The Pirate Dungeon

Lena and Petya, exhausted after a whole day of excavating in the old pirate camp, sat by the shore, watching the waves crash against the rocks. Meanwhile, Professor Skvorzov was studying the old map they had found in one of the pirate caves.

"So, Professor, are we almost there?" asked Lena, walking up to him.

"Almost," replied the professor, looking up from the map. "But this place isn’t ordinary. It’s the pirate dungeon, and finding the entrance isn’t going to be easy."

Without waiting for an explanation, Petya ran over to the rocks and began inspecting them. He was always restless and loved to search for adventure.

"I’m sure something important is hidden right under our feet!" exclaimed Petya, jumping around. "Maybe this is the entrance to the pirate dungeon!"

Lena approached the professor and studied the map carefully. She noticed a strange symbol in the corner that was vaguely drawn. It was a cross surrounded by a circle. Lena thought for a moment.

"This isn’t just a symbol," she said, pointing at the map. "It seems to be a clue about the location of the hidden cave entrance. We need to look for the cross on the ground!"

Petya, meanwhile, was digging near a large rock and soon pulled an old metal plate out of the sand with a shout.

"Here it is!" he cried happily, holding the plate in the air. "Look what I found!"

The professor carefully examined the plate and said:

"This is part of the mechanism that opens the hidden entrance to the pirate cave. We’re on the right track! But we need to be careful. Pirates left traps to protect their treasure."

The children were excited. They could feel that a real adventure awaited them. With each passing minute, the puzzle became even more intriguing.

Petya continued searching and after a while found another strange object that looked like a stone slab with engraved symbols.

"This is something else!" he said. "This slab seems to open a door to the cave! Now we just need to figure out how to activate it."

Lena stepped up to the slab and, after studying it carefully, suggested:

"Look, there are indentations here, almost like they’re for fingers. Maybe we need to insert something… like this metal plate!"

She tried to insert the plate into one of the indentations, and suddenly the slab began to move, opening a narrow, dark crack. Cold air rushed out from time to time.

"Hold on!" warned the professor. "We’re in a pirate dungeon. There could be many traps here!"

With their hearts racing, the children entered the dark passage. They switched on their flashlights and cautiously moved forward.

Suddenly, a strange metallic figure covered in green rust jumped out of the darkness. Lena and Petya jumped in fright, but the professor laughed:

"It’s just an old trap, one that could have been avoided long ago. We need to find a way to deactivate it."

Petya carefully examined the trap and soon noticed a lever hidden behind a rock.

"I found it!" he exclaimed as he pulled the lever. The trap stopped, and the path was clear.

It was still dark ahead, but Lena was confident they were on the right track. They kept moving forward until they reached the last rock, which, according to the professor, hid the entrance to the main pirate cave.

"Here it is!" said Professor Skvorzov, removing the rock. "Now, we need to be extra cautious."

The children eagerly looked at each other and entered the cave.

Inside, they found an old wooden chest filled with gold coins and precious stones. But the most important find was an ancient map that showed the location of an even greater pirate treasure.

"We found the pirate treasure!" the children exclaimed in unison.

"Yes, and now we know exactly where to look for the next treasure!" replied the professor with a smile.

So, Lena and Petya not only found the treasure but also solved one of the greatest archaeological mysteries in the Caribbean.