Rick is swimming in a lake near his grandfather’s house when he notices something lurking in the shallow waters’ shadows. He gathers a bunch of friends and investigates further, only to discover it’s his late grandpa’s old car, hiding a safe and the older man’s secrets in its trunk.
Rick was a little boy, one with big curious blue eyes, when his grandfather took him and his younger brother Dan under his wing. Cason’s son and daughter-in-law had died in a car crash that year, leaving their two young boys orphans.
After losing his wife to cancer years ago and then his beloved son and daughter-in-law in the crash, Cason was very lonely. Raising his grandsons was supposed to fill the void in his life and heal his broken heart, and it did.
Cason’s entire world revolved around Rick and Dan, who weren’t the most well-behaved kids, by the way. Cason never differentiated between them and loved them equally, even sacrificing his comforts to ensure his grandsons never missed out on anything.
If only the older man had realized his love wasn’t enough for his grandsons, he could have saved them all from the terrible times ahead.
Cason didn’t notice the hatred in his grandsons’ eyes and the dislike they’d developed for each other in their hearts. He had no idea Rick and Dan couldn’t stand each other, especially as they grew older and became teenagers.
Rick was older, wanted things done his way, and never respected Dan’s choices. Instead of discussing things with his elder brother, Dan ignored him and angrily told him it wasn’t his place to order him around!
“Hey, hey, look, I found something in Grandpa’s car, OK? He’d said it had magic or something. I think I know what he was talking about!”
The two boys argued over everything, but despite their disagreements, they also cared for one another. When Dan had fallen in the school playground and scraped his knees, Rick had piggybacked him to the school’s medical room and stayed beside him while the nurse applied the antiseptic.
“Ah! It stings!” Dan was crying as he tried to reach for Rick’s hand.
“Hey, buddy. Don’t look there, OK?” Rick had said, holding his hands. “You know what, let me tell you a story…” And before Rick finished his story, the nurse had finished dressing Dan’s wound.
So even though they had their differences, Rick and Dan didn’t want to hurt one another and jumped to each other’s rescue. But things changed over time, especially when Cason’s health deteriorated. He couldn’t always be around for his grandkids, so the boys were usually on their own, which drove them apart.
One day, Cason got the two boys neck chains to symbolize his love for them. “Boys…” Cason said. “Keep these with you at all times. One day when I’m gone, you will discover it’s magical! It will bring you closer than you’ve ever been!”
Rick scoffed. “I’m definitely old enough not to believe in this magic crap, Grandpa!” he cried. “Maybe Dan will buy your story! Won’t you, little loser?”
“I’m not a loser!” Dan snapped. “I’m a big boy! And…I…I don’t believe in magic!”
“Oh, don’t you boys fight!” Cason said, diffusing the tension. “You may not realize it’s magic today, but one day, you will! Besides, I would appreciate it if my grandsons retained them as a present from their grandfather. Please?”
Dan didn’t know if the chain was magical or not, but he loved his grandfather enough to believe he should keep it with him. It was Rick who tossed it away in his closet and forgot about it.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“Grandpa thinks we’re still kids!” he told Dan that night while they lay in their beds. “I can’t believe he got us some stupid chains!”
Dan didn’t want to seem like the stupid kid believing in magic. Yet, he told Rick he would keep the chain forever.
“I—I believe in what Grandpa said,” he replied quietly. “He wants us to keep it, so I will!”
“Stupid loser!” Rick chuckled. “You’re still a kid! Really!” Then he turned his back to Dan and dozed off.
***
Years passed. The two boys graduated high school and moved out of Cason’s home. Dan got a scholarship to pursue higher studies, and Rick took out a loan to start a small business after attending a community college.
After moving out, both boys got preoccupied with their lives. Dan was busy with assignments, projects, and tours while Rick was brainstorming ways to save his failing business.
At that point, neither of the boys considered their elderly grandfather, who was becoming frailer and lonelier over time…
Then one day, the unforeseen happened. Cason left for his heavenly home. Dan and Rick received the terrible news over the phone from Cason’s neighbors. The boys rushed to their grandfather’s house to realize they were too late.
Cason was gone. Heart attack, the doctors said. The boys arranged for their grandfather’s funeral and bid him goodbye.
Then they decided to take care of the matters that made them rush to their grandpa’s house.
After the funeral guests left, Rick phoned Cason’s lawyer. The greedy grandson he was, Rick wanted to know what he was inheriting from Cason. The young man was shocked when the lawyer claimed Cason hadn’t made a will.
“What has happened is tragic, Rick. I’m sorry,” the lawyer said. “Cason was more than just a client. He was a good man, a man gone too soon!”
“Yeah, whatever…so, like, he never talked to you about any will?” Rick asked, getting straight to the point.
“No,” sighed the lawyer. “Not that I’m aware of. I remember mentioning it once, but he declined, saying he wasn’t in a hurry. Who could have guessed this would happen?”
Rick hung up the phone and slammed his fist on the table. “What the hell is going on?” he exclaimed. “That old coot passed away without making a will! Who is going to get this house? Who inherits his assets?”
“Well, you can have grandpa’s home ’cause I don’t care,” Dan said. “I’m moving to the other side of the country… I got a job.”
“Oh, don’t you give me that, Dan!” Rick snapped. “You’re trying to be the bigger man here because you got that goddamn job, aren’t you!? Making me the selfish, mean brother!”
“Oh, c’mon, Rick! I’ve got better stuff to care about!” Dan said. “Anyway, Grandpa would’ve wanted me to make my own way in life. So, you’re free to keep everything! And how much is this house worth, uh? You’d probably put more money into repairing this crumbling piece of trash!”
“Hey, hey, if you don’t need the house, I will keep it! You’d better not fight for it later! But it’s not like I’m going to die without Grandpa’s assets. I can live on my own as well! I have!”
Rick was lying. His company was about to go bankrupt, and he knew he’d soon be kicked out of his expensive city apartment. He wanted Cason’s assets, even though they weren’t worth much.
“Help yourself!” Dan hissed. “I’m leaving tomorrow. Enjoy the inheritance! What a fool grandpa was to waste our time! I was hoping he’d leave us something, but we find out this house is all he has!”
Dan was gone the next day, and Rick was alone in Cason’s house. He decided it was only for the best that Dan didn’t want the house because he could run his business from there and avoid paying the high city rent.
So within a few days, Rick made all the adjustments in Cason’s house for a comfortable stay and started operating his business from there. It wasn’t the ideal setting, but he was at least saving money.
One day, Rick decided to swim in the lake near Cason’s house. When they were kids, Cason often took him and Dan to the lake, so Rick was just looking forward to relaxing and enjoying a peaceful swim.
“Wow, this is amazing!” he exclaimed as he dived into the icy water. It was a welcome respite from the sweltering heat. Then, as he approached the lake’s depths, he noticed something lurking in its shadows.
Rick swam deeper and deeper until he glimpsed something buried in the shallow waters: it was a car! He looked around and realized it was buried deep within and would require assistance to pull out.
Rick swam back to the surface, and as he emerged from the water, he realized he had to get the car out because it wasn’t just any model. It was his late grandfather’s prized vintage Chevrolet, which had been in his family for years!
Rick dialed a few friends who ran an auto repair shop and told them about his discovery. An hour later, a crane pulled the old, rusty car covered in seaweeds and algae from the lake while water gushed out of its missing doors and cracked windshield.
As the crane lowered it to the ground, Rick’s friend examined the car. “Looks like we’ve got something in the trunk!” he exclaimed, tapping his wrench against the car’s boot.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“Really?” Rick asked. “You ain’t got any tools or something for it?”
“It’s stuck,” his friend explained. “I tried. Need to break it, I guess.”
“Hold on. I think I might have something,” Rick said. He rummaged through Cason’s old garage and found a toolbox containing hammers, screwdrivers, and claw bars.
When Rick and his friend forced open the trunk, they stood back in shock.
“WHAT IS THAT!” Rick gasped. “WOW! A SAFE!?”
“Looks like it, mate,” his friend said. “Old thing. Needs the key. You have it?”
“Uh, no. Of course, not. But we got the tools to aid!” Rick exclaimed. He tried to open it with a crowbar, excited to see what was within, but the lock wouldn’t budge. He then attempted to open the lock with a drill, but it wouldn’t even get through the outer coating.
“Geez!” he sighed, giving up. “What metal did they use to make this? The drill’s barely making a hole here!”
“Gotta take it to the locksmith or somethin’. Good luck. My boys and I are out!”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Rick was left alone with the safe and had no idea how to open it until… he remembered the chains Cason had given him and Dan when they were kids. The pendant was shaped like a key!
Rick looked all over the house for the chain but couldn’t find it. It was then he remembered he’d seen it around Dan’s neck during Cason’s funeral. Dan had saved it!
Rick called Dan immediately. But Dan didn’t pick up the first few times, and when he did, he was furious.
“What the hell is going on with you, Rick? I’m attending a meeting!”
“Hey, hey, look, I found something in Grandpa’s car, OK? Remember he’d given us those stupid chains? He said it had magic or something. I think I know what he was talking about!”
“So? What do you want?”
“The chain! You still got it, right?”
“Oh, so now you believe in Grandpa’s magic?” Dan snarled. “Stop bothering me! I gotta go. Goodbye!”
The phone line went dead. Dan wouldn’t answer Rick’s call and eventually turned off his phone.
Rick was desperate to open the safe. What if it was full of treasures? He was in a situation where he could really use some money! But he didn’t want to take the safe to a locksmith because that would cost him quite a few bucks. Besides, there was a risk the safe held nothing valuable at all.
Rick realized he only had one choice now. He decided to drive the safe across the country to Dan.
***
The next morning, Dan was having breakfast when his doorbell rang. He opened the door to find his older brother on the front porch holding the safe in his hands.
“What the hell, Rick! What are you doing here?”
“Mind if I come in? This is heavy!” he cried as he rushed inside with the safe, past Dan.
“I need the key,” he said as he sank onto Dan’s couch. “I mean, the chain. Now.”
“I’m not giving you anything!” Dan said. “Please get out of my house!”
“Well, if you’re not going to give it to me when I ask…” Rick said as he slowly rose to his feet. “I’ll have to get it myself!”
Rick lunged at Dan, yanking the chain from his neck. He then quickly inserted the key-shaped pendant into the keyhole, and the safe clicked open.
“You’re crazy! What the freakin’ hell is wrong with you!” Dan cried, gently rubbing his neck.
Our family and loved ones are treasures we need to protect.
“OMG!” Rick gasped. “Dan, look…” He took out two thick gold bars and what appeared to be a letter written in Cason’s handwriting.
Rick and Dan began reading the letter, and as they neared the end, tears streamed down their cheeks.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“Dear Dannie and Rickie, my beautiful boys,
I’m not sure how to begin this letter. Let’s say I’m writing this because I love you both. I took you both in when you were very young! How much you both reminded me of my son, your father! Oh, how I adore you two. Sometimes I feel like my heart will explode with all that love!
“But recently, I witnessed something that bothered me deeply. I had no idea you brothers hated each other. I happened to see you two fighting, and it broke me on the inside. I wanted you two to be there for each other when I was gone, but… I was heartbroken to realize it wouldn’t happen.
“I only have the house and two gold bars besides my grandfather’s car. I wanted to leave the inheritance to you two, but after watching you fight like dogs, I decided you were better off without it. What grandfather would like to add fuel to the fire, after all? So I asked a friend to take all my savings and drown them! No assets, no conflict between you two!
“However, I feel you might find the truth someday. If you ever read this letter, please know that you, my grandsons, are my real treasure… my darling boys. Even if you have a lot of money, you are poor if you don’t have people who love and care for you. Boys, family is the true treasure. Cherish it while you can. I will always love you.
With love,
Your grandfather, Cason.”
“We really hurt him, didn’t we?” Dan said, wiping his tears. “I’m sorry, Rick. Let’s not fight again. Let’s forget our differences, for Grandpa’s sake.”
Rick didn’t utter a word.
“Rick? Hey, I—”
Before Dan could finish, Rick hugged him tightly and sobbed like a child, telling him how pathetic he felt. Rick cried that he was supposed to look after Dan after their parents died, but he was so blinded by greed that he only thought about himself.
“I’ve been awful, Dan! You should hate me!”
Dan gently patted his brother’s back. “Hey, hey, it’s all right. We can start over, OK? It’s never too late to make amends.”
The two brothers reconciled that day and realized their grandfather only wanted to see them happy together. “The chains, after all, were magical!” Rick laughed, brushing away his tears. “I should’ve believed in it!”
Later, Rick and Dan started a charity in Cason’s name to help lonely older people. It was their way of honoring the memory of their clever grandfather, who succeeded in bringing them together.
What can we learn from this story?
- Our family and loved ones are treasures we need to protect, and no amount of wealth can replace them. Dan and Rick’s grandfather died, leaving behind a mysterious letter that leads the brothers on a journey to discover the value of family while making them realize they are each other’s treasures.
- Sometimes it takes a loss to appreciate the things we’re blessed with. Cason’s death made Rick and Dan realize they’d been too foolish to spend years arguing, not being there for one another, and hurting their grandfather.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
