But how could that be?” asked Petya, somewhat skeptical.

“Maybe not exactly a time machine, but something like a device,” Lena said. “But this map can’t be wrong. Stonehenge has always been a mystery, and maybe we’ll finally unlock its secret.”

They approached one of the largest stones and began examining it carefully. The stone was covered in strange markings that, at first glance, seemed like ordinary runes. However, upon closer inspection, Lena noticed that some of them were engraved with lines that didn’t match any conventional letters or numbers.

“These… these aren’t just drawings!” Lena exclaimed, taking out a magnifying glass. “These lines seem to lead to another stone!”

Petya looked at the stone closely and realized that Lena was right. The stone wasn’t just part of the Stonehenge complex. It was the key. They began moving the stones, following the markings, and soon discovered that one of the stones could be rotated. Lena was surprised to find a hidden mechanism.

“This definitely looks like an ancient mechanism!” she said. “Could this be what we were looking for? A time machine hidden among these stones?”

When the stone rotated, a hidden passage opened in front of them, leading down into the shadowy depths of a dungeon. They descended the stone steps and found themselves in a dark corridor, where the air was unusually cold, despite the hot summer day above ground.

The corridor led to a large stone hall, in the center of which stood a round mechanism, surrounded by stone walls adorned with even stranger symbols. Lena and Petya approached the center and began to examine it. The appearance of the device resembled ancient astronomical instruments, but there was an unmistakable sense of supernatural power emanating from it.

“This is incredible!” Petya said, cautiously touching the surface of the device. “It really looks like a… time machine.”

But how it worked and what would happen next remained a mystery. The moment they touched the mechanism, the entire room was filled with light, accompanied by a loud noise, and Lena and Petya felt the ground beneath them begin to tremble.

“What’s happening?” Lena exclaimed, grabbing Petya’s hand. “This can’t be real! We… we’re not in the 21st century!”

The activation of the device was so powerful that they couldn’t immediately understand what had happened. A strange hum filled the air, and sparks of light appeared around them. Lena and Petya felt their bodies shift through space, and then, for a moment, everything went dark.

When the light faded, they found themselves in a different time and place. They were still at Stonehenge, but not in the 21st century. Everything around them was different. The stones looked new, not worn by time. Lena and Petya realized they had traveled into the past, possibly to the very moment when this megalith was built.

“We’re here!” Petya said, looking around in amazement. “This is really the site where people built Stonehenge! We’ve gone back in time!”

They began to explore the surrounding world. The people who were building Stonehenge looked just like they were depicted in old drawings. Lena and Petya knew that their journey was only beginning.

And so they stood at the center of the greatest mystery, and before them unfolded a world where every movement, every word became significant. They were witnessing something that had once only been accessible to the bravest scientists and adventurers.

But what next? How could they return to their own time, and could this mechanism be activated again? These questions remained unanswered, but one thing was clear: the mystery of Stonehenge was still hidden, and Lena and Petya would be the first to uncover it.