The Treasure Box ( filling the gaps )

Just before the enemies ordered us out of our houses , Dad pulled out an iron box, and a piece of cloth.
He wrapped the book in the cloth and placed it in the iron box. 

“This will keep our treasure safe.” He said that the book was about our people,
it was Rarer than Rubies, more splendid than silver and Greater than gold. After that, we headed out of
our house and left for the journey ahead of us.

We were leaving the village and a memory of Mum went through my mind, it was when we were
moving our houses. It made me emotional, then the sound of sobbing interrupted me. Some of the
children were clueless and didn’t know why we were leaving. My 5 senses struck in my body, I smelt
`the haze in the sky, I saw the fire burning down every house, I heard the cries of people who
were injured in the bombing, I felt the corpses on my feet while walking and I tasted the blood
running down my face made me remember the people who got killed in the village.

Days passed by and we still have no place to sleep, instead, we sleep on the side of roads huddling
together to keep each other warm. We find a moldy old shed to sleep in. The past weeks were very bad
for dad, he gotten very sick. He handed me the iron box and said, “You must be brave, for both of us,
promise me you will keep our treasure safe.” “I promise.” I responded. I gripped my father’s hand
throughout the night, feeling the heat fade away.

The next morning, we dug a deep hole under the scorching sun for my Father to be buried in.
We didn’t have a coffin neither the materials to make it, instead, we wrapped him in blankets that were
not used that much. We said our last goodbyes and then put the soil in the hole with him. “Leave the iron
box, we have a long way to go” some of the villagers said. Instead of the box, I left my suitcase.

We reached the last village, my arms were aching, it was painful, I knew I was not going to make it
over the mountains ahead of me. At the edge of the village, there was an ancient linden tree, I chipped
away at the frozen earth under the tree and buried the box, I knew that the box would be safe from
bombings and inferno.

Years passed by and I grew up in a strange country, from a boy to a man, it was safe to return to my
homeland so I traveled back. It was a boring ship ride from the country I grew up in to the country
I migrated from,  I reached home and it felt amazing being back. I walked down the gravel path to
the ancient linden tree. As I was approaching the tree, I saw a girl playing by the tree, I asked her, “ Do
you want to help me dig up treasure?” “Yes!” she shouted out of excitement. She ran as fast as she could
to me. I was digging the soil with a spade I found by the tree, the tip of the spade clashed with something iron in the dirt, It was the box. “ will I see rubies and silver and gold?” asked the girl. I opened the box, “oh, it’s only a book”

I told her the same exact things my father told me when I was young, “This is a book about our people, about us,” I said. “It’s rarer than rubies, more splendid than silver and greater than gold.” I read some pages of the book and she seemed very attached to the book, “It was great talking to you, I need to go now.” I said as I was walking up the gravel. “Goodbye!” she shouted in the distance, “Goodbye!” I replied back with a wave. 

I went to the village where I grew up in, and there I saw colourful new library with lots of people entering, I entered and memories entered my mind of me in the old library with my father, I went to a row of books and there, I placed the book down on a row of books where it can be read, borrowed and loved..