Flash Fiction #6

"Are you sure it's around here? This seems more like we're lost than actually going somewhere." I complained as we were walking through the dense forest.

"This is what the rumours had detailed if we wanted to find the treasure. We should be close." My friend, David replied.

I muttered, "If you say so..." I wasn't convinced there was any truth in this rumour that our town had kept going from the time of our grandparents. Even if there was any truth for that matter, if there was anything valuable hidden it would probably have been long gone by the time we find it. Someone in the past 20 years would have the same ideas we had right? But here we are, finding a fool's treasure. I shouldn't have agree with David to go with him into the forest. Sure, I didn't have anything to do today but anything would be better than being lost at this very moment.

I wasn't being careful with my surroundings and I walked right into David's back where he had stopped.

"What was that for, David? Did you find something?" I looked passed him to see more trees, leaves and plants.

"It's here!" He said excitedly, running forwards to the big tree straight ahead.

I raised my eyebrows with uncertainty and confusion. This place looks just like the rest of the forest. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. "Is there anything we have to look for?"

"It's right underneath this huge tree. Pass me the shovel." David looked up from the spot he was standing in front of the tree.

"Sure, here you go." I handed him the shovel and he began his work uncovering the dirt beneath his feet.

We took turns after one of us got tired until we finally hit something solid after what had been like 15 minutes. I started to shovel around the area while David was brushing the dirt on top to the sides. When we dug around the rectangular wooden box, it was about 2 metres long and half a metre in width. Then when we lifted the box out of the hole, it felt surprisingly light. After all that have been done, I fell to the ground wiping the sweat onto my sleeve. "This better be worth our time and effort."

"Don't worry, this will reward us with something." David said confidently. "On the count of three, let's take off the lid together."

"Alright." I stood up after resting and we both were on opposite ends of the box. Our hands were firmly on the lid of the box and we said in unison, "One. Two. Three. Open!"

David and I lifted the lid simultaneously and looked in with high expectations. What we found was a rotten skeleton!

I was the first to yell, dropping the lid and backing away. It was the surprise of looking at a skeleton combined with the rotten stench trapped in the box. David had closed the lid, sick from smelling the stench.

"I told you, David! There was nothing!" I exclaimed. "Now I'm going to have nightmares tonight about the dead."

"You're right." David admitted reluctantly, then continued, "Let's just bury him and never speak of this to anyone ever again."

"That's a good idea." I agreed and it took a shorter time to bury the wooden box into the ground than it did uncovering it. As we were walking back the way we came from, I suggested, "Let's grab a bite to eat at the diner. I'm famished! I had no idea grave digging took this much energy."

"Ditto!" David nodded after his stomach gurgled.

What both David and I didn't know about the contents of the box was underneath the skeleton was forgotten jewellery that would probably be worth more money than we had at the time.