Sonar

Michael wasn’t much of a father after his wife passed a few years back. He didn’t intentionally become wrapped into his own world, he was just a sad little man, praying that the horrible nightmare he replayed time and time again in his mind would end. Kenny was his savior. He was his light and hoped that her innocence still existed in the world. He could see her smile on his face along with other memorable features. He was a quiet boy with a love for books and skating. Every Tuesday and Thursday, Kenny would volunteer at the local library just so he could hide himself in a corner and read in peace. He would only come out when his help was needed or, when his favorite helper arrived. Her name was Sonya. Sonya was a beautiful brunette with a slender frame. She was a little older than him too, but shorter and this made Kenny laugh every time he thought about it. “If you’re older than me why do I tower over you?” Kenny poked at Sonya and she immediately became annoyed. “You're not oblivious to genetics Kenneth. I am still older and don’t forget, with less years of school left.” Kenny groans remembering the few years of school remaining. Sonya shouted with triumph when she beat him. Kenny, feeling the defeat, decided to retreat back to his corners where he had been reading the same article for twenty-minutes. A yawn overpowered him, alerting him of his sleepiness. Before he knew it, he was out like a light. He awakened quite quickly hours later,coming to terms with his long nap. He stood up, stretched his legs,and began to pace the library. Sonya calls him over to books he has never seen before. He looks at her in confusion, but before he can speak she begins to clarify. An older woman donated them to the library due to her grandchildren growing older. She gave them the option to choose the ones they would personally like, and the rest belonged to the Blue County Library. Sonya had already picked the books that spoke to her. One looked as if it belonged to the Sherlock Holmes family, and the other was a romance.Two different genres but, she never had a favorite. Kenny had yet to find one that caught his eye. He would glance at their covers but would not pick them up. Just before he had given in, he spotted one. It was an odd little book, a little older than the rest. He picked it up, examining the cover. “The Calling”. That’s all it had said on the cover yet he was intrigued. He flips the first few pages slowly analyzing the words on the page. The book was nothing too special yet, so he continued. As he carried on, a smaller book fell out of the big one. A day full of surprises. The book was no bigger than his palm. A small black book with a blank cover. Now why would there be a book inside of a book? He opens it up to see a short little message. “To whoever finds this I hope to bring you great fortune”. Whatever that meant. Kenny begins to turn more pages. He begins to discover foreign symbols. They looked as if they were sign language but how would he know? His knowledge of the language was of bare minimum. Just as he was about to study the little black book more closely, Mrs. Cherry the librarian called out for him. It was his turn to return the lost books to their proper places before the library closed for the day. He hurried through his task, made sure his remaining daily chores were complete, said goodbye to the ladies, and headed straight for home.

The walk was not long at all. He managed to get home in fifteen minutes. He walked in to see Michael attempting to cook dinner for the two of them. Mike was never much of a good cook, but Kenny managed to survive the dinners just to make his father happy. He was aware of his cooking being almost completely awful, he just wanted to put himself in the shoes of his wife. Kenny and his father made small chat over their meal then they both retreated to their quarters. Kenny had begun removing all of his items from the day’s clothes revealing the little black book in his jean pocket. It was like the book had a connection to him. It was drawing him in and for what, he had no idea. Without hesitation, he opened it back up to the page he had left. The foreign symbols were still there. Convinced that it could be sign language, he retrieves his laptop and searches the symbols he sees. Whoever took the time to draw this must have the patience of a turtle. They were very delicate well drawn hands that portrayed the symbols that he began to decipher. The first one was a very simple “L”, with the thumb and index finger stretching out. The second symbol was also very simple. It was an “A” with all four fingers laying over the palm, with the thumb resting on the index finger. Kenny continued to decipher the code until he no longer could. It was right in front of him, the answer to the foreign symbols. “Land of the Seamen” He thought to himself as he tried to recall where he heard this name before. Then it came to him. Land of the Seamen was the name of a beach about thirty-miles west of Blue County. This must be where this certain fortune has been placed. He couldn’t believe he had figured it out. Did they not want it to be a hard task? Kenny pulled the location up on his laptop and printed out the map. He begins to pack his bag for the mini journey supplying himself with necessary equipment along the way. Just as he was about to head out he forgot one thing. It was midnight. You could hear the crickets chirp and look out to the dark sky to witness both the little and big dipper. He chuckled at himself and his sudden urge to get down to the bottom of this mystery. He placed his bag at the door and made his way back to his room for a few hours of sleep.

The next morning was Friday. Kenny had awakened quite early to beat the beach lovers and the raging rays of the sun. It was an extremely hot day, so he made sure to keep extra water on him. Mike had left a note on the fridge letting him know he had stepped out to help one of their neighbors with yard work. This was perfect there would be no questions about his whereabouts. He set off on his journey, taking the city bus all the way across town. He never had to pay when his friend Preston had bus duty, so he gave him a firm manly handshake and went on his way. He had brought his bike along just in case it was needed to return home, but it was more beneficial when he reached the next town over and realized the beach was still five miles out. Because the beach was man made it was only so big. This made his job easier. Kenny pulled the black book out of his pocket and flipped over the next few pages with the foreign symbols. He had printed out a sheet with the ABC’s in sign language to help him determine the exact location. “Cave of Bones”. He stretched his sight upon the beach to point out the specific cave. It was sitting to his left, a dusty orange cave. He reached it in a matter of minutes. Standing in the entrance way he wondered where it could be in here. He brought a shovel for digging. He really wished he had a bulldozer. He knew this task would take hours but that is why he started early. A couple of hours had passed and the sun was draining him rapidly. He was beginning to give up accepting his defeated efforts until his shovel hit something tough. Can it be? Out of excitement, Kenny regained his strength and began to shovel harder than he ever had. He was digging until there was no digging left to be done, and all that stood in front of him was a copper chest. He stared down in amazement at what presented itself right in front of him. There was a lock with a code keeping the chest shut tight. Kenny rushed to find the little book hoping the foreign symbols would tell him this secret too. He was relieved to find it on the last page of the book by itself. “90504”. A simple code for such a marvelous gesture. He slowly repeated the code as he turned the keys, hoping he was in the right direction. The lock clicks, signaling that Kenny has now opened his fortunes. He didn't know what to expect, but he surely didn't expect to see piles of money placed in the chest. He was in awe. He thought of all the problems he could fix with the money. He thought of how happy his dad would be when he found out what his son had just accomplished. At the top of the chest was a little letter written in fine print. “To whoever has found this, I hope to lessen your worries of life. Twenty-thousand may not be much to some but plenty to others. It brings me great joy that you have discovered what I have planted. Enjoy your fortune.” The letter did not have a name but instead an emblem. It was a bald eagle. Kenny placed the note in his pocket and began to pick the money up from out of the chest. He made space in his backpack for as much as he could before he began to hear a voice. It sounded as if it was a woman calling out to him. He couldn't figure out where it was coming from but it was getting stronger. He stepped out of the cave and looked both ways. There was no one in sight. It was getting stronger, but no appeared. Kenny then begins to notice little things fading out. It first started with the waters. Then the sand left as well along with the cave. All that was left was Kenny and the money. The money then disappears last leaving him alone for what felt like ten seconds before everything went black.

Kenny could feel someone shaking him. They started shaking him more aggressively calling out It was Sonya, and Mrs. Cherry? How did I get back here? “Oh you poor thing you’ve been knocked out for a couple of hours dear. You look so peaceful I didn’t want to wake you” He hadn’t realized he had spoken his thoughts. Kenny was very still, trying to understand the situation. There was no way this could be a dream , it was too vivid. Mrs. Cherry noticed his confusion and asked if he was okay. He just nodded his head then proceeded to finish his daily duties. He still could not piece together what had occurred but there was no one who would understand what he had to say. As the day ended, the library closed and he began his walk home. Before he could leave the premises, an older woman sped up to the entrance before he could cross the street. What did she want? She got out of her vehicle and raced to Kenny. “Please tell me you guys aren’t closed. I believe I have given up a book that was meant to stay on my shelves, have you seen “The Calling”? Kenny was in utter disbelief. His words escaped. “So I wasn’t dreaming?”