Jacob Brown was always the first one to wake up in his house. He did love the quiet the early hours gave before anyone else was up, a perfect time to have the house to himself. He would usually sit at the kitchen table and sip on his orange juice while reading the past day's newspaper.
On this particular quiet morning, Jacob was reading an article about a retired eccentric explorer who made lots of fortune traveling the world and collecting rare artifacts.
At first he didn't really take interest in it until he noticed something odd on the back of the newspaper. It was a map! 'Very rare' he thought. He quickly grabbed a magnifying glass his late grandpa read with which was laying on the kitchen table, and looked into it. He knew he could make out some of the writings although the looked tiny.
"X marks the spot," it said. Could it be a treasure map? He asked no one in particular. "Only those who believe receive" the words continued.
Somehow he felt those words were speaking to him. Out of curiosity, he picked up his compass and began to trace the route on the map with his finger. There, he found it. The spot marked in X on the map. The map led from the nearby woods, to the old lighthouse on the cliff, and then through a tunnel in the lighthouse to an abandoned sealine, just by the seashore. He knew where the lighthouse was, but at the same time he contemplated on how possible it was that a treasure was hidden somewhere nearby?. Well there was only one way to find out.
Without telling anyone, Jacob decided to follow the map and see what he could find. He picked up his back, and ventured into the woods.
The morning mist brushed on his face and the tiny birds chirped in the trees. The sun rays were just beginning to peek through the trees, it made the trees glow a soft green. He sniffed the salty air from the ocean, and he knew he was getting closer to the lighthouse.
He got to the clearing where the lighthouse stood giantly, overlooking the rocky coastline. He smiled, the old stone tower was just above him, and he could hear the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below. He quickly made his way up the narrowing path to the door of the lighthouse.
His heart pounded heavily. At the door, Jacob turned the handle and pushed it open to reveal the inside of the lighthouse. It was dusty and musty, cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. He heard the sound of the wind whistling through the broken windows, with courage he stepped inside and made his way to the bottom of the lighthouse following the directions of the map.
At the bottom lay an old big lamp which still shone brightly. With more courage, Jacob made his way down the narrow, winding stairs and out onto the seashore. A part he had never seen or come across, since years he had grown up in that vicinity.
The sound of the waves crashing around him, and the salty spray stung his face. The sea breeze washed upon his face. That was the exact spot the map had detailed the treasure to be. The X spot. He looked around at every corner of the seashore, making sure not to leave any stone unturned. He was looking for a clue.
Then he saw something shining in the rocks. That must be it, he quickly rushed down and with trembling hands, he reached down and picked it up. It was a golden key!
It must open something, he thought. He scanned the rocks around him again, then his eyes fell on a small wooden chest, half-buried in the sand.
He quickly knelt down and rubbed the sand off the chest. The box was old and worn, he noticed. There was a carving of an X on the lid. He reached for the key and slid it into the lock. And with a click, the chest opened, then he gasped as he saw what was inside. A necklace, with a beautiful blue stone pendant. No, it wasn't just any stone, it was a blue sapphire!
He gently held the necklace in his hand, and wondered who it had belonged to, how it had ended up on these rocks, and why they had to hide it that much.
Just then, he heard footsteps approaching behind him. He turned around, heart racing.
There, standing in the doorway of the lighthouse, was a group of men.
"Hey!, What are you doing here?" one of the men who looked like the leader asked.
Jacob quickly hid the necklace behind him without saying a word.
"Are you dumb or something?, What do you have behind you" the man continued moving closer to him
Just then, the other explorers saw the necklace in Jacob's hand, "He's got the treasure!" They yelled. "Catch him!.
With that, they all started to run towards Jacob, shouting and waving their arms. Jacob turned and took to his heels, his heart pounding, as he darted rocks and fell severally on the sands, trying to outrun the explorers.
As he ran he heard their footsteps behind him, getting closer and closer. He ran up a hill, his breath coming in short gasps but he didn't stop. Just at the very top of the hill, was a cliff, and below was the ocean crashing against rocks. He had nowhere else to run to except diving from the cliff.
He turned to see the other explorers still in hot pursuit. At that point, Jacob knew he had no other choice but to jump. He quickly took a few steps back before running towards the cliff, at the edge he leaped off the cliff, diving headfirst into the water below.
The water was cold and salty. It closed over his head, as he struggled to the surface, struggling and gasping for air. He looked up at the cliff to see the other explorers peering over the edge, in search of him.
He gently swam to the shore and collapsed on the ground to regain his breath. He pulled out the sapphire out of his pants and stared at it in admiration. He had put it in his pants as he made the dive. Then he felt a tingling sensation, like a warm breeze brush against his skin. He felt fulfillment in his heart as he smiled.
He rose up to leave as the waves gently overlapped on his feet and the sun gradually set to give a beautiful shade of pink and orange skies. He was going to be a rich man.