The chain looked like nothing—just rusted links jutting from the tide line. Most would’ve stepped over it. Thirteen-year-old Adam saw treasure.
After a storm claimed his parents, Adam’s world shrank to his grandfather Richard. They lived in a trailer by the sea, where Richard became his teacher. He taught Adam stars, knots, and how to read the ocean. “Some things can’t be taught in classrooms,” he’d say.
One June afternoon, Adam spotted the chain in a hidden cove. He gripped the corroded links, unable to move them. “What is it? Treasure?” he asked. Richard’s eyes twinkled. “It’ll make you rich.”
The next morning, Adam began digging. For five days, under burning sun and with blistered hands, he pulled the chain from the sand—link by stubborn link. Each night, Richard asked, “Gonna quit?” Adam never wavered.