My grandpa was a very frugal man.

our feet.

The glass case glows, then begins to rise, revealing a hidden shaft beneath it. A spiral staircase descends into blackness.

The colonel draws a flashlight. “You sure you want to do this?”

“No,” I say honestly. “But I have to.”

We descend together.

The air grows colder as we spiral downward, the walls lined with strange carvings that pulse faintly continue reading …