UNEXPECTED ADVENTURE

• Mehar Luthra, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2013

I was stuck there in the wretched old caravan. I thought this would be an extravagant holiday. Instead I’m stuck in a caravan with dad and mum working on the computer. Was this a holiday or a work course? I had no idea that I’d be involved in a special adventure.
It had been days since we had been having our fraudulent holiday and I knew my surroundings quite well. I had noticed a ditch. Well that was the only ‘big’ thing in the surrounding environment. I decided, since there was nothing else to do, to explore the place, in case I had not discovered some treasures previously.
There was a whole area of greenery. I doubted that anything could really be found except creepy insects, but in fact I was wrong. I found a picture frame. It was rusty and most of the frame’s wood was chipped out. Even the colours were blended in with each other.
I turned it over. Can you guess what I found? A letter! Should I tell you what it said? This is what it said: Find something precious as gold. Open this cover and take out the key.
At that time, I never understood anything about it, but I just opened the cover that I had never noticed and took out the key. Whoever was the owner finely concealed the cover and key.
The next step was finding the place where the treasure was hidden; the hardest job ever! I thought through all the places I knew. The only reasonable place was the ditch or the place around it.
I carefully put the key and note in my pocket. Then I made my way back to the ditch. Surprisingly, I caught a glimpse of gold and gems. I looked over to where it was. It was on the ditch. I guess this situation was well suited to the proverb, where there is smoke there is a fire.
I ran up to it, grabbed a stick and started to scrape the dirt off. Finally, after a reasonable amount of dust particles were removed, I fit the key in the key hole. It opened up and inside was what I called disheartening at first. It was just a photograph, a dusty black and white one. I picked it up thinking it might be good if I showed it to dad, but guess what was underneath it?
A gemstone!
I closed the chest and raced back to dad with a light of thrill burning within my body. I showed it all to him- the key, the note, the picture and stone.
Tears filled his eyes. I asked why he was crying. He said that the place they were parked in was my great grandparent’s house. Eventually, workers knocked down even the ruins. Also he told me that this treasure was theirs.
In the end, I found out what was shiny in the chest. Deep love and a well preserved stone..
This holiday was outstanding after all!