Justin’s favorite hobby to enjoy with his loved ones is hiking.
One day, while exploring the woods, Justin came across a derelict vehicle containing an ancient locked box. He made up his mind to examine its contents.
Justin and the Jones family loved to go hiking. They would get in the car and go to the most desirable trails in the nation, whether they were in the mountains, the hills, or the forests. One weekend they drove more than a hundred miles away from their city to a forest. They built up a temporary camp and slept there every night.
The child had ventured too far from the rest of his family while searching for edible mushrooms. He yelled, “Mom! Dad!” but no one came to help.
He kept on moving, hoping to find his way back. He was taken aback when he came across an abandoned automobile.
He made the choice to remain in the car until midnight in case a wild animal surfaced. He had to wait for a bit before he eventually saw his father.“Justin! Where have you been?
“DAD! Here I am! DAD!” He yelled back once more. He hastened over to give his father a hearty hug as soon as he saw his feet moving up the walkway. I initially believed that I would have to spend the night by myself.Relief-filled, Justin stated.He drew back and said, “Look what I found!”
His father was in awe of the classic automobile. They decided to peek inside to see whether there was anything worthwhile within.
An antique box with carved instructions reading, “If you find this box, please take it to the address below. – 5/7/1995. Vincent Davis.”
“That address is just a couple of miles from here,” Justin told his dad. “Should we take it?” he asked.
It was now his dad’s turn to carry the package. It was a large, heavy object. After gently opening it, he set it on the ground and revealed its amazing contents. There were numerous gold bars and military-themed images. A few pieces of jewelry and numerous service-related medals were also present.
“This costs a lot of money! I’m surprised no one has found it yet,” Justin’s dad remarked. “Let’s go take it to the campsite,” he said, leading Justin back to where his mom was.
When they arrived at the location, Justin was eager to show his mother the findings they had found.His mother questioned, “Well, what do you want to do with it?” Without much thought, the young man responded, “Of sure, we should take it to the address given. There must be a search going on for it.
Both of his parents grinned.”Well done. His mother added, “We’re proud of you for making the correct decision. After their camping trip was completed the following day, they traveled to the specified address. When Justin’s father rang the bell, a woman in her fifties opened the door. “How may I help you?” the elderly woman enquired.
“Hello ma’am, what is your name?” Justin asked.
“My name is Linda Davis,” she replied. After confirming her last name, Justin’s dad showed her the box. She gasped, so surprised that someone had finally found it.
“Oh, dear…” she said, tears filling her eyes. “My husband found out that his grandfather had left him an inheritance about 25 years ago. His grandfather buried it in the forest so that my husband’s father wouldn’t steal it away from him,” she started to explain.
“My husband went to find it, but he never came back. We found his body near the highway, frozen. We tried searching for the car, but no one has ever found it in nearby forests. It’s a miracle you found it,” Linda said, wiping her tears.
“The authorities said it’s likely his car broke down and he went to find help. He never found help and died on the way. He likely got lost.”
The gold in the box is of no interest to Linda. She buried her face in the photos of her spouse, holding them close because she missed him so much.
The thought, “Jack, I miss you so much,” crossed her mind.
She was allowed a brief minute by Justin’s family members to look inside the box.
Her reminiscences came to an end when she added, “We never had any children, and I don’t have anything to spend on. I don’t need the gold, please keep it. I would just like his medals, the photographs, and the jewelry because this is my husband’s family heirloom,” she said.
“Oh, no, we can’t possibly take the gold, ma’am. This is yours,” Justin’s dad said, refusing. “I insist. Please use it on something good,” Linda said, pushing the box towards Justin.
Linda would not take no for an answer from Justin or his parents, despite their repeated protests. They then departed, carrying a chest full of riches.
When they returned to the car, Justin said to his father, “Dad, Linda’s house looked very old, it almost looked abandoned. Can we fix it?”
Justin’s dad nodded and grinned.Certainly, we can. We dispose of the gold and fix her dwelling. Let’s contribute what’s left of the money to charity. It surprised everyone when Justin and his family visited Linda’s property again.
She was quite grateful that they were upfront about their intentions. Though she had never given it much thought, she had always hoped that one day she would be able to afford to fix up her house.
On that day, Linda, Justin, and his parents started a valuable friendship. Linda gladly prepared the delectable meals she had long forgotten how to make when her friends and family were over. In order to prevent Linda from having to spend the holidays alone, they periodically invited her over.
So, what’s the moral of the story?
No matter how tempting it may be, we should always make the right choice. When Justin’s parents asked him what he planned to do with the box, it was a test.
He didn’t think twice about coming clean about his desire to give the box back to its original owner.
Whenever possible, we should help those who help us. After Justin and his family returned her late husband’s box to her, Linda insisted they keep the gold.
Instead of keeping the gold for themselves, Justin’s family decided to put the money toward fixing up Linda’s home.
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