Hidden Secrets

#deardiary #shortstory #adventure #comedy

Dear Diary,

My friend Pablo let me borrow his boat for the day to make a trip out on the lake. It was a mini-sized boat with a small interior big enough for a bed. The boat was white with a blue stripe along the boat's side. At the back of the boat, Pablo has a small triangle flag hanging out, blowing in the breeze.

The lake wasn't big, but it had a few good spots to park the boat for a few days. It took me a bit to learn how to drive it, but by the third bouye bump, I got the hang of the steering and made it to the spot in under 40 mins.

The experiment so far is going well, anchoring the boat, the front of it was facing out towards the lake, and the back was facing the shore. The weather was warm, the water was clear greenish-blue and a light breeze was rolling in from the lake.

It wasn't a strong breeze, but still enough to rock the boat from side to side. It felt soothing. Close to the boat, something caught my eye. I step closer to the edge of the boat to get a better view of the lake floor, and directly below is something shiny sticking out from the sand. The water ripples were making the view fuzzy, I wasn't sure what it could be.

I jumped into the water and I swam closer to the shiny object. It's a lock! A square lock with a funky keyhole in the center. The lock was attached to something berried under the sand. Pushing the sand away, a trunk started to emerge to the surface. Treasure! I found treasure!

The trunk was too heavy to carry back up to the surface, and I didn't have the key to open it. Swimming back up to catch my breath, I step back onto the boat and look for anything I could use to pick the lock. In many shows I've watched on TV the lead character always managed to open something without the actual key.

Luckily, I found a screwdriver in one of the kitchen sinks. Racing back to the water, I jump in and swim back to the treasure trunk. But when I got there it was gone. That can't be. It couldn't have just disappeared. Tracing back my steps I knew I was in the right place because the sand I pushed out of the way was still right where I left it but in the center of the dug-out sand was nothing.

Then, from the corner of my eye, something shiny again catches my eye. This time it was further out in the lake and deeper than where it was before. Curious I catch my breath and swim out towards it. It was the same lock I found before attached to the same trunk that I dug-out the first time but buried again underneath the sand, and more of it this time too.

How did it get over here? Trying to pick it up again it proved that it was too heavy to lift. It couldn't walk over or swim over to a new spot. Changing my focus back on the lock, I remember why I left the trunk in the first place. Using the screwdriver, I try to wiggle the lock open, but all I heard were muffled metal clinks.

Maybe I need to find something else to open it... Looking at the trunk and looking back towards the boat, I was torn. I didn't want to leave it again, what if it disappears or moves somewhere else farther where I can't reach? I had to go up for air eventually, so it was a risk I needed to take. Taking one last look at the trunk to make a mental note on its current location, I race back towards the boat. I get out of the water, dig through the drawers and find a hammer. That's it! This is sure to open the thing wide open. Diving back into the water towards the direction of the trunk, that's when I noticed it.

The trunk was gone. Again! Nowhere to be seen. Disappeared. Poof! How!?! Scratching my brain for possible answers right off into the distance, in the deepest parts of the water, where the light could barely reach, I saw the shadow of what looked to be the back of a ship sailing or swimming away. With its ripped sails floating in the water currents, the ship slowly moved towards the darkest waters until it couldn't be seen.

Pulling myself out of the water I raced towards the front of the boat, hoping to catch whatever was under the water surface. No ship, no trunk, no treasure, nothing.