"My stomach growls.
I take a swig of water,
gobble a handful of nuts,
and pull out Dad's map.
The treasure should be up ahead,
just past the ancient stone
water storage house,
left centuries ago by a tribe
of the Mohican Nation.
What was it Dad used to say?
There's always something
that remains."
After his father dies, the boy is angry that he is gone so soon. There is an envelope, left behind for him, containing a map of the nearby woods. It has an X marked TREASURE. The boy was not hoping for 'some stupid map'. When he tosses it away, it lands beside his hiking boors. A sign???
As he wanders the woods so familiar to him, he takes note of the many natural wonders of being there. He looks, he listens, and his sore heart responds to the quiet that surrounds him. As he continues, he speaks to his dad about the things they have seen together. He uses the lessons he has learned from his father, all the while checking the map his father has left him.
While searching behind a brick fireplace, he finds a metal box and a key he has to check it out. The box is filled with protected drawings of the woodland wildlife. As he spreads open its yellowed pages, he finds sketches and beautiful, poetic text that describes a garter snake, a white-tailed deer, a north east red fox, and a great horned owl, all initialed by his dad with a date from long ago. It is as if his dad is right beside him as he makes this amazing discovery.
There's his note:
"I leave you these drawings,
these scribbles, and mostly, this forest -
the true treasure.
Finish my stories, or not,
but this last page is for you, Son.
Draw and write your own story.
I'll always be watching."
Notes from Nikki Grimes and Brian Pinkney add further poignancy to a truly profound work of art.
Unforgettable!
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