Seven Bridges Mystery

In New Jersey there is a little know place that leads to a small beach . There is a log road to get to this beach called Seven Bridges Road. At the end of the road, on the beach you can see where the bay and the Atlantic Ocean meet. The seven bridges on this road, are not bridges in the sense you may know them to be. Some of the bridges are just part of the road goingover small streams. Four of the bridges are concret, large, regular high bridges. Two others are very old,very scary wooden bridges that have been there for probably a hundred years. Only one car is permited across at a time, but some people try and push the issue. People line the sides of these narrow bridges to fish and crab, even though it is posted not to. This does make it harder for cars to pass.

I do love to travel down this road, especially when others are at work. It is very quiet and the wildlife changes constantly. I have seen fox, the most colorful birds, bald eagels and may more.

The beach at the end of the road is small and narrow with an old coast guard station at the west end. The beach is narrow, long but you cannot swim there due to the current. There are islands all around that can be seen from the beach, only one was occupied at one time. One island had a factory for many years from the fifties into the seventies. This was called Fish or Crab island which in it's working days, omitted horrible smells to the surrounding towns. Because of where the beach is located there are many things that wash ashore. I go there to collect shells and drift wood for art projects. This must be done during a low tide, the high tide floods the whole beach.

One day as i walked along the shore line, i saw something black in the distance. I ignored it at first walking on the west side toward the coast guard station. The coast guard stationwas purchased by a local college to study the marine life there. Not finding any treasures on the west side I decided to go back and see what the black object was. The item that I saw looked like a black object in a bag. As I got closer I realied that it was a black book inside the plastic bag. It looked dirty and like it had been tossed around in the sea for man y years.I opened the bag and saw what looked like a ships journal. So many ships for decades have disappeared in that inlet something was bound to wash ashore one day. I did not open the book but set it on the passenger seat of my car. I couldn't wait to get home and find out what was in the journal. As I drove home the book sitting there seemed to haunt me, "No I won't open it until i get home" I said to myself.

When I pulled in the driveway, I grabbed the book and rushed inside. I fixed some tea, got to a comfortable place and opened the book. Inside was a name Captain Henry James. "Wow this is the ship that went missing about fifty years ago. They never found anyone or thing related to the ship," I said out loud. There was also the name of the ship Sarah Marie.

Most of the pages in the book were just logs of where they have been or going to. This was odd why would you seal a ships log and throw it over board? There had to be more to the story then this. As i read on the writing started to get interesting. "These men are following me in the water and out of it. They could be pirates and i know what they are after, I will never let them find it" the Captain wrote . I read on to see if it mentioned what the object was these men wanted. "I have to make the instructions fast, the crew has informed me there is a boat approaching fast, I know it's them" he wrote. " On a beach called Seven Bridges there is a treasure buried there. You will find it on the east end, there is a rock there that looks like it is buried deep. Move that rock and dig down four feet, you will find a chest. Whoever finds this book i pass this treasure on to you. The next morning I woke to the alarm at fie o'clock am. I gathered some tools to dig up this treasure.

I arrived at the beach around five thirty. As i walked to the east end of the beach I remember seeing that rock on other trips to the beach. The rock was just as the captain wrote about. Digging down in the sand was not as difficult as I had imagined. When I heard the shovel hit metal i knew i had found what I was looking for." There it is," I yelled "Ok let's look inside" As I opened the chest I could not beliee my eyes, I was looking at Twenty thousand dollars. "Wait there's a note" ' Whoever finds this box this is my lifes savings hidden here from pirates trying to steal it from me. This is not stolen money and if you found it this means im dead' the note said "This is yours now to spend how you see fit, signed Captain Henry James" it read "Oh my God this is mine now . I will be able to pay up my bills until my new art sells." I cried. " Thank you Captain James you have completely made my day"