A poor grandson who was shoveling his late granny’s beloved garden unearthed a mysterious jar buried in the soil. He found dozens more and followed the hints to a startling encounter in the lawyer’s office.
What happens when you fail to respect the last wishes of your late elders? And what if they had secretly planned or “buried” a jolting surprise for you “only if” you fulfill that wish?
Georgetown brothers Charlie and Kevin were torn between such a wish. After their granny Josephine died, they got her last letter stating they would get her beloved garden as an inheritance. Her main condition was that they care for her garden and ensure it produced rich fruits and vegetables throughout all seasons.
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While 16-year-old Charlie happily accepted the offer, his older brother Kevin, 18, was furious with his granny for leaving them a small garden and nothing else…
“Just a garden?” Kevin fumed. “Who wants to till the soil of this piece of useless land? I thought she’d bequeath her house. Silly old lady! I hate her!”
“What was that noise?” he exclaimed after hearing a crackling sound of glass. He shoveled again and realized it was coming from the soil.
“But Kevin, granny loved this garden, and maybe she wants us to cherish her last wish,” said Charlie, hurt by his brother’s fury.
“Last wish, my foot. Why didn’t she take it to the grave with her? I’m not getting my hands and legs dirty in this mud. Suit yourself with your silly old granny’s wish, loser.”
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The furious sibling walked away, hurling his late granny Josephine’s letter at Charlie’s face. “And don’t you come to me begging for money. You’ll make a fortune by selling those rotten potatoes and tomatoes!” Kevin mocked him and stormed out of the garden.
Charlie was upset, but he decided to honor his late granny’s wish. He happily accepted her offer and promised to return the next day with gardening tools to get started.
The following morning, Charlie rolled up his sleeves and began watering the garden. “Granny maintained it so well,” he observed. “Just some pruning, and I’ll start transplanting the bushes.”
In her letter, Josephine had explicitly asked her grandsons to transplant the rose bushes to new spots. The soil was moist, so Charlie thought it would make his job easy. He took a shovel and spaded the area around the first rose bush with all the force he could muster.
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“What was that noise?” he exclaimed after hearing a crackling sound of glass. He shoveled again and realized it was coming from the soil.
Charlie grabbed his small handheld shovel and began digging. Moments later, he sat back in surprise after finding a broken glass jar with a note. “A note? Is it from grandma?” he muttered and carefully took the letter out.
“Thank you, boys, for not forgetting me. I’m not so heartless as to leave you with only tomatoes and cucumbers!” read the first line. “Don’t stop digging near the rose bushes because you have many more ‘treasures’ to dig out, 24 to be exact! I just needed to make sure you honored my memory!”
“23 more glass jars buried in the garden? What, no way?!” Charlie exclaimed and began looking around for more rose bushes. He found 23 rose bushes in 23 different spots in the garden.
Exhausted and panting, Charlie excavated 22 jars, each stashed with cash and coins. He was tired, and it was scorching hot, but he was determined to find the last jar and dug the last rose bush. To his dismay, there was no jar there.
“Where is the last one?” he mumbled, looking around to see if he had missed anything.
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The garden was a mess. Besides not finding the 24th jar, Charlie was exhausted thinking about the long work he had to do by replanting all the bushes in their new spots.
He looked up at the sky and promised his granny he would plant them the next day. “I promise, granny, but before that, I have to find the last jar. It’s not here. Where is it?” he asked and marched across the garden for clues.
That’s when he remembered his granny’s favorite plant, a rosemary bush on the farther end of the garden, just below her bedroom window. Granny Josephine loved the herb’s fragrance and had always wanted it to be near her bedroom window to enjoy its scent.
“That must be it!” Charlie shouted in joy. He walked over to the spot with the rosemary bush and began to dig. His instincts proved right when he heard the clinking of glass.
Charlie carefully dug out the jar but was a little taken aback. There was no money in it, but it was stashed with a scroll.
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Curious, the grandson opened the jar and found a document, to his surprise. It mentioned that whoever had this document would have to contact the enclosed number for further details.
Charlie found a phone number with a certain “Alex Johnson” mentioned below it. He reached out to the person and was immediately called to the lawyer’s office the next day.
“Oh, you must be Mrs. Josephine Parker’s grandson,” Alex said, handing out a document to the boy. “I was doubtful when she told me that her grandsons would do anything to honor her wish. But I am surprised that only one showed up!”
As it turned out, it was the late granny’s second part of the will. According to it, the grandson who possessed the first part of the document would get the house and a family heirloom.
“A family heirloom?” a surprised Charlie asked. “She never told me anything about it.”
The lawyer smiled and gave him a jewelry box. Charlie was stunned when he opened it and found a stone-studded ring and a few pieces of expensive jewelry with a note.
“It belonged to my grandma, my mother, and me. Now, it belongs to you. I hope you keep it to remember me by. Love, Granny Josephine.”
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Charlie shed tears of joy. Although he had to wait for two more years until he turned 18 to claim the inheritance, he was happy and thanked his granny for everything she left him.
Two years later, on his 18th birthday, Charlie became the legal heir to his late granny’s house and heirloom. He refurbished the house with the $22K he inherited and moved in after finishing school.
In these two years, his older brother Kevin tried his best to claim the legacy and throw his brother out. But his wicked efforts turned futile, and all he got was disappointment for not honoring his late granny’s wish.
Meanwhile, Charlie continued to work hard in his Granny Jospehine’s garden. He bought another piece of land near it and cultivated exotic fruits and flowers. Ultimately, he started exporting fresh garden produce to other states and became an aspiring businessman.
Charlie, a once-poor lad, now owned several acres of agricultural land and a deluxe house in town. Regardless of his newfound riches, the humble grandson continued to cherish his late granny’s wish. He also ensured her garden always bloomed with beautiful flowers, rich fruits, and vegetables throughout the year!