On a crisp autumn afternoon, Liam visited his Grandpa’s neglected grave, clutching a bouquet of white roses. He was there to say goodbye, feeling the weight of leaving the only town he had ever known. Kneeling beside the tombstone, he whispered, “I’m sorry, Grandpa… Dad lost everything to gambling. We’re moving, and now I’m stuck working as a mechanic instead of building airplanes like we dreamed.”
As Liam brushed the moss away from the tombstone, something strange caught his eye—coordinates were etched into the marble. The numbers reminded him of the treasure hunts he used to play with his Grandpa. “Could this be one last message from Grandpa?” he wondered. Quickly, he typed the coordinates into his phone and his heart raced when they pointed to a locker 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 hadn’t been touched for over a year. Excited, he struggled with the combination lock, but then the distant hum of an airplane reminded him of something. He typed in 1717—the model number of the first toy plane he and his Grandpa built together—and the locker creaked open.
Inside, Liam found stacks of cash and an old, brown diary. The first page made his heart pound: “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 shocking truth: years ago, Liam’s father, David, had stolen half of Grandpa’s life savings in a moment of greed, ruining Liam’s future. But Grandpa never gave up. Despite being ill, he worked hard to save enough money to give Liam a chance. He even had the coordinates engraved on his tombstone, knowing Liam would find them when the time was right.
With the diary in hand, Liam’s tears mingled with a new determination. At home, his father, drunk and bitter, yelled at him for being a burden. But Liam had a plan. He offered his father a deal—money to save their home, on the condition that David stop gambling. His father agreed eagerly, but Liam was cautious. Later that night, David called, furious. “The money’s fake!” he roared.
Liam stood outside the bank, watching his father leave the casino’s flashing lights. “You made your choice, Dad,” he said quietly to himself, turning away with the real money still safely in his backpack.
An hour later, Liam stood before a new sign—Aviation Academy. Wiping away his tears, he whispered, “I won’t let you down, Grandpa,” before stepping onto the campus to chase his dream.
