A story of mine.

SYNOPSIS:

TREASURE HUNT FOR THE SOUL

Written By

Gregory Barone

I want to share with you the story of my mother's life, which was filled with happiness and joy, just the two of us. Being my dad died in a car accident; she did the best she could to make sure that I was happy. We had little, but we made the most of what we had. I used to talk to her each week, but when she got lung cancer, she could no longer have these conversations with me. My aunt lived with my mom and drove her to treatments, but the day came I got a call from my aunt that she had passed in her sleep. My mother's passing was a tremendous loss for me, as we had been very close. I didn’t know what I was going to do without her. They made the arrangements and in a few days, everything was ready. The funeral was attended by the entire family, as well as friends who knew her. Some of them mentioned that she was a caring and supportive person who was always available to assist those in need. I met with the lawyer with the family a day after the funeral to go over the will, particularly the section that pertained to me. I can tell you for sure this quite surprised me. He gave me an envelope which had the first clue.

‘I am the threshold guardian that will let you pass the big door, but I’m small enough to be kept in your pocket. What am I?.”

I thought for a moment. ‘ Well, if you need to get past a door, you’ll need a …KEY!’

I looked at the lawyer and asked if he had the key to my mom’s house. He did, and he gave it to me and soon I was off in my car to my old house. I knew the way and it wasn’t long till I got there and parked in the driveway. It wasn’t a big house, but it was just enough to live in and the neighborhood didn’t have any issues. As I got past the door, I found myself standing in the Living-room of my childhood home; surrounded by my mother’s belongings, and I was feeling overwhelmed. As I was looking around, I saw a letter on the table with my name on it, so I picked it up and it was a letter from my mother.

“Dearest Son,” the letter began.

“If you are reading this, then I am not with you. I know this is a difficult time for you, but I want you to know that I love you very much. I have left you clues for the treasure hunt in the house. This is my way of saying goodbye and letting you know I will always be with you in spirit. I hid the clues to the treasure hunt in my belongings. You’ll need to use your imagination and your detective skills to find them. I hope you enjoy the treasure hunt. And I hope you remember that I love you always.” I smiled as I finished reading the letter.

I knew that my mother would always be with me, even though she was gone. I started the treasure hunt right away.

The next clue from this letter was, ‘I have a neck, but no head. I still need a cap to cover my mouth.”

Well, I thought about this one for some time, but it was neck and cap that made me think of a …Bottle! I began looking around the house where bottles would be. It wasn’t till I found a old empty rum bottle in one cupboard in the kitchen with the next clue in it; that was brilliant of mom being what treasure and rum have in common was pirates.

I got the piece of paper out, which I found the third clue. ‘I stand and be in one place, yet I fill the entire room with my light. I can be tall and small and come in every hue.”

Well, the only thing that fills a room with light would be a…Lamp! This clue led me to look around the Living-room to find one Lamp to have a piece of folded up paper taped to the lampshade; and this was what it read.

‘I have four legs, but I am not a dog. I have a back, You can sit on me but I am not a camel nor a horse. I sometimes have arms, but I don’t have any hands, I am a piece of furniture.”

Of course, it had to be a chair, and I looked under it to find the next clue.

I unfolded the piece of paper and this was what was written on it. ‘My spine is stiff and my body is pale, but I am always ready to tell a tale.”

I thought about this for quite a long time till the only thing I could think of was …Book! I looked around to see the bookcase on the other side of the room, so I went over to it and looked at the books that were there, most were books of puzzles that she loved to do. I started by looking at the books on the top shelf. I saw nothing that looked like a clue or out of place, so I moved on to the next lower shelf. I still saw nothing, so I moved on to the next shelf down. I was about to give up when I saw a small book wedged between two larger books. I pulled the book out and opened it. This clue was hidden in a book of poetry, but as to what one would be the clue I’m looking for in this book I wasn’t sure!

I was going to put the book back when I noticed something written on the margin of the first page.  ‘I am soft, but I’m not a kitten. I am rectangular, but I am not a loaf of bread. I have a case, but I am not a detective. I sometimes have feathers, but I’m not a bird. I am found beneath a head, but I am not a scarf.”

Well; if it doesn’t go around your head but you can rest your head, then it has to be a…right’. And I then go to her bedroom and check the pillowcases but find nothing. I take the time to think about it, then I remember my old bedroom and I run to it. It was still the same as when I left for college. I felt around under the pillowcase and found a folded piece of paper and read it.

‘Swab the deck.”

‘SWAB THE DECK!!’ it perplexed me by this one but it had a pirate theme to it like one of the others; It had to deal with cleaning and they used hand brushes and…of course! Brilliant mom! I ran back downstairs and opened the broom closet and found the mop with a rubber band wrapped around a piece of paper on the top part of the mop; and I undid the rubber band and read the last clue.

‘Congratulations on finding all the clues; Now you need to solve the word jumble, used the letters on each clue. Good Luck my dear.’ this was going to be mind-boggling after what I had to go through this far.

After finding all the clues around the house; I faced a letter jumble game that I had to solve to find the treasure that my mother had hidden somewhere in the house. I sat at the dinner table with all the clues spread out on the table. Being a laborious task, I persevered and solved the puzzle to help find the treasure. The opportunity to go on a treasure hunt and have a final adventure with my beloved mother 'in spirit' was something I will always be grateful for.

And the word jumble clue was this ‘the treasure you seek is in the attic.” I went to the hallway and I pull down the attic ladder; after unfolding the ladder, I went up the creaky wood ladder and I found a trunk up in the attic of the old house. I step up to and I sit next to it and open the top to find inside was a letter on a cloth sheet.

I opened the letter and read it.’ Dear son.” The letter began.

‘I know you are wondering what it’s all about. I am having you go on this treasure hunt because I want you to remember me. I also want you to learn more about yourself. The treasure hunt is a journey. It is a journey that will take you through your memories, your hopes, and your dreams. It is a journey that will help you understand who you are and what you want out of life. I know this journey will not be easy. There will be times when you are scared, and there will be times when you want to give up. I also know that you are strong, and I know you will succeed. I love you very much, John. I am so proud of the man that you have become. I know you’ll do great things in life. Love …Mom.”

I put the letter down. She treasured each item and picture. The memories that were part of each item and pictures I remembered and now treasured. Baby shoes, first baby tooth I lost; My favorite book she would read to me before bed, my teddy bear Griz lee, my old baseball jersey. Her collection of memories includes photos of me on my first bike; one of me sledding down a hill, school photos, yearbooks, braces, dance photo, first car, first date, high school graduation, and wedding photos. At the bottom I found a CD mix of her favorite music and a journal, I took the journal and opened it to find that she kept notes of all the past events in my adult life away from her. As I looked around, all the things she had valued and preserved for her life were there.

Then I put all the stuff back into the chest and place the letter down on top of it all and closed the top of the chest. I wasn’t sure what to do next. My mother had left it for me, and it was apparent it was a way of saying goodbye. With the chest in tow, I made my way down the attic ladder. And sat down on the couch in the living-room and stared at the chest. My thoughts turned to my mother, and I reflected on everything she had taught me and the joyful moments we experienced together. This idea of the treasure hunt also occurred to me. The realization hit me in a way that it was like a metaphor for life. The true value of certain treasures lay not in their physical form, but in something much greater. It was the love and memories that I shared with my mother. This reflected my certainty that I would uncover the treasure. There was never a question in my mind that I would find the love she wanted to give me. It overjoyed me after finding the treasure!

I had connected with my mother again. A sense of pride after finding her treasure chest came over me, and I knew she would also be proud of me. The treasure hunt she had left me would be something I would never forget.

“Thank you, Mom.' I said, smiling tearfully, taking the chest and leaving the house. My mother somehow knew that I would always cherish the things she left me, and that I would never forget her. My treasure hunt was a journey of discovery. I learned about my mother’s life, and I learned about myself. I also learned how significant family and love are. The treasure hunt was a gift from my mother, and it helped me to heal my heart. I took the chest and put it in my car. I would decide what to do with it later. For now, I was just pleased to have found it. While driving home, I played the CD of her favorite songs and memories of my mother and the good times we had together flooded my mind. A smile spread across my face, comforted by the knowledge that she would always be in my heart and treasured for the rest of my life.

THE END