A hot summer’s night

It was a hot night in July. Alex was walking down the beach, the warm, soft sand between her toes. This was just another ordinary day at the beach for Alex. It was her evening routine to take a leisurely walk in the soft, white sand to unwind from a long day. Today was nothing new. Alex walked for about an hour, it wasn’t dark yet, so she decided to keep going. As she was walking she stepped on something hard. Alex didn’t think much of it being that every once in a while there would be a stick that would poke through the sand. She looked down only to discover it appeared to be a little black book. Alex, being curious, decided she would take a break from her walk and read this little black book. After all, it could have a neat story inside, maybe even a mystery. Alex opened the book and began to read. It seemed to be a journal of sorts. As she continued to read she came across an entry that read “I have no one else in my life, to the person that found this book, I leave you $20,000!” Alex couldn’t believe what she was reading! “There’s no way this can be true”, she said out loud after reading the book. She continued reading curious as to how she might get this money, if this was even true. The book went on to direct her to an old abandon barn in the middle of nowhere. Alex followed the directions exactly as they were explained. She was excited, but extremely nervous! She eventually came to the old abandon barn. “Now what?” She thought. She continued to read. The little black book lead her to a spot in the top of the barn. It was really creepy up in that old, rickety barn. Alex found the corner of the barn that the book described. The book stated that there was a hidden compartment in the wall. It continued on to tell her exactly where to push on the wall. Alex was extremely nervous at this point. “Could this really be true?” She thought. She pushed on the piece of the wall as directed. It popped open. Alex was shocked! It really was true! There in the secret compartment sat a pile of cash. Alex counted and indeed it totaled up to $20,000! Now what would she do with all this cash? She can’t just carry a huge bundle of cash in her arms! Alex sat down for a minute to gather her thoughts. This is going to change her life! No more struggling to get by! This was a dream come true. She could hardly wrap her head around it! Alex sat for a little while, taking in her surroundings. As she sat and looked around, Alex saw an old leather bag across the barn. “That would be perfect to carry this money in!” She thought. She got up and went over to the bag. Alex picked up the old leather bag and opened it up only to find a note that read “Congratulations on finding my treasure! May you be taken care of and good fortune always come to you!” Alex felt a warmth come over her, like a hug. She was startled at first, but realized it must have been the one that left this small fortune to her, giving her a hug. This was truly the best day of Alex’s life! She packed up the money in the old leather bag. It was now pretty dark outside. Alex always carried a small flashlight in case she walked longer than expected. Today was definitely one of those days! She was happy she carried a flashlight. Now it was time for her to end her journey and head home. Alex pondered all of the things she could do with the money she had just found. Her first thought was paying bills of course, but she wanted to invest in something. That would give her the financial stability she needs. Alex was so excited! Her new life began today and to think it all started as an ordinary walk on the beach.