By noon, the baking heat of the sun had dried out the streets and golden pyramids of the lost city.

Mom called the president of Peru on our satellite phone.

“That trust for rain-forest protection that we discussed has been fully funded, Your Excellency. Can you send an extraction team to these coordinates to evaluate your newfound gold? And, sir? It should be a big team. A very big team.”

While we waited for the Peruvian officials to arrive, we threw a little fiesta on the bluffs overlooking the City of Gold. There was drum, guitar, and flute music. We had corn cakes and popcorn and corn fritters. Tommy danced with every girl he could. Storm pointed out interesting architectural details sculpted into the golden city’s turrets and towers.

Mom and Dad were happy that we had taken one more step toward saving the most precious treasure on the planet—Earth itself.

Beck and me?

Well, we thought about launching into another Twin Tirade.

But then we realized we were just too darn happy to do it.

So what’s next for the Kidd Family Treasure Hunters?

I’m not sure.

Maybe Forrest Fenn’s million-dollar buried treasure, rumored to be hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. Then there are stories about a lost Spanish galleon loaded with black pearls buried beneath the sands of the Mojave Desert. Or how about the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine in Arizona?

Well, whatever treasure we hunt for next, one thing’s for sure: We’ll find it a lot faster if we all work together!