Search For The Mythical City Of El Dorado I Story By Aaranyak

Search For The Mythical City Of El Dorado

The Crew

Jones was busy doing his last minute packing. He would set out the next day. He had  received news from a friend that four German nationals had mysteriously disappeared while doing some research work in the Amazon rainforest. Had they been attacked or killed by wild animals at least some traces of their bodies or their clothes would have been left behind. But there was none. Personally Jones thought they had ventured into some unexplored part of the Amazon and got lost. Being an adventurer, he volunteered to go looking for them. He packed some clothes, some dry food, his rifles, his shotgun and adequate ammo. He gathered a crew of five, including himself. Prof Kenedy, was a Professor of Geography at University of California, Berkeley and an expert on Amazon. Nobody knows Amazon better than him.  Dr Roger was an ex- Army surgeon. Colonel Philip was also an Army veteran, known to have never missed a bullet and Mr Alvarez was an explorer. They were all old acquaintances from an adventurer’s club.

The Box

Their flight landed at Eduardo Gomes International Airport at Manaus, Brazil at 5:00 a.m. Without wasting any time they headed straight to the site where the Germans had camped. They turned every object inside out searching for clues. While rummaging through things they found a small wooden box carefully hidden behind a cabinet. The box contained a yellow wrinkly manuscript. Something was written in Spanish. Alvarez started reading aloud ” I Senior Antonio de Kerk, member of the King’s conquistadors, Advisor to Don Carlos hereby state to my descendants that El Dorado does exist. I visited it. If anybody craves for gold, follow my map, it will lead you there. But beware the blood thirsty Yukos and the devilish Aurumgur.” “Holy cow! So they must have set out trying to find El Dorado”, Jones yelled. Kenedy suggested that they must go after them. “But we don’t have the map”, the Colonel pointed out. “Well, I have something that might help,” Kenedy smiled as he unpacked his luggage and took out a few notebooks. The notebooks were full of detailed information on the Amazon basin. One of the pages had a small hand drawn map of Llanos de Mojos. In the 16th century the Spanish conquistadors had started searching the region in search of the mythical city of El Dorado.

All the five pairs of eyes twinkled together. “Let’s go then”, they almost shouted together. They walked throughout the day through dense forest till they reached a river. They froze once they had a good look at the river. It was full of crocodiles. “How do we cross it?” asked the Colonel? “Wait”, said Alvarez, as he pulled out a sturdy rope from his backpack. He made a knot at one end and threw it across the river. The knot gripped a branch of a tall tree. Alvarez pulled the rope and the knot tightened. He then tied the other end to a tree on their side. “Now gentlemen, we have to rappel across the stream”. 

The Kayapos Tribe

One by one they rappelled to the other side. All of them were exhausted, so they decided to rest a while before moving further. They walked for many more miles before it was pitch dark. They pitched their tent in a clearing. They decided that they would sleep in turns. Three of them would sleep while the other two would keep a vigil. The night passed uneventfully and in the morning they continued their search. Suddenly they discovered something. Pieces of ripped jeans, a few bullet shells and a little blood on the ground. “Kayapos” said Jones, pointing to an arrow lying at a little distance. “So the Kayapos have taken the Germans” Jones concluded. “The Kayapos are the deadliest tribe of this part, they kill with their poisonous arrows, Prof Kenedy added. ” We must follow this path, they must be somewhere nearby” said Dr Roger. “But we must be more careful now”, the Colonel cautioned. 

They went nearly 20 km further and their bodies froze at what they saw. There lay the blood spattered bodies of a few black people, wearing animal skin and feather head gears. They were definitely the Kayapos but where were the Germans? “They must have killed the Kayapos and escaped,” said Colonel Philip. The five of them searched the place looking for a clue. But there was none. It seemed like a dead end. Dr Roger was far away from them, behind some bushes still trying to look for something. ” See what I have got”, he screamed from behind the bushes. They all hurried towards the spot. It was an old parchment paper with the words Mapa de El Dorado written in black. “We are in luck”, smiled Dr Roger. “It is the map of the mythical city of El Dorado. The Germans must have accidentally left it behind”. “Now we will be rich” quipped Colonel Philip “Don’t be so sure. They might have another coy”, said Jones.

Crown Shaped Mountain

They studied the map carefully. “The map shows a lake”, said Jones. “And a crown shaped mountain too”, the Professor added. “Hey guys look ahead,” shouted the Colonel. Their excitement knew no bounds as they all looked ahead and saw a crown shaped mountain at a distance. So they were finally close to the legendary El Dorado. They climbed the mountain and reached the other side in 6 hours. And there was actually a lake. The water was teal blue and transparent. “I think we should cross the lake,” Jones suggested. They crossed the lake but there was no sign of a city, only tall trees all around forming a beautiful canopy. Night was descending. They would have to be fast. Alvarez, the quiet sort, was studying the map intently. “There must be a cave somewhere” he said, lifting his head from the map. 

The Golden Cave

The cave was difficult to find. It was carefully hidden behind a clump of kapok and rubber trees.   They lit their torches and slowly entered the cave. As light fell on the walls, they glowed in darkness. It was gold all over. The golden walls were etched with some symbols which looked religious. They could not believe their eyes. They were indeed in the mythical city of gold.  Suddenly they heard a groan. They headed in the direction of the sound. Dr Jones nearly stumbled on something. There lay a bleeding man. He identified himself as Volkhmeir, one of the four Germans who had come in search of the mythical city of El Dorado. “My mates are all dead. They were killed by the legendary Yukus, who protected the treasure. I managed to flee somehow”. 

The Mythical City Of El Dorado

Leaving the injured man behind they moved on. A faint light seemed to come from afar. As they progressed they realised the cave had an opening on the other end. They moved as fast as their tired legs could carry them. Just outside the cave stood two tall structures which looked like the remnants of a gate. As they touched one of the pillars it turned into gold and as if in magic a whole city stood up in front of them – a city of gold. Colonel Philip and Dr Roger started dancing in joy. “Now the whole world will know us. We will be the first to discover the mythical city of El Dorado.” The others got busy clicking pictures. It was not just the gold that moved them, the architecture too was beautiful. In the centre stood  the largest and most beautiful building. Alvarez said “It must be the palace. There should be an underground chamber beneath it. That is where they stocked all their gold”. 

Their eyes dazzled as they entered the chamber. They could never have imagined so much gold.  The chamber had a long line of gold figurines. They looked like statues of kings. At the feet of the statues lay piles of intricately designed chests, all full of gold. Dr Jones and Colonel Philip picked up some gold. As they tried to put them inside their pockets Professor Kenedy scolded them “Remember we are not thieves. Unlike the Germans, we have come here to explore not to steal.” Colonel Philip pleaded like a child “Can we not take a little? At least as a proof? “”Okay, you may”, laughed the Professor. 

Amazonia

They explored the region for a few more days before heading towards Brazil. The whole of Amazonia was fascinating. Dark frightening forests and such a variety of animals. Every moment was exciting. They were a little sad that they could not save the Germans. Although they had rescued Volkhmeir, he died on the way. Reaching the airport at Manaus, they remembered they would have to declare their gold. But what would they say? Is anybody going to believe them? Colonel Philip opened his hand baggage to take out the little piece of gold that he had wrapped in his handkerchief. “Oh, no! Where is my gold? It is just a piece of rock”. The others took out theirs, only to share the same disappointment. “Let’s check the photographs. I am afraid the photographs would be missing too”, Alvarez said. He was right. None of the cameras had a single shot of the fabled city. “El Dorado wishes to remain a mystery. And we must respect that”, quipped Professor Kenedy. They all agreed.

FAQs – Search For The Mythical City Of El Dorado

 What is the central theme of the story earch For The Mythical City Of El Dorado?
The story explores adventure, mystery, greed versus ethics, and the idea that some legends—like El Dorado—are meant to remain undiscovered.

Why did Jones and his team go to the Amazon rainforest?
They went to investigate the mysterious disappearance of four German researchers who vanished while exploring the Amazon.

What clue led the crew toward El Dorado?
A hidden wooden box containing a Spanish manuscript revealed that El Dorado existed and mentioned a map leading to it.

Who were the Kayapos and Yukus?
The Kayapos were a deadly tribal group in the region, while the Yukus were legendary protectors of El Dorado who guarded the treasure fiercely.

How did the crew find the location of El Dorado?
Using an old parchment map, geographical knowledge, and landmarks like a crown-shaped mountain and a lake, they traced the path to a hidden golden cave.

 What happened to the German explorers?
Most of them were killed by the Yukus while trying to steal the treasure. One survivor, Volkhmeir, was found injured but later died.

Did the crew take any gold from El Dorado?
They briefly took small pieces of gold, but by the time they reached civilization, the gold had turned into ordinary rock.

Why did the gold and photographs disappear?
The story suggests that El Dorado is protected by mystical forces and chooses to remain a secret, erasing all physical proof.

What message does the ending convey?
The ending highlights respect for ancient civilizations, the limits of human ambition, and the idea that not all wonders are meant to be claimed.

Is The Mythical City Of El Dorado a realistic or mythical story?
It is a blend of adventure fiction and mythology, inspired by the legend of El Dorado and the mysteries of the Amazon rainforest.

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