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It had been just a simple thing, a curiosity of a reflective color and light. That had grabbed his attention and had him moving off from the others. Making his way across what once looked like some ones garden a long time ago, but now was over grown with wildness. Finally reaching the area of where the reflection of light had come from, he slowed his pace in the high grass, for several reason. One for searching what it was that had caught his attention, two and very important watching for snakes that could be hiding in the high weeds, Spotting the color again, Vin stepped over and pushed the over grown grass a side. Finding an old mailbox still attached to a post laying down on the ground. The box itself still having some of the metal shine where rust hadn't covered.
Vin lifting it up looked to his left then his right and could see where at one time a old dirt road had once probably ran. Looking forward toward a few trees he noticed the pattern of how they were and knew that he would find a foundation of a home there.
"What ya got there cowboy,” Chris asked as he and the others who had come out for a day of fishing and hiking in a new area Vin had found to try.
"Somebody's home I suppose at one time,” he answered still searching and mapping the way the area was, seeing it in his mind as how it might have been.
"Did you check and see if there was any thing in the mailbox?” JD wanted to know.
"Now kid, by the looks of it , it don't look like it has had mail in decades," Buck answered
Vin shrugging at the idea, flipped open the flap and was surprised to see among the cob webs and spider that was scuring away, a tarnished looking card laying there. Reaching in and pulling it out, Vin let the Mail box and post fall to the ground as he held the postcard in both hands staring at the front. It was a picture of a huge ocean liner, with the word Titanic written across the bottom of it. Flipping the card over to the back, Vin stared at the post date, the same year that the Titanic sank.
Chris looking over his shoulder read, ' Hello My sweet Pauline, I just wanted to let you know that I did get our boy's present, and sent it ahead. Our neighbor Watson said he would store it in the celler for us while I was gone and you were visiting your folks back east. I had a late leaving of England and had to take another boat. I sent you this card to show it to you, it's her maiden voyage I can't wait to see you, I missed you and our son. Love your husband Carl.'
The silence that followed was thick as all the men realized and knew what must have happen. The Titanic had sunk taking Carl from his family and his wife and son had probably stayed back east, relying on neighbors or friends to send there things to them.
Vin handing the post card to Chris, started walking to where he thought the house would have stood at one time. Getting closer he could see pieces of the foundation still left and where discoloration was, giving him the knowledge that the house that had been there had burned down a long time back. Searching the area on the out side of the foundation carefully, he found what he was looking for, rotted wood. But when looked closer he could see it was the old root seller door that had fallen away with time and vines growing through. Slipping his jacket off and wrapping it around his hand and arm , he reached and carefully began to open the old passage, protecting himself in case something was living behind the door. Luckily there wasn't, the only thing he saw when light traveled down and touch, was what hadn't see the sun in all the decades past. Smiling and looking over his shoulder, he said,“Hey Ezra you once said that you and JD working together could find anyone with the computer. Think ya could find the decedents of that family?”
"I'm sure Mr. Dunn and I would be very successful in finding the individuals your are asking for. But what reason would you wish to find these persons?” Ezra assured and questioned at the same time.
"To give them a very late beloved present from there great granddaddy.” Vin smiled
"The others, curious, stood beside and behind him and looked down. There, at the bottom was still in mint condition although dust covered, a red wagon with a birthday bow still attached.
The End
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