Short Story

Buried Secrets

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for WTFAIOA Pick 3 #7,
the challenge is to use at least 3
of the 21 randomly selected words.
I have used all 21 prompt words;
I hope you enjoy my story.

Image by Me and ChatGPT

Harry Banks, former deep-sea diver turned lighthouse keeper, adjusted his collar as he stepped out into the damp morning, boots crunching on the gravel path. His loyal dog, Biscuit, wagged his tail and trotted off to the streetlamp at the end of the path, eager for their morning walk along the beach.

As they strolled, Harry couldn’t help but glance at Biscuit, who was sniffing curiously at something buried just below the wet sand. Tugging gently on Biscuit’s leash, Harry encouraged him to move on, but Biscuit hesitated, his instincts piqued.

“Alright, boy, what’ve you got there?” Harry muttered, kneeling awkwardly to scrape away the sand. His fingers brushed against something hard and cold. Suddenly, his heart raced as he unearthed a small, rusted box.

“What on earth?” he whispered a prayer, his curiosity igniting. He pressed the lid, which creaked open to reveal a collection of old pale yellow newspapers, their ink faded but still legible. The headlines spoke of shipwrecks and lost treasures, tales of adventure that sent a shiver down Harry’s spine …. and a shot of adrenaline straight to his heart.

Biscuit barked, as if urging him on. Harry leaned closer, but his stiff  knees warned it was time to head back to the lighthouse. “Biscuit, old buddy” Harry responded, “let’s pick up this investigation at home.”

Harry scooped up the box and, stashing it inside his jacket, he and Biscuit started their walk to the lighthouse. Harry’s thoughts flew to another time more than thirty years ago when he and his friend, Bart Collins, were in the treasure hunting business. The two friends got into a huge fight over a woman whose name Harry couldn’t even remember. The next morning, Bart had disappeared … along with the gold they found in a shipwreck off the Florida Keys.

The sun was just coming up when Harry and Biscuit returned to the lighthouse. Biscuit waited patiently for his food while Harry put the kettle on to boil. He looked over at the rusty box now sitting on the table, the stories within hinting at hidden treasure waiting to be uncovered. Harry felt that familiar excitement. With Biscuit by his side, Harry knew their lives were about to change forever.

NAR©2025
#WTFAIOA

☀︎ ☀︎ ☀︎ ☀︎ ☀︎ ☀︎ ☀︎

These are our prompt words:
awkwardly, below, biscuit, boots, collar, damp, gently,
glance, hesitate, kettle, lean, mutter, newspaper, pale,
prayer, press, scrape, shiver, stiff, streetlamp,  suddenly

This is “Lighthouse Keeper” by Shayfer James

Pick 3 #7

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy’s Notes 🖊️ 🎶, The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk, The Rhythm Section, et al. and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.

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Donna B. McNicol, 2025



31 thoughts on “Buried Secrets”

  1. Pingback: Pick 3 #8 – wtf Am I On About Now?

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