Treasure On A Distant Shore.

Timi sat down at the edge of the wooden bench right outside of his grandmother’s house,he was tracing circles in the sand with a stick, he had heard the stories a hundred times, his grandfather, a pirate who had once sailed far off the seas and who had supposedly hid a chest of treasure on a distant shore for him. Grandma, are you sure that Grandpa was really even a pirate? Timi had asked, his voice was sounding half curious and also half doubtful. Mama Ife chuckled, shaking her head, that man… eh ..., he was always full of secrets, yes he told me himself before he had passed, he said 'One day, Timi will go where I once stood, and he will find what I left behind.'  Then Timi’s eyes widened, so grandma ,you do believe it is true? Believe? hmmmm ...... She leaned closer, lowering her voice, I just know it is true, but you, my child, must be very brave enough to go find it. So that night, Timi could not sleep at all, the thought of that distant shore really did burned in his mind like a fire refusing to die out, then by morning, he had already made up his mind, he packed a small bag with some bread, water, and a notebook, then he ran down to the docks where his friend Sade was waiting for him You are crazy you know? Sade said when Timi explained, A treasure ke? On a distant shore at that? Omo what if it is just a story? And what if it is not? Timi shot back, don’t you want to see the world outside this dusty town ehn? See this girl o Sade hesitated, then grinned, fine, but if we die, I will haunt you. The two boarded a fisherman’s canoe, giving him a few coins to drop them by the farthest part of the coastline he knew, Hours passed with the waves rocking them gently until finally, the fisherman pointed at a strip of sand hidden by tall rocks. Oya o, that is as far as I will take you, he said, beyond here ,guy you are on your own, and when their feet touched the sand , Timi felt his heart race , the place was quiet except for the crash of waves and the cries of distant sea gulls. So this is it, sade whispered, the distant shore. They searched for many hours, climbing so many rocks, digging shallow holes, and scanning the tree line and all and just as the sun began to dip, Timi’s stick struck something hard beneath the sand. Wait, did you hear that? Timi’s voice trembled. Together, they dug furiously until a wooden corner appeared. Sade gasped. No way. Don’t tell me… And when they finally pulled it out, a rusted chest sat buried before them , heavy and covered in enough dirt, Timi forced it open, and inside it were gold coins, old maps, and a compass that still glowed faintly in the fading sunlight. Sade let out a sharp laugh, Your grandpa was not lying after all o .. Omo big treasure, she said. Timi’s eyes sparkled as he lifted the compass, I guess this was always meant for me, he left it… so I will find my own path. The waves crashed louder as if applauding them, and for the first time, Timi truly understood, sometimes, the stories whispered in the quiet corners of childhood were not ust tales they were calls waiting to be answered on a distant shore. *** --- _{*Image is Generated with Meta AI*}