The Groth

-Two months since the expedition left the village of Kruhj. Are you telling me that there is no news from them yet? --- Professor Johanssen asked in an alarmed tone.

-No, three weeks after they left for Trajstn we lost all communication. --- Intern Joseph answered hastily.

-And you're hardly telling me? Do you know how important this mission was for our university? Does the press know?

-Not my lord, --mused the young Joseph-- we have hidden all this in the light of the reporters, the expedition was planned with all discretion.

At that moment Professor Iliev opens the door of the office agitatedly. (A man of about forty years of good-natured appearance but intelligent look).

-Johanssen, I have news for you

-Like the ones that Joseph has just given me?

-I do not know what young Joseph would say to you, I personally come to tell you that we managed to decipher the last message of Professor Smith.

-Smith, the one who led the expedition to Trajstn? --- Professor Johanssen asked worriedly.

-Did you decipher it? --- said excited Joseph.

-Yes and yes - Iliev said - as you know, three weeks after leaving the mission we lost all contact with them and the last message that came to us was a total enigma, because it came in a language completely unknown to us. After receiving it, we gathered our best group of linguists and even then, none of them could find the key to understand the message.

-Ah, that's why you asked me for the collaboration of the Department of Linguistics of the university, I thought it was for a new project. --- Professor Johanssen said thoughtfully.

-And it was, for what I see the biggest in the university. But let's go by steps. The message arrived in an aerostatic capsule, which contained a piece of paper with enigmatic red symbols inside.

In this moment the head of the History Department, Professor Gomez, entered the room abruptly.

-I want to know everything - he said angrily.

-What do you mean Gomez? - Johanssen asked.

-They asked for the collaboration of some professors of the History Department, all of them scholars in their field, to work on a project together with those of the Department of Linguistics. A moment ago they all arrived very excited asking for permission to leave on an expedition with no return date. They did not give me the reason why they wanted to leave or what kind of expedition they wanted to undertake, only to talk to Professor Iliev. --- Professor Gomez stressed.

Everyone looks at Professor Iliev as he takes a breath to speak.

-As I was saying, three weeks after the expedition had left for the city of Trajstn, we got a message encoded in a language that we did not understand, therefore we ask for the help of the Department of Linguistics and although all are exceptional in their field, none could decipher the message. There is no known language that resembles it.

-And what has to do with historians? --- Johanssen asked.

-The point is that we were facing a great inconvenience, we had the best linguists of the university; the mythical University of Lestre, but none of them was able to find the solution. There was no known language, neither ancient nor modern that resembled it. But we knew, we were sure there was a message in that paper, an important message at the same time that it came from Professor Smith. And we ask ourselves: If it is an ancient language, of which we do not know its existence?

-That's why you called the historians. ---- Gomez said.

-Yes, that's why we ask for the help of the historians, who upon seeing the symbols of the message got down to work; since they found similarities with some symbols recently discovered in the ruins of Tars, near the village of Kruhj.

-And because of these discoveries is that the expedition that came out two months ago was planned. --- Professor Gomez reviewed.

-Exactly --- replied Professor Iliev --- They noted the similarity between the symbols of Smith's message and those found in some tables of the Tars ruins. They saw that these symbols are of a very old language, totally different from all the others; the semantics, the structure, were very different. So they lasted more than a month studying that code until less than an hour ago they managed to decipher it.

-What did he say? --- Young Joseph asked with deep interest.

Iliev clearly excited replied: We found the Groth's secret.

Everyone looked at each other in amazement, no doubt thinking it was a joke. But seeing the emotion and security with which Professor Iliev said it, and knowing how serious he is for these things, they thought about the kind of discovery that the message posed. The Groth's secret; the greatest civilization that ever existed. But was not it just a myth? A story to entertain the little ones?

According to the legends the Groth existed for a long time before all the other known civilizations appeared. It was a country, or many countries with a very advanced technology, that had even conquered space. There were many stories about his legend.

The Groth, will it be possible? The mere mention of his name was a mockery for the scientific community. Although recently discovered artifacts never before seen in excavations conducted on the periphery of the ruins of Tars. Discoveries that shook the whole community of scholars. Many scientists began to claim that they came from the Groth, others still doubted; while the majority still denied it.

How is it possible that there was a civilization before the others of which there was no trace? And if it really existed, could it really have been more important than the one we know today? Why does it no longer exist? How did it disappear?

On the other hand, being true what the message says, would not this be the greatest discovery of history, of humanity? By discovering their secrets we could put ourselves on par with them and even reach the stars. Is not that our biggest dream?

I would put the university back on top, the names of everyone who would participate in that discovery would be remembered by all the following generations.

Would this be my legacy? To make known the secret of the Groth? How beneficial or harmful can this discovery be? Is it worth the risk?

However, the Groth. We would make Gaia a better place, we would be a superior civilization, very advanced. Many of our problems would disappear completely. Hunger, diseases, there would be new sources of work; the standard of living would reach new limits.

Of course, knowing the Groth's secret, we would not make the same mistakes that led to its ruin, to its destruction. We would be immortal.

All these words echoed in the minds of each one of them at the same time that they said: I will go!

This is my first short story, I hope you enjoy it. Please comment if you like, or in what I could improve, I'll really gratefull if you will. All suggestions are valid.