Chapter 6: Under the Oak Tree
The backyard was wet from morning dew.
Noah wore his father’s old baseball cap, even though it was too big and kept slipping over his eyes. Grace carried a small garden shovel.
They walked to the oak tree together.
The wooden bench beneath it was old, but still strong. Aaron had built it with his own hands.
Grace knelt and ran her fingers underneath the seat.
There they were.
Three carved lines.
Noah touched them gently.
“This is us?”
“Yes,” Grace said. “Dad made that when you were a baby.”
Noah looked around.
“So where did he hide it?”
Grace searched the ground, the roots, the space beneath the bench. At first, there was nothing.
Then Noah noticed something.
“Mom, the badge fits here.”
He pointed to a small circular mark on the side of the bench’s wooden leg.
Grace leaned closer.
It was not a mark.
It was a tiny metal slot, almost hidden beneath peeling paint.
Her heart began to pound.
Noah pressed the badge against it.
Click.
A narrow panel loosened under the bench.
Grace stared.
Aaron, what did you do?
She pulled the panel open.
Inside was a sealed metal case.
On top of it was a label written in Aaron’s handwriting.
“For Grace and Noah. Open together.”
Grace sat back on her heels, stunned.
Noah’s eyes shone.
“Dad really left treasure.”
May you like
Grace touched the case with trembling fingers.
“No,” she said softly. “Dad left love.”
