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Liam visits his Grandpa’s overgrown grave to say goodbye and finds cryptic coordinates etched on the gravestone. He follows the trail to a railway station’s cloakroom and uncovers a chilling revelation that exposes his father’s secret life.
Liam’s heart felt heavier on that breezy autumn afternoon as he somberly marched on the dilapidated cemetery sidewalk with a bouquet of hand-picked white roses.
The crunching of dry maple leaves shattered the stillness of the graves as he approached his Grandpa Robert’s tomb to bid his final goodbye.
Liam’s eyes brimmed with tears as he gingerly knelt beside his beloved Grandpa’s overgrown tomb blanketed by a thick layer of fallen leaves and moss. The grave had been neglected and weathered as if the late Robert never had a visitor in the two years he was gone…
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With gentle hands and a bereaved heart, 18-year-old Liam began brushing the dry leaves and moss off his Grandpa’s grave while talking at the same time.
“Hi, Gramps! It’s been a while…I’m sorry I couldn’t visit. I’ve come to say goodbye, Gramps. Dad lost all our money in gambling. So we’re moving out of town to a trailer park. I’m also bidding farewell to my dreams of becoming a flight engineer…I remember dreaming of it with you when I was little! Dad promised to get me a job as a mechanic at a service station in the new town. Can you believe this? I was supposed to be building planes and flying around the world…but now, I’m gonna work in some garage…fixing cars with greasy hands!”
Liam could not hold back his tears when he reminisced about his shattered dream. “…At least I’ll have a job to make a living and not depend on my father anymore,” he sighed under his breath and continued to scrape off the moss and dirt on his Grandpa’s tomb. Suddenly, he felt something. It felt like little bumps under his fingers, as if something was etched on the surface of the marble tombstone.
“What is this?” Liam grew curious as he hastily cleared the dirt off the gravestone and found numbers written in a peculiar format. “Are these some kind of…coordinates?”
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Liam remembered how he and his late Grandpa used to play treasure hunts when he was little, using similar secret codes. So he suspected that the etchings on the marble slab were some kind of hints his Grandpa wanted to convey only to him.
Liam pulled out his phone and searched for the coordinates on Google Maps. To his surprise, the details indicated a cloakroom at a local railway station. “A baggage room? Why would Grandpa leave coordinates to a baggage room on his tomb?” Liam pondered.
It was getting late, and Liam remembered he had a lot of packing to do. But something about the secret code and the location of the cloakroom baffled him.
“Could it be that Gramps left me something there? Or is it a prank? But why would anyone do that?” Liam wondered.
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“I don’t know when I’ll return to this town again and visit you,” he sadly turned to his Grandpa’s grave and whispered, brushing the concrete cross. “I’m going to miss you. I’ll visit soon, okay?”
Liam bicycled away from the cemetery to go home, and just as he arrived at the red traffic light at an intersection, he changed his mind. “It’ll cost me nothing to go find out what’s there!” He thought and switched to the road leading to the railway station.
“Oh God, what am I doing? What if this is just a prank? It’s like searching for a needle in a haystack!” Liam mumbled under his breath as he marched toward the reception area in the terminal.
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“Hey, good afternoon!” He greeted the receptionist. “I was..er…I just wanted to know if there’s any locker registered under my Grandpa’s name…R. Ferguson. Could you please check?”
The lady rummaged through the records and looked up at Liam. “Yes, sir. There’s a locker…” she replied, running her finger across the names on the register. “…it’s locker number 407. The one with a combination lock. It’s under Mr. Ferguson’s name.”
Liam thought it was weird because his Grandpa never kept any secrets from him. Now there was this locker out of nowhere in the cloakroom at a railway station, and he had no idea why his Grandpa had never mentioned it before.
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“Cool, thanks!” Liam exhaled hot air into his hands before distracting the receptionist again. “Is it still occupied with any of my Grandpa’s things? How long has it been in use?” he asked.
“Over a year, sir,” the lady replied. “Mr. Ferguson never returned to retrieve his things. We usually don’t store things in the cloakroom for so long. But your Grandpa was one of our esteemed regular passengers, so we decided to wait until somebody came to take his possessions. The cloakroom is that way.”
Liam thanked the receptionist and headed to the baggage room to find out what the locker was holding. He burst into the storage area and anxiously scanned the room for the vault. “…403…Four zero…Oh, there it is! 407!”
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Liam gasped heavily as he approached the locker. He decided to unlock it using a four-digit combination code, and the first thing that struck him was his birthdate.
Despite several attempts, Liam could not open the lock as all his combination codes failed.
“If whatever is inside the locker is for me, then it must be a code only Grandpa, and I know,” Liam pondered. “It’s not my birth date…neither Grandpa’s nor Dad’s…then what is it?”
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Liam retired to a corner and tried to figure out the combination lock code. As he stood in the cloakroom of the bustling railway station, a distant rumble suddenly caught his attention.
It was a unique sound, one that Liam recognized immediately. It was the sound of an airplane soaring through the sky, and as soon as he heard it, Liam had already deciphered the lock code.
With trembling fingers, he entered the digits 1-7-1-7. It was the model number of his very first toy airplane that he and his Grandpa Robert crafted in the garage when he was little.
Liam’s heart started pounding, and a cold sweat broke on his forehead when the lock snapped open with a soft click. “What…No way!” He leaped back in shock, cupping his mouth. “That means the cryptic message on Grandpa’s grave was for me! What is in here?”
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As the locker creaked open, Liam’s eyes bulged with terror, and he slammed it shut. His heart started pounding as he looked around, hoping nobody saw what he had seen. “No…this can’t be true… this isn’t real,” he whispered as he slightly opened the locker again.
When Liam’s gaze fell upon the contents, he realized this was no dream.
“What the hell…No way!” his jaw dropped. Bundles and bundles of life-changing money he had never dreamed of all his life were stacked in the locker, and on top of the money lay an old brown diary that looked familiar.
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“Another message?! Wait, I know this diary…it was Grandpa’s!” Liam exclaimed. “Jesus, I feel like Indiana Jones! What bombshell is this diary gonna drop?”
As Liam flipped open the diary’s worn leather cover, a faint aroma wafted up, enveloping him in a wave of nostalgia. His world jolted beneath his feet when he turned to the first page and began reading the words:
“Hello, my dear, Liam. If you’re reading this, you’re a wonderful grandson who truly loved me! And I’m glad you haven’t forgotten about your Grandpa.
This is where I met your beloved grandmother & realized the true purpose of my life. I want you to accomplish great things in life as well. I hope you haven’t abandoned your dream of becoming a flight engineer.”
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Liam felt his heart crack. If there was somebody who was genuinely thoughtful about his dreams and motivated him through thick and thin, it was his Grandpa Robert.
“Oh, Grandpa, if you only knew!” he sighed and continued reading the latter half of the message that shook his world.
“Sweetheart, before you decide the fate of the $125,000 I left you in this locker, you need to know something about your father so that you don’t let him ruin your dream.”
“12 years ago, in the summer of July 2005…” continued his Grandpa’s words as Liam flipped the next page that took him down memory lane to that fateful day he was building his first toy airplane with his Grandpa…
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It was a scorching Friday afternoon, and 6-year-old Liam was in his Grandpa Robert’s garage, happily running around with glue, glitter, and blue paint to give the final touch to his toy airplane.
Liam had lost his mother to cancer when he was three, and since then, the only person who made him laugh and let go of his sorrow was his Grandpa.
Liam’s Dad, David, would often leave him in his Grandpa’s care before leaving for work in the leather factory. Little Liam loved being around his Grandpa because he took him for walks to his favorite park and talked about airplanes that Liam loved to the core!
So that day turned out to be something special for Liam. He and his Grandpa were about to finish the model airplane they had been crafting for the last two weeks.
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“There…Flight L-1717 is ready for take-off, Captain! Just like how you wanted!” Robert chirped as he stuck little star stickers around the blue-painted digits on Liam’s handcrafted toy plane.
The boy was so excited, and just as he started playing with his airplane, his Dad, David, burst into the garage to pick him up. ” Vrooooom! Vroooom! Daddy, look! Gramps and I made a toy airplane!” Liam happily ran to his father. “Look…Daddy! Superman and Batman are flying on my plane…!”
But David scowled, and frustration swished through his veins when he noticed little Liam’s paint-stained clothes and gluey hands. “What have you done to my son?” he barked at Robert. “I told you not to teach him these foolish things.”
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David’s voice startled Liam and stopped him in his tracks. “Throw that darn thing away!” David yelled at his son.
Liam hid the toy plane behind his back and looked at his Dad with big, terrified eyes, afraid his father would do something to his beloved toy.
“David, you’re scaring the boy…follow me to the living room…we need to talk,” Robert chimed in. “Liam, honey, stay right here…Grandpa and Dad will be right back.”
“What’s wrong with you, Dad?” David roared as he followed Robert back into the house. “I told you not to teach him idiotic things that won’t help him in the future. This dumb hobby is not gonna bring money into the house! I want my son to start learning how to do repairs and painting…Not toy around with some stupid plane.”
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Robert’s eyes darted around, not knowing how to calm his son down. “Wait a minute…I’ll be right back,” he said, returning with a metal box. David could not believe his eyes when Robert opened the box and showed him wads of money.
“Look, son…look at all this money I’ve saved for my grandson,” Robert exclaimed. “He dreams of becoming a flight engineer and needs to get into an aviation academy. By the time Liam turns 18, I would’ve saved enough money to fulfill his dream.”
As David’s gaze fixated on the money box, greed gushed into his eyes. “What the hell, Dad…You had so much money and didn’t even tell me…despite seeing me struggle with debt? You could’ve just given me the money and let me take care of my son’s future,” he scowled.
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Robert’s brows shot up as he closed the money box. “Give you the money? Despite knowing how you gamble with those good-for-nothing loafers? I’m not ready to trust you,” he said, marching to his bedroom with the box.
David’s fury knew no bounds at hearing those words. “Oh really? In that case, I know to take care of my son’s future,” he barked. “He is my son, and I decide what he gets to do and what he doesn’t. He won’t become a pilot…and that’s it. It would’ve really helped if you taught him how to paint the wall, lay pipelines, repair cars…and fix the roof.”
“David, it’s your son we’re talking about. Stop being a monster. If you don’t set him up for a bright future, then who will?” But Robert’s pleas fell on deaf ears as David stormed to the garage to take his son with him.
“Hear me out, David…You can take my grandson away for now. But that won’t sabotage the future I’ve envisioned for him. It’s my money, and I get to decide how to use it,” Robert went after him.
David boiled over as he snatched the toy airplane from his son’s hand and hurled it on the wall, smashing it to bits and pieces. “Liam’s dream ends right here. You see that? No more flying around!” he yelled, carrying the terrified little boy home.
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On a Saturday night, two weeks later, Robert woke up with a start at hearing a loud crashing noise in his house. He lived alone with his cat and realized someone had broken into his home.
Just as Robert jumped out of his bed to find out, he noticed a silhouette of long shadows creeping through his bedroom window. He peered out and saw two men wearing black masks fleeing from the main gate with a bag.
“Oh my God!” Robert was startled as he bolted to the garage. “What the hell just happened here?” he gasped in shock. His building tools were missing, and when Robert checked the drawer where he kept the money box, it was gone.
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Robert hurried back to the living room and rang his son. But he heard little Liam’s voice on the other end of the line. “Hey, sweetie! Grandpa here…Can I talk to your Dad?”
“No, Gramps…Dad is not home. He went to the grocery store an hour ago,” Liam answered.
“Oh, alright, sweetie! Talk to you later,” Robert disappointedly hung up.
The grocery store, huh? Who are you trying to fool, David? he thought.
The next thing that struck Robert was to dial the cops and file a missing report to find the robbers who stole the hard-earned money he had saved for his grandson.
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“No…I can’t send my son to jail,” he sighed. He knew David was behind the burglary, but the thought of sending his own son behind bars haunted him.
“Oh, dear…What will happen to my grandson? How will I fulfill his dream? I hope David spends at least a little from that stolen money on Liam….” Robert slumped against the cushions and cried.
He had worked so hard, sometimes even overtime, to earn that money. But now, every penny was with David, and Robert knew he would exhaust all the money to the insidious grip of gambling.
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Robert spent several sleepless nights just thinking about what to do to shield his grandson’s future. He had lost a huge chunk of his savings, and if he wanted Liam to have anything called a real bright future, he’d have to start earning from scratch.
When Robert realized he had 12 more years until Liam’s 18th birthday, he started undertaking several jobs that came his way. He worked as a construction worker and a part-time handyman and even stepped into the shoes of a delivery driver to earn enough money.
With his wealth of knowledge in home repairs and construction, Robert toiled day and night. He even mowed lawns and cleaned sewage for neighbors in his free time because, to this devoted Grandpa, time was money, and each penny he made was a step closer to fulfilling his grandson’s dream.
Robert’s bank balance swelled up over the next ten years, and with just two more years before Liam’s much-awaited 18th birthday, Robert was diagnosed with terminal cancer. It struck him like a thunderbolt when doctors told him he had little time to live.
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The piercing blare of a train’s horn jolted Liam to the present. Beads of tears dropped as he flipped to the last page in the diary.
“Death is waiting for me at my doorstep, but I didn’t forget my promise.
I rented the locker, put the money I’d saved for you there, and even ordered my tombstone with coordinates etched on the marble to bring you here.
I’m glad that you finally found it, sweetie. I may not be with you when you get this. But my blessings are always with you. Love, Grandpa.”
Liam was beyond heartbroken when he closed the diary. He returned home with his backpack stashed with the $125,000, still unable to believe his whole future was now resting on his shoulders.
“Holy hell…where have you been all day?” his Dad, David, drunkenly answered the door, clutching a glass of whiskey.
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“I had some stuff to do,” Liam replied as he burst into the house, unwilling to look into his Dad’s eyes. His Dad had never been his true hero or inspiration in any way. Now, the newfound knowledge of his betrayal and greed irked Liam.
“Hey, where the hell do you think you’re going?” David broke Liam’s silence. “I bet you were fooling around with your deadbeat friends. Why don’t you find a job and start earning money instead? Or are you planning to keep living off me all your life?”
Those words stung Liam like venomous arrows piercing through his heart. “Really, Dad? We wouldn’t have seen this day had you not spent all the money gambling at casinos,” Liam lashed out at his Dad.
“How dare you?” David angrily jumped from his chair. “Had you done something useful instead of collecting those stupid model airplanes, I wouldn’t have had to support you. I wouldn’t have taken a mortgage on this house and gone bankrupt. Ever thought about that, you freak? I’m tired of spending money on you. And hear me loud and clear: We’re moving into a trailer very soon and splitting the rent. You stay only if you pay.”
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The harsh reality of becoming homeless left Liam reeling. He could not stand the thought of living on the streets in some random trailer. Torn between his passion and helplessness, Liam made a difficult decision.
“Am I betraying Grandpa? Will he be offended if I spend this money on saving our house?” he thought. “It’s Grandpa’s last wish to send me to the aviation academy. What do I do now? Save our house or chase after my dream?”
Liam spent two sleepless nights deciding the fate of his inheritance, and the next morning, he approached his father, who was asleep on the couch in a drunken state. David had spent another long night playing cards with his friends at the bar and turned a deaf ear to his son’s wake-up calls.
“Dad, wake up,” Liam jolted David awake. “I have come with an important deal. Hear me out!”
“Buzz off! Leave me alone!” David roared, his mouth stinking of pungent alcohol breath.
“Dad, I have money to pay for the mortgage…and I’m ready to give it to you!” Liam declared loud and clear as David rose with a start at hearing ‘MONEY.’
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“Quit fooling around, kid,” David grumbled as he sat up on the couch. “What? Did you save in your little piggy bank or something?!” But his mocking stopped, and his jaw dropped when Liam unzipped the backpack and showed him the wads of dollar bundles.
David rubbed his eyes, thinking it was a hangover. “What the hell?! That’s a lotta money for a jobless brat like you. Where did you get so much money? In just two days? Did you rob a bank or something?”
“Rob a bank? That’s what losers and greedy idiots do, right, Dad?” Liam shot back. “Why would I steal when I had my Grandpa who was ready to move mountains for me?!”
Liam told him about his visit to his Grandpa’s grave, the coordinates, and his fateful inheritance that awaited him in the railway station’s cloakroom for two long years. “It’s my money. Only mine! But I’m ready to give you some to keep the roof over our heads. But…I have two conditions. You get the money if you agree. Deal?”
A sly smirk formed at the corner of David’s lips as he lit a cigar. “What condition?” he asked, looking Liam in the eye and then at the money.
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“Cool! It’s simple. First, you must quit gambling forever. And second…I want you to go to the bank and pay the mortgage right now,” replied Liam.
David thought for a while and declared his decision in just ten seconds. “Alright. Deal!” he said, his gaze fixated on the money in the bag.
“Great! Let’s do it today! Don’t forget to call me once you’ve deposited the money in the bank. And please don’t delay, alright? I’m going to visit a friend,” Liam said as he handed over the money to his Dad and left the house.
“Yeah, whatever! Stop lecturing and bossing me around,” David smirked, chugging the leftover beer from last night, and grabbed the money bag.
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An hour passed. Liam was anxiously waiting for his Dad’s call when his phone rang loudly, shattering the silence around him. Before he could say anything, his Dad started barking on the other end of the line.
“What the hell? Is this some kind of a stupid prank?” David yelled. “The money you gave me is fake. You made me look like an idiot. People are laughing at me, you fool…Wait until I get home and….”
Liam burst into wild laughter, cutting through his Dad’s angry speech. “Oh, Dad! Okay, tell you what? Can you please come outside the building you’re in now?”
David did not understand what was going on. “What kind of idiotic joke is this, Liam?” he blurted out as he exited the building.
“Dad…Over here! Opposite you…across the road!” Liam said as David looked up and saw his son standing across the road against the backdrop of the bank.
“Behind you! Behind you!” Liam waved at his father, gesturing for him to look behind him. When David turned around and looked up, his face drained of blood, and his eyes bulged out of the sockets.
“Casino Royale Welcomes You!’ read the flashy board lit with neon lights, and David stood right under it.
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Before David could fathom what was going on, he heard Liam’s voice booming on his phone. “You made your choice, Dad!” the boy laughed as he hopped into a taxi and sped away from the street.
“What…No…It can’t be…Liam…Wait…Liam…” David ran after the cab, shouting. “Damn, it…What the hell is going on? Stop…Liam….”
David held his knees and panted heavily as he watched the taxi disappear into the thick evening traffic. Liam sat by the window, holding the backpack with his Grandpa’s money, every penny of it intact, close to his heart.
When Liam got down from the taxi and looked up, he couldn’t help but shed tears of joy. He stood right under a huge sign that read: Aviation Academy. This was where Liam had wanted to be all his life!
The lad proudly pulled his backpack straps closer as he stepped into the premises. “I won’t let you down, Gramps…I promise!” he whispered and disappeared into the aviation academy of his dreams.
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