Sam giggles, “I bet she’ll make a funny face.”
With a chuckle I say, “I know she will Sam. I want to make sure you have something of her you can keep. This way you have a story you can tell and show the picture to your grandkids.”
Sam giggles, “I’m still too young to have kids.”
I kiss Sam on her forehead and tell her, “You will not always be Sam. You’ll grow up, and find a nice man to love you. Then one day you will have kids of your own. I will tell them the story of how on a very special day, your Mommy and me found our Princess Sam.”
Sam giggles, “I think I’d like that. But bring the bear skin, and Mommy can tell them the story of how you saved her, and my Aunts from the bear.”
I say, “We always can save that one when you come home for Christmas.”
Sam gets confused look before she asked, “What is Christmas?”
I never thought of it, I have no idea what religion if any her grandmother or parents followed. It’s not that Kathryn and I are very religious. After all we were having sex before we were married. Not something most religions would openly approve. We have always celebrated Christmas although we never followed a religion.
While Sam and I wash her hands I ask, “Sam did your grandmother or parents follow any religion?”
Sam shakes her head no and says, “My grandma said there wasn’t a God, to let her daughter die on the same day her son-in-law did. Mom and Dad were gone a lot and I remember lots of lights and trees during the winter. Grandma never had any. I don’t remember one when Mommy and Daddy were alive.”
With a chuckle I say to my beautiful Sam, “Well this year you’re going to have a Christmas. I’ll explain everything about it. First let’s surprise your Great Grandma.”
Sam giggles, “I like surprises, and I think Great Grandma does too.”
Kathryn comes in and washes her hands quickly and says, “You two better hurry up, grandma might think you’re up to something.”
I explain to Kathryn, “This is going to be Sam’s first Christmas this year. Her grandmother didn’t celebrate them.”
Kathryn looking at Sam says, “Well we’ll just have to make this a very special Christmas for you Sam.”
Sam giggles and says, “I think I’m going to like Christmas.”
We walked back to the kitchen and join everyone else for breakfast sitting in my chair is the jar and Sam sets in Kathryn’s lap today. Michael senior, the Coach is there next to my chair and he leans over and whispers in my ear. “Marshall told me.” He shows me the camera and gives me a wink.
Near the end of breakfast grandma starts her story, “Back when I was a very little girl even younger than you Sam, my grandpa that would be your great, great, great grandpa Sam. It was 1929 and people talking about how bad it was for everyone’s finances. They were tell me banks were closing their doors, they gotten stock with their customers money and then the stock was it worth anything. My grandpa was of rich men but even he lost most of his money. What he had he wasn’t going to put it in a bank, so he told me this riddle.
Three by three I hide for thee. Under a young oak tree I hide for thee. Three away and three deep I hide for thee. Those a few more lines but I didn’t memorize them. But he did tell me one time just before he died they’ll stay hidden until the entire family comes home. These to be a house right on this very spot it was a really big house with lots of rooms. But it burned down a long time ago. Nobody died here Sam so don’t worry about it being haunted. But the family lost his fortune, and we been looking for it ever since.”
Michael asked, “Mom any of the biscuits left?”
They were a couple left on the pan and she was close to them when she turned I put the jar in front of Sam. When grandma turned around to hand Michael the biscuit she couldn’t help but see the ball Mason jar filled with money sitting in front of Sam. Sam giggles and says, “I guess all the family came home.”
Grandma has her hand over her mouth and tears run down her cheeks seeing the money in the jar. She finally says, “Sam you try to tell me you found it didn’t you. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. My great-granddaughter I think you’re right the family is finally home.”
Alyssa, Mom and Johnny walk in the door, now that’s a surprise for me. I get up to walk to my Mom and throw her in a hug I really missed her. If it wasn’t for Kathryn and Sam and the classes, I would’ve been in California the day after she left. Mom giggles, “I missed you too son. That’s why we hurried home. We really wanted to surprise you last night. Those thunderstorms delayed our flight and we were really tired so we just waited and left early in the morning from a hotel.”
Grandma asks, “Is that all just the one jar?”
Sam giggles saying, “I don’t think so great grandma. Remember the riddle; three by three I hide for thee. I bet there are two more jars.”
Grandma says, “Let’s go find them, where did you get that one.”
Giggling Sam says, “It was under the tree that Daddy hit with lightning and pushed over.”
That caused some very confused expressions around the table, but Kathryn and Joan just giggle. Joan was hugging her mother and Alyssa asks, “Do you know something that I don’t.”
Kathryn and Joan giggles turns to laughter and MC shakes her head before she asked, “Sam how is this again your Dad snapped his fingers, and the tree got hit with lightning?”
Sam excitedly repeats, “Daddy snapped his fingers, lightning hit the tree and then the boom in the tree fell down. It was a really big tree too.”
Joan says, “He said it was a coincidence last night when he snapped his fingers and a large lightning bolt and loud thunder happened during the second storm.”
MC giggling, “I’m not going to write that. No one would believe it if I did.”
Kathryn giggling says, “You did it too Joan. You snapped your fingers and then the second really big bolt of lightning and really loud thunder was caused by you snapping your fingers.”
Sam says, “Daddy and Joan don’t get the snapped their fingers anymore.”
Now with a laugh I say, “I don’t think I caused that lightning last night Sam. But somebody has a really good sense of humor played a joke on us last night.”
Joan giggles, “JJ, are you saying God is a practical joker?”
Thinking out loud I say, “The Aardvark, platypus and he created us in his image. Sure I imagine he gets bored just like we do. Sam’s expression was really funny last night. When you snapped your fingers your expression was priceless, I wish I had a camera to share that expression you had.”
Kathryn giggles, “We should check the security footage.”
I say, “Well I don’t know that caught her expression, but it probably has enough to prove our story.”
Sam reminds us, “Let’s go get great grandma’s treasure first.”
Sam’s absolutely right. We should go get those last two Mason jars before they disappear. The whole family gets up and I pull Mom and Alyssa after us. We walk down like Kathryn and I had before grandma holds on to my arm and Michael’s. It’s only now that I reminded that she is nearly 90 years old. We cross the meadow slowly nearing the fallen tree. Even from a hundred feet away you can see the glittering gold at the bottom of the two Mason jars still in the tree roots. When we reached the tree Sam points saying, “There’s the other two, with the one we brought you that makes three.”
Johnny asks, “What was the riddle again?”
Grandma repeats, “He told me this riddle. Three by three I hide for thee. Under a young oak tree I hide for thee. Three away and three deep I hide for thee.”
The jars still in the roots are about three foot apart in a triangle. With the tip near the edge of the tree, but ninety years ago this tree would have been a sampling and only a few inches across not nearly three foot that it is now.
Johnny points out, “three by three or 3×3 is nine. Their six more jars here somewhere.”
Michael retrieves the two jars handing them to his mother. I look in the holes left behind by the jars I even dig a little bit toward what would have been the surface but I realize that top jar would have been about three foot deep. So if they’re not above the jars we found they must still be in the whole underwear those jars where before the tree fell. Having everyone stay back I say, “I bet they still in the whole. Let’s see if we can find them without crushing them.”
I step gingerly into the whole. I am looking for any sign of the other jars.
Johnny says, “I bet they were stacked three deep in three columns.”
With a smile I say, “That would fit the riddle. If you use a posthole digger he could bury them very easily.” One thing I’m very good at is spatial puzzles, and I realized there is an arc as the tree fell 90 degrees lifting its roots from the ground. The top three jars went with the tree leaving the rest here in the whole. I start with the one nearest the tree trunk it also should be the one nearest me as I have my back to the roots. I take other clues into consideration the broken roots give me an idea as well. I began digging and only in a few seconds I find the top of the fourth jar. Directly under it is the fifth. I hand them both to Michael. They have more gold and silver with cash in them too. Tracing the triangle out from where I found those two the next four easy to find. I hand them to Michael as well.
We’re pretty well satisfied that we got them all from the clues from the riddle. Smiling I tell Johnny, “Those video games finally paid off.”
Johnny chuckles and says, “It’s funny I usually don’t like the ones that make me solve riddles.”
Michael comments before we leave. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen lightning only run down one side of the tree.”
Grandma says, “I haven’t ever seen lightning do that too. Normally it will spiral down a tree trunk or run down three sides of the tree at the same time. Not take the limbs of one-sided tree like this.”
Sam giggles again, “I guess if Daddy didn’t do it. Then Angel great, great, great grandpa must have.”
Grandma giggles and says, “He was one of the biggest practical jokers in the County for his day.”
We begin walking back and I smile saying, “You’re not going to have any trouble taking the treasure I hope. After all it is yours. We wouldn’t found two thirds of it if it wasn’t for you remembering the riddle.”
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