GOLDMINE

Goldmine Mary Lu

Once upon a time, not long ago, a woman, me was waiting for the bus, an old Pacer in surprisingly good condition drove up to the bus stop and , opened the window and tossed out a small black book. It landed at my feet.

Fine, idiots! I yelled, I picked it up, before I could open it, I need my sanitizer and wipes to clean it off. I held it away from my face and opened it, expecting to see something stupid written.

Instead it was a bunch of numbers, old streets, things no longer around, but there was lot of good writing paper and a tiny pen/pencil in a leather binder attached, hmm sanitize and keep, yippee for me.

So off to work and home, I spent my lunch pouring through my new found treasure, the little leather bound black book. What did it mean, the windows in that driving fishbowl with wheels had enough nerve to be blacked out? Why.

I need Google, let me look up these streets and places and see what’s up, oh well back to work, I will pick it up at home my search for the meaning of it all. I called my bff and told her what I had, she told me to stop taking the bus, it didn’t matter I lived close to work, drive!

Finally done, with work, grabbed a quick bite, pulled out the computer and started plugging away at my black book puzzle. Candle, can, ladel, r…, sandwiches, cars, huh? This makes no sense, there was all this scribble, is this a picture of something?

Let me pull up a map of Detroit, ok I see no candle street, this picture looks likes steps and a hole in the ground and it says erusaert, whatever that could be, so as I poured over this puzzle, the grand came over to visit, as she ate my cookies drank my oat milk leaned on my shoulder and said: grandma, you do realize erusaert is treasure? What? I ask her, see she explained to me and kept trying to help me the rest of the night.

After she left I went back to my little black book, treasure eh? I poured over the words and and read several more pages, candler, I think that’s a street in the hood near me, back to maps, oh, Boom, I got it, Highland Park has one of those fake subway tunnels, hmmm, I wonder , I just wonder…let me call for back up,

I call my 3 young adults …hey loves, family meeting? Now, it’s very important you come over at 6am, no questions it’s an emergency, not life or death, but vitally important. If I tried to dig and sneak over alone, they would put me in a home, so we shall see.

6am I see 3 grumpy adults in my drive way, I climb in the oldest truck and signal the other 2 to get in and grab the shovels and flashlight I have a hunch. They are staring at me with that, ma you going to a retirement village look, but I pushed on, I told them what I found, they glared, I promised them that if it was nothing I would give them each a fast 50 for their trouble and poured on the mommy guilt..hahah,

So we get to Richton and Candler, there it is, we hop out, It’s early it’s quiet, very few cars are out, I send one to hop over the metal rail to see what’s down there, he said “ma” it’s a short tunnel, ok, I’m coming, ma! Ma nothing, we all hop over, I climbed slowly with caution, we are all down looking about, I kick some dirt about, pull my book out, 1.9.2. all through the other pages, I shine my light on the ground and the wall, the girl yells ma! It’s some numbers over here in this corner, it’s a handle too, but it’s got dirt jammed in it.

I tell first son guard the front, make sure nobody comes thru, I had him wear his official security outfit. The girl and I used shovels to move dirt from handle numbers read 192, The youngest said stand back I am opening this, I don’t want you to inhale anything or get in any danger…slowly the 2 of them opened the door, it was a small black box, they pulled out, slowly they opened it….blam! Gold coins! A small fortune!!!krugerrands which were illegal here, most likely hidden. Quick, let’s dip, the treasure has been found.

Back in the truck, I give thanks to God, to the creepy Pacer all the help my brood gave me. I call my buddy who owns a small pawn shop, he says head to him and that we will be able to pay off some bills, share some and begin a new beginning.

Just think if I had drove to work or discarded the book….blessing missed.

The End.