Wishes, Gems, and Disasters by Martha Wickham (freenovel24 .txt) 📖

“You can call me if you need me.” Lori hung up her phone.

The funeral came quick and Lori decided not to go to work until she finished her own exploration of the situation.
The funeral address was publicly placed in the newspaper. She had never been to a funeral before, Lori; she had only seen them on TV. She wore a black dress and black shoes and she brought flowers of different colors.
After walking through the graveyard she went into the funeral area and sat down. The funeral was for all six men. Their pictures were all placed on a table to see. Other people came in and listened to a man who knew the men. “I’m Rick,” he told every one. He began talking and telling about the men and the things they did. Lori sat and listened and learned since she never knew them.
He even said they were miners and had struck it rich finding gold and diamonds in a mine which interested every one. “That’s why people wandered if the men were murdered for their treasure. But the police did a tiny investigation that turned out the wreck was an accident. So God rest their souls and bless them. We are now at a time where you can show your love for them before they are finally laid to rest. Thank you for coming,” the man Rick said and he walked away.
“I wonder if they’re as great as this man says,” Lori overheard a woman say. Lori stood up and walked to an area where there were flowers and she laid her flowers there. She walked out and saw the holes in the dirt and their grave stones. She read them and by now had heard all their names but made no effort to remember them. No wonder Lori and Andrea hadn’t found anything in the mine because the men had beaten them to it. Lori got into her car and drove to a small diner where she could get gas and eat while she decided what to do.
She decided to go home, sleep, then get up early and check out the mine and be back home the next day by 11 in the morning.

The early morning coldness chilled Lori’s body. She stepped out of the car then put her jacket on to keep her warm. She looked at that same mine they had been at before. It still looked pitch dark inside like it did before. The almost bare trees that had lost their leaves weren’t enough to block out the sun that hit but didn’t warm Lori’s body. Not until the afternoon would it get warmer. She figured the mine would be even colder.
She picked up her flashlight, one of the only things she needed, and locked up her car. There was a strange, unknown, groaning sound that came from the mine. It was scary. She turned on her light and began walking quickly to the mine.
She walked through it shining her flashlight from side to side to light the way. She walked farther in than they had before. It looked bare like nothing was there and the same way it looked when they were there before except for the glass beer bottle that was broken and laying on the outside of the mine before. Now it was gone.
She walked slowly through complete darkness shining the light now where she stepped. Nothing seemed there, not even a bug. There was a surprising screech that sounded like a bat and she jumped. The light slipped from her glove covered hands and it fell. She put her right hand on her hip frustrated and felt even worse when the light faded out.
When she picked it up it felt loose like something had fallen out of place and she sat down and tried to fix it. She sat by something she thought was a rock. When she put the light on it she saw that it wasn’t a rock but a bag filled with something.
She felt glad about finding it and her flashlight came on again. Lori took the bag and finished walking through the mine. She walked until it stopped then turned back. Once she was in her car she locked the doors and opened the bag. To her amazement she saw picks for rock breaking, gold, and diamonds. They hadn’t been shaped and looked more like rocks.
Lori started up her car. While she was driving she knew she wanted the bag of gold and diamonds and if she could keep it she would sell it and get money. She drove straight to a local gem dealer. She saw it and appraised it. “It’s worth a hundred thousand dollars. I can give you the name of some dealer you can sell it to.”
“Do they like recycle and make jewelry out of this stuff?” Lori asked.
“Yeah I would say that.” She handed Lori the dealer’s number and address. Lori took it gratefully and left. She didn’t know yet that it belonged to the miners that died in the car accident. It was a bag they accidentally left behind. Was it still theirs or hers? She did not know.
Lori turned in the gold and diamonds and made a good fortune of one hundred thousand dollars but she did not want to become a jeweler. Being very excited about her wealth she left the building and was not seen by anyone but Andrea again.


A Treasury Dilemma


“I have a problem,” ten year old Travis Owens told his father.
“What is it? Maybe I can help,” his father answered.
“I’ve lost the money I was keeping for my class at school. They picked me to be treasurer and I don’t want to let them down. Soon they’re going to ask me for it. What should I do? I’m not sure how much was there, but I think it was a lot.”
“Do you remember where you last saw it?”
“I think on my bookcase. It was in a shoe box.” Travis’ freckled nose twitched and his brown eyes showed worry. He started to sweat from the hot Texas weather.
“When do you need it?” Travis’ father asked.
“Tomorrow, so I think I’ll clean my room.”
His mother, Lauren, came home and he told her what happened.
“My money box is missing. Have you seen it? Will you help me find it? I don’t want to get in trouble.”
“Okay,” she said looking at him with her brown eyes and a blond bleached curl hanging down her cheek.
“Where else am I going to look, Mom?”
“Did you look under your bed?”
“Yes, I will when I clean my room,” Travis said in a way that seemed like he deserved an award for it.

Monday morning came, but Travis was not looking forward to going to school. He was hoping his teacher would not ask him for the money. His teacher, Mrs. Barcello, looked at him. Her black hair was in a tight bun and she was trying to smooth her green dress because it had become wrinkled from sitting down.
Mrs. Barcello approached Travis’ desk. “Why are you staring?” She asked. “You weren’t in the office for the class meeting today. That’s a week of thirty minute detention for you. I need the money you’ve been keeping for the school tomorrow or you’ll be suspended. How much is there?”
“I forgot there was a meeting today and I haven’t counted the money yet. I will tonight.”
“Detention is here in this room. You know that right?” asked Mrs. Barcello.
After the three o’clock school bell rang Travis stayed seated quietly to serve his detention.

“Travis, where’s the class’s money?” This was the first question he heard from Mrs. Barcello on Tuesday morning.
“I don’t have it. I took it home and I lost it,” Travis said looking at the floor. “I’m sorry,” he said and then rolled his eyes.
Mrs. Barcello slammed her ruler on his desk and hit his hand instead. That is going to cost you Mr. Owens! And you’re fired from your position as the class treasurer!” She left the room and came back a few minutes later with a punishment contract for him to sign.
Travis frowned at the contract. He thought it was too harsh. “I think my mother needs to read this before I sign it.”
“No, you must sign it now!” Mrs. Barcello yelled.
He signed it then asked, “Can I have a copy for my mother to read?” At this time class was scheduled to start in three minutes.
“If you want a copy you can make one in the office yourself during your detention today.” She went to her desk then sat down on it and gathered the kids graded homework to pass back to them.
The problem made Travis angry, but he made the copy at lunch time, then he ate and laughed with his friends. By the end of the day he had calmed down, but was still a little nervous about showing his mother the punishment contract. It gave him a one month suspension which he liked since he didn’t have to go do detention any more.

During his one month suspension he looked for a way to pay his school back the three hundred dollars he owed his teacher. The only job available to him was a paper route.
He didn’t want to return to that same school, but his mother said he must. He still insisted he hated his teacher. One reason he didn’t want to go back to that school was he said to his parents he was having nightmares about the teacher sometimes.
His mother loved her son and believed him. She went to the school office and changed his homeroom teacher to someone else. “Anyone else,” she told the principle.
When Travis went back to school he wouldn’t even glance at