Day 29: Creative Writing Challenge

This is a 30-day writing challenge for the month of March where I will write a new post about a picture/video/idea each day.

At First Glance

Old fashioned notes on pieces of paper and note cards present in the picture.

There is also a compass, some glasses, keys, and a magnifying glass which could mean that the owner of these things was an explorer.

These papers seem old, but it appears that they were recently rediscovered and looked at based on the way everything is spread out.

The Story Behind the Picture

Maria lived in England with her Mom her whole life. She was really young when her father passed away so she knew very little about him. Maria knew her mother very well, but they never really got along. They would always fight and argue over who is doing what chores, Maria would get angry at her Mom for being strict and not letting her go out, and the two also often argued about TV shows.

There was nothing special between Maria and her Mom’s relationship. Maria was always interested in learning new things. She was curious. And Maria’s mom would always tell her that she reminded her of her late dad.

Maria was outside planting some seeds in the garden one morning. While she was digging, she heard a metal clank. She increased the size of the whole and pulled out a black box with a four-combo lock on it. She wiped off the soil and took the box she found to her room — not showing her mother.

She tried several combinations at first — 1111,1234,4321,0000, etc. She then realized that since she found it at her house, it might be related to her or one of her parents. She tried several combinations and just before she gave up, she attempted on more combination. She entered in 2677and click, the box opened. The combination she used was her birthdate — June 2 1977. She was ecstatic because she now realized that this box was left for her to find. But who left it?

She opened up the contents only to find a large brown wool jacket folded neatly at the top of the box. She remembered the jacket from a picture she had of her Dad when he was young. She put the jacket to the site and began emptying out the contents of the box onto the table.

What she found was all of her fathers notes and tools from the explorations he went on when he was young. He loved learning about new cultures, animals, and had a particular interest in the Antarctica. She found one his diaries and read the very first entry.

JOURNAl ENTRY 1:

Dear Diary,

Today is the first day of my adventure. I have grown up in the small town of Perry Barr, Birmingham my whole life. I am convinced that there are more people out there that are interesting. I believe the landscapes here are great, but I want to see more. I want to experience the extreme weathers, enjoy the night life, taste great authentic food, and learn about myself in the process.

I write in this journal as I start the adventure of a lifetime. I have always wanted to do this, but I never knew it was possible. They have these Huge boats now that can carry a lot more people, which makes it a lot more affordable. I have saved enough money over the course of many years for this very expedition.

Standby for more stories and discoveries…

As Maria looked up from the page, her eyes were blurry from the water building up in her eyes after reading something from her father. She never really got to meet him, but she missed him. Maria was crying knowing that her father got to live out his dream. She proceeded to read all the entries in the journal.

It was only a couple weeks later until she was almost done with learning all about her fathers discoveries. He had travelled to almost every continent, met many fascinating people, ate lots of great food, and really found himself in the two years of his vacation.

Aside from his diaries, Maria’s father also left many post cards from places he went to. Maria’s favorite was the one about Antarctica.

Antarctica — 2/17/1951:I am lost for words right now to be quite frank. I am on a boat in the Antarctica and I see these huge glaciers. These glaciers are bigger than trees, PUPPET! It’s quiet and peaceful here — all I can hear is the sound of my breath underneath this scarf. This is where I found myself. This is where I realized what kind of man, father, and husband I want to be. It is so crazy how just seeing more of the world can change how you view yourself!

After reading every single piece of writing from her father, Maria decided to show her mother. Her mother was already aware of the box, but she did not know where the husband had buried it. And why would he bury it?

There was one note Maria missed when reading through, that her Mom had found.

It read:

My Love,

I am writing this letter to let you know that I have cancer. I do not know how to look you in the face and tell you this without breaking down. I never knew something like this could happen to me. You are pregnant with my child and I feel so helpless that I will not be there to see our little baby grow old.

I spent my youth traveling the world and I wanted to share that with our beautiful baby girl. I know you too well and if I left this in plain sight, you will only toss it away and forget about it. I am placing all my notes that I have accumulated over the years right in this space, where you love growing plants.

Given your love for gardening, I know Maria will grow up to be a great Gardner too! If you do not find this, she will. If it is you reading this Maria, I love you with all my heart and hope that we will meet someday in heaven. Sorry I could not be there for you. Please look at the contents in this box as my passion project, something that I needed to feel whole, and ultimately what helped me find who I am.

I hope it can help provide you with some guidance in your life too!

Until the afterlife dear!

Sincerely,

The man who always loved you X

Maria’s mom, similar to Maria, held the letter close to her chest and cried for a few minutes before smiling at how much her husband had loved her.

END Credits

Maria went on to traveling the world like her father after she turned 26 and saved enough money for travel. This time, she did not go alone but went with her mother. They both wanted to experience the bliss experienced by their late husband/dad together.

They lived happily ever after.