On a breezy autumn afternoon, Liam stood by his Grandpa’s neglected grave, clutching a bouquet of white roses. He had come to say goodbye, feeling the heavy burden of leaving the only town he’d ever known. Kneeling by the tombstone, he whispered, “I’m sorry, Grandpa… Dad lost everything to gambling.
We’re moving, and now I’ll be stuck working as a mechanic instead of chasing my dream of building airplanes.”
As Liam brushed the moss off the tombstone, he noticed something strange—coordinates were carved into the marble. They reminded him of the treasure hunts he used to have with his Grandpa. “Could this be one last message from Grandpa?” he wondered.
He quickly typed the coordinates into his phone and felt his heart race when they led him to a cloakroom at the local railway station.
Liam dashed to the station and asked the receptionist about a locker under the name R. Hudson. She confirmed that locker 417 had been untouched for over a year. His excitement quickly turned to frustration as he struggled with the combination lock, but then the distant sound of an airplane made him remember.
He typed in 1717—the model number of the first toy plane he and his Grandpa had built together—and the locker creaked open.
Inside, Liam found bundles of cash and an old brown diary. The first page left him breathless: “Dear Liam, if you’re reading this, you haven’t forgotten me, and I’m so proud of you. This money is for your dream of becoming a flight engineer. But before you decide what to do with it, you need to know about your father…”
The diary revealed a painful truth: years ago, Liam’s father, David, had stolen half of Grandpa’s life savings out of greed, ruining Liam’s future. But Grandpa never gave up. Even while he was ill, he worked hard to save enough money to give Liam a chance.
He had even arranged for the coordinates to be engraved on his tombstone, knowing Liam would find them when the time was right.
Holding the diary, Liam’s tears mixed with new determination. When he returned home, his father, drunk and bitter, threw insults at him for being a burden. But Liam was resolute. He offered his father a deal—money to save their home, on the condition that David quit gambling.
David eagerly agreed, but Liam was wary. Later that night, David called, furious. “The money’s fake!” he yelled.
Liam stood across from the bank, watching his father leave the casino’s flashing lights. “You made your choice, Dad,” he said quietly to himself, walking away with the real money still safely in his backpack.
An hour later, Liam stood before a new sign—Aviation Academy. He wiped his tears and whispered, “I won’t let you down, Grandpa,” before stepping onto the campus to pursue his dream.
