"For the millionth time, Luna, we followed the directions in the diary to the letter."
"I just want to be sure. We're not supposed to be here, Zac."
"We need to get away from the road now, over that dirt area over there, but do it carefully, I read that cars can get stuck." He said playfully.
"Shut up, you idiot." Luna grumbled, throwing a swat at him without taking her eyes off the front, causing Zac to start laughing loudly.
"This guy wrote that to get to his cabin you have to drive in the direction of where the smallest mountain is." Tossing the map onto the dashboard of the car, Zac grabbed a backpack that sat on the back seats, pulling out a thermos from which he drank some and then offered it to Luna, who declined by shaking her head once. "Hey, I know what we want is to drink coffee, but have a few sips of water at least." He kept moving it from side to side until she grabbed it roughly. "You wanted me to come with you... you should thank me for being here with you, because we've had to go around the world to get to this point."
"Did I force you to come?"
"As if I refused to participate in this adventure. I must admit, when you told me you'd gotten at that junk auction a journal with detailed instructions on how to get to a vacuum-sealed coffee packet, I didn't think you'd believe it. I mean, it could be a lie."
"Before I told you I had already done my research, remember, that guy was a farmer in life and had acres of land with coffee crops, supposedly he realized there was a problem when less and less was being harvested, he hid that coffee so that future generations would have a chance to taste it. That will be us, of course, if this turns out to be true, we will become the first to have tasted coffee in centuries."
They both shared a smile.
As the minutes passed, they began to realize that they were heading in the right direction because they were entering the mountains just as specified in the diary. It didn't take them long to reach a somewhat rocky road that fortunately was easy to pass through since they had the help of the type of car they were using, perfect for these areas. Before their eyes they began to see the hidden lake with the hut they had heard so much about right next to it, small and looking like it had been a long time since it had been taken care of, because it was, no one dared to go there due to the great amount of storms that occurred since the climate problems had started, some even dared to call those mountains 'The Devil's playground' for obvious reasons.
Without waiting too long, they grabbed their gear and got out of the car as quickly as possible, approaching the cabin door with hurried steps. The door refused to open easily, but a little nudge with their shoulder worked its magic. The inside was as deteriorated as the outside, there wasn't too much, a table with a couple of chairs, a considerable amount of firewood, a wood stove and a fireplace, which made them immediately wonder where something as important as what they were looking for could be hidden. Luna approached the pile of firewood piled up in one of the corners, taking a piece between her hands to inspect it and then throw it to Zac, who, surprised by the action, almost didn't manage to catch it before it fell to the floor.
"What are you doing?"
"Do you remember what you wrote in the last few pages? Something about getting to the center of the not so apparent, something like that."
Piece after piece Luna was throwing everything at Zac who rearranged it elsewhere in the cabin without a word until they finally spotted it, a safe in the middle of the large pile of firewood. Before Zac could reach over to take it from where it was, Luna grabbed it by both sides with her hands and lifted it up, walking over to the table to set it down on it with a weary sigh.
"What's the combination?" She asked, reaching into her backpack for the journal.
"He said his mother had won the lottery by playing the number 674 and that's what they had started in the farming business with. Try that."
The sound of victory was the sound of the safe opening, giving way to the package they had wanted so badly. When Luna took it in her hands, they were shaking with excitement at the discovery. Gesturing to Zac, he pulled out a knife, opening the package and releasing a smell so delicious that it made their mouths water. Unable to help himself, Zac grabbed a handful of the coffee beans, smelling them as if his life depended on it.
Putting an object similar to a thermo on the table, Luna opened a compartment of it to place a handful of coffee beans in it and close it again. On one side, a counter appeared with half a minute, while they waited for that time to pass, they both took out their respective cups. A tinkling sound let them know that it was ready, and a nozzle came out under which they placed their cups, beginning to pour the coffee that with its smell alone had them crazy. When they finally brought the cups to their mouths and tasted the coffee, they felt their legs begin to tremble, marveling at that delicacy with its strong flavor.
"I think I'm going to pass out." Was the last thing Zac said before collapsing to the floor.