The Back Of An Old Photo
Having entered the dusty old barn, Jemma stood in front of it. It still annoyed her that she had not gotten as much as her siblings, but she felt there was more to it than she realized.
As soon as she found the scrawled note on the back of an old photo, she had to look closer.
Verge Of Death
Jemma had doubts despite her trust in her father and the knowledge that he would never intentionally steer her astray. These were the writings of a man on the verge of death.
Is it possible that they were just the writings of a madman? Could some of what he said be true? It was up to her to find out.
Not Used For While
It had been decades since the old barn had been used. There was no maintenance being done, and everything was run down. What made him want to give his daughter this inheritance while his sons received so much more?
She used her phone torch for light while steering around the old rotting hay bales. There was a strange smell in the air, but she didn't realize how close she was to the truth.
Nothing Out Of The Ordinary
Jemma searched the barn for an hour without finding anything unusual. She was on the verge of giving up. She even climbed the dilapidated ladder to check out the old loft as a last resort. She found nothing there, but it gave her a different perspective.
As she stared at the barn floor, she wished she knew why her father had left her this old place. Her eyes were opened at that moment.
A Bird's Eye View
Her bird's eye view now allowed her to see something she could not have seen on the ground. There was something hidden between the hay bales and the wall.
Her hands trembled when she realized there must have been a reason for hiding it. Upon seeing the hidden doors, she hopped down from the loft and raced towards them.
Cellar Doors
After much struggle, Jemma managed to push one of the hay bales to one side and see what was hidden beneath. A cellar door led her to believe there was a deep underground passageway.
The old doors squeaked as she pulled them. The doors weren't even locked, which surprised her. She saw a set of stairs as she looked down into the earth. There was no way she could escape its darkness.
Deep Underground
As Jemma descended the old staircase, she decided to be brave. Under the stairs, she realized they had gone on for much longer than they should have. As she followed the stairs, she found herself deep underground.
In the end, she found herself in a concrete room. There must have been 15 feet of underground space. Compared to what awaited her, that was nothing.
Dad's Secret
During her search for an old light switch, Jemma came across one. She assumed it would also be broken like the one in the barn. Her eyes were filled with light as she flicked it up. It was now clear to her what the small room was for.
She collapsed to her knees, seeing what her father had hidden from the world. Why would he do such a thing? She only knew that her life would never be the same.
Jemma Miller
When Jemma Miller was growing up, she felt lucky. She had a loving family, which is not the case for everyone. In an unorthodox environment, she grew up with her two brothers.
Throughout Jemma's childhood, her grandfather, Peter Miller, worked hard to maintain his farm. Her dad was nothing like him, and the farm would not remain the same forever.
Fond Memories
Whenever Jemma and her parents visited their grandparents, they saw the farm every month. Her favorite part of the open fields was petting the horses. But she didn't know what this place held.
The place held a special place in her heart, and she would never forget it. Peter was, however, adamant about one rule.
Off Limits
Jemma and her brothers were allowed to go anywhere they wanted on the farm, with one exception. The barn was off-limits. He told them that it wasn't used anymore and it was dangerous to go into.
Jemma never questioned and obediently honored her grandfather's wishes. But she didn't know that her time at the farm was limited.
Tragedy
One day, Jemma's dad, Adam, got the call. They rushed to the hospital to see her grandfather lying in a hospital bed. He didn't have a lot of time left. He spoke in a hushed voice to Adam and passed him something. It was an old photo of the farm.
Jemma got to say goodbye but never really recovered. She thought of her grandfather often. Now that he was gone, the farm would sit forever.
City Boy
Unlike Peter, Adam was nothing like his father. They got along well and loved each other very much, but farm work just wasn't for Adam. From what Jemma understood, he moved away to the city to live with his mom. This meant that he grew up a city boy.
Adam was never interested in farming. But after their hushed exchange, he would visit the farm alone. What was he doing?
Growing Up
Jemma's intrigue and curiosity wouldn't last as she focused on all the things kids do when they grow up. Soon, she forgot all about her dad's visits to the barn from when she was a kid.
Now an adult, she had her own life to live and only visited her dad once a month to see how he was doing. But she had no idea how close a second tragedy was.
News
Adam worked hard every day of his life to set up a good future for his kids. It allowed Jemma to get a good education and graduated with high marks. She was grateful for everything that he had done for her.
But that's what made the next bit of news she got so much more heartbreaking. It couldn't be real.
Illness
Jemma noticed that something wasn't the same with her dad. One day, he called her and asked her to take him to the hospital. They rushed him there, and he was taken to a doctor.
But he refused to have her in the room with them. When he came out, she already knew what was going on. She had seen it once before.
Saying Goodbye
Over the next few weeks, he only deteriorated further. One day, he was told he had to stay in the hospital for the foreseeable future. Jemma knew what that meant. She and her brothers gathered around his bed.
They all wept as they knew it was their final goodbye. Jemma was sent reeling. It was something she'd never get over.
Inheritance
A few months later, the inheritance was sorted out, and her brothers got the estate while she got something she didn't expect. He gave her the farm. Was it because of the fond memories she had?
Still, it was worth far less than his estate. She felt short-changed. But that's when she found the photo that was left to her.
Familiar Photo
The photo looked familiar. It was a picture of the farm. Then she realized that it was the same one her grandfather had given him on his deathbed. She didn't understand, but then she flipped it over.
There was a cryptic message on the other side in hastily scrawled writing. "The barn is everything that I leave to you. Go to it and remember your birthday."
Going There
Jemma didn't understand, but she decided to check it out all the same. She drove to the farm for the first time in decades. She hadn't seen the place since she was a kid. She stopped in front of the barn and, for the first time in her life, headed inside.
Dust coated the air, and the lights were all broken. It didn't look like anything, but she didn't understand that the true treasure was underneath her.
Annoyed
Jemma was now standing inside the dusty old barn. She was still feeling annoyed by what she had gotten compared to her siblings, but she had a feeling that there was more to it than meets the eye.
After finding the hastily written note scrawled on the back of an old photo, she had to at least take a look.
Trusted Him
Still, although Jemma trusted her father and knew he would never intentionally steer her astray, she had her doubts about the note. They were the writings of a man who was just weeks away from death.
Could they have just been writings of a madman? Or was there some truth to what he said?
Run Down
The old barn hadn't been used for decades. Everything was run down and hadn't been maintained. Why would he want his daughter to inherit this while his sons got so much more?
She used her phone torch to light the way as she steered around the old rotting hay bales. There was a strange smell in the air, but she had no idea how close she was to the truth.
Scouring The Barn
After scouring the barn for an hour, Jemma hadn't found anything out of the ordinary. She was close to giving up. She had even checked the old loft by climbing the dilapidated ladder. There was nothing there either, but it did give her a different perspective.
She looked down at the barn floor, wishing she knew why her father had left this old place to her. That's when she saw it.
Above Everything
Now, standing above everything else in a bird's eye view, she saw something that she would never have seen on the ground. Hidden between the hay bales and the wall, there was something.
She felt her hands shake as she realized it must have been hidden for a reason. She hopped down from the loft and raced to where she had seen the hidden doors.
Hidden Doors
With a lot of struggling, Jemma finally managed to push one of the hay bales to the side to look at what was hidden. It was a cellar door that she assumed would lead deep underground.
She gulped as she pulled on the old doors. To her surprise, they weren't even locked. She now saw a set of stairs leading down into the earth. Its darkness would swallow her.
Descending The Stairs
Jemma decided to be brave and descended the old stairs. But as she continued down under the stairs, she realized that they went on for longer than they should have. The stairs were taking her deep underground.
She finally got to a concrete room. She must have been 15 feet underground. But that was nothing compared to what was waiting for her.
What He Had Hidden
Jemma found an old lightswitch. She assumed it would be broken, just like the one in the barn. But as she flicked it up, she was showered in light. Now she could see what the small room was for.
She collapsed to her knees when she saw what her father had hidden from the world. How could he have done this? All she knew was that her life would never be the same again.
A Vault
Jemma couldn't believe what she was looking at. There was a small vault inside of the concrete room. What was he hiding inside? She had no idea what the combination was, but then she reread the note.
"Remember your birthday. The 4th of June, 1990," She murmured to herself. She put her hand on the dial and turned it. After putting in 4-6-9-0, it clicked and opened.
Real Treasure
Jemma's mouth hung open as she saw what was on the shelves of the small vault. She immediately knew it must have been why her dad had visited the farm when she was small after her granddad's death.
It was what Peter had left to Adam and now what he was leaving to his daughter. There were bars of heavy silver sitting on the shelves. There must have been at least 30 pounds of it. Jemma knew her life would never be the same again.