Grandpa told them that pirates buried their loot by the water.
The boys spread out the old map on the front porch, beneath Grandma’s lamps. They traced its streets with their fingers, following its maze under train tracks, around erstwhile buildings, through the skeletal neighborhoods to the looming lake.
They used a twig to poke a hole in the spot.
They stuffed the map into a ratty old bag, along with a toy shovel, some of Grandma’s cookies, and a disintegrating can of Sprite.
None of the streets matched the map. No one thought to look for the boys until much, much later.
100 words for this week’s Friday Fictioneers. Go check out the rest, or better yet, write your own.
Creepy. Wasn’t expecting that ending.
It’s like they were in the Twilight Zone of no return…
And that started out so well. 🙁
janet
Chilling and sad
Good writing but a sad ending. An effective twist at the end.
Childhood is so full of risks. I’d advise everyone to avoid it. Tragic ending.
I remember a movie “Goonies” back in the 1980’s. It was a fun quest for some kids to find the pirate “One Eyed Willies” treasure. It was fun for my boys and nephews then and now. Good story and fun! Hope they find the kids. Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane!
Dear Nightmare,
Sounds to me like the map led to the Twilight Zone. Well done.
shalom,
Rochelle
Oops…I meant “EditMoi” not Nightmare. That was the last story I read. Sorry.
I was having fun with this until the end :/
This is like an episode of ‘Lost’ 🙂