Chapter 1

Sam

Perhaps Sam’s obsession with treasure hunting originated from his childhood. He would often find himself reminiscing of his late fathers’ attempts on ‘striking it rich’ by combing beaches with a metal detector during their summer vacations. Sam used to chide his father, seeking all refuge from embarrassment, but in truth could not deny the thrill of the incessant beeping over pockets of sand.

Once Sam learned of Byron Preiss’ book “The Secret” he was hooked. The book, written in 1982, depicts a real-life treasure hunt involving clues to buried boxes scattered around the country. If found, the boxes can be exchanged for precious gems maintained by Preiss’ estate. Sam’s research eluded that only 3 out of the 12 boxes have been found.

Sam, mostly influenced by whim, was ready for his next adventure. The only problem was he needed a ticket to San Francisco. Sam considered himself a rolling stone.. hopping from one job to the next, never worrying too much about the next day, let alone the future. He was currently hiking the Appalachian Trail, fortunate for good friends lending him a spare bed or a couch as he passed through.

Sam had been navigating a smoother portion of the trail that led over a wooden bridge diverging the path to the left or the right, a literal crossroad not only for which way his legs and feet would continue but also in his mind.

Taking off his backpack, he leaned against a tree to pull out his cell phone and started to browse his contacts. Scrolling through his short list of “who owed him a favor” he paused at Penny’s name. Sam couldn’t help being taken back the time when he and Penny were inseparable. They had met as college freshman. Sam, the cute college boy with an undecided major and Penny on the fast track to run the family’s law firm. As opposites attract Sam and Penny dated all four years. He thought his passion for living in the moment could permeate the structured walls built around Penny. However, life for Sam seemed to always shift from under him. After graduation Penny and Sam drifted apart, dispersed much like sand through cupped hands. The harder he tried to hold on the more he lost.

Today, Penny lived in another world. According to Penny’s Instagram, that Sam tried to avoid since their break up, she was accepted to Columbia Law School and was now a top environmental attorney in New York City. Although Sam hadn’t spoken to Penny in years and the bitterness still ripe on his tongue, knew she had connections and money. Two things Sam needed.

Sam weighed his options and relying on impulse, much like his dad scavenging the dunes, dialed Penny’s number.

The hunt was on.

Chapter 2

Penny

Penny looked at herself in the mirror. Her green eyes staring back, searching for something. Her long chestnut colored hair coiled and wrapped tightly in a sophisticated bun sat neatly on her head, no strand out of place. The case was over and she had won. It had become a habit after each victory to escape through a hidden door of the court house to the nondescript coffee shop located across the street. A popular place for young adults in ripped blue jeans and converse tennis shoes opposed to her pencil skirt and pointy high heeled pumps. The media and press demanding comment would never expect to find her here.

As Penny looked at her reflection she tried hard to recognize the woman she had become. She could not understand how each winning case seemed to drive her further from whom she saw in the mirror. She grew up as an only child with parents that did not believe in failure. Her mother a practicing physician at a prestigious oncology center and her father a lawyer and now her boss at their environmental law firm. Penny’s life always had purpose, her ambitious drive for success never wavered and yet something deep within her was incomplete.

Penny released the hair pins securing the tightly wound bun and relished in the relief of pressure as her waves untwisted and fell loosely upon her shoulders. Taking one last look in the mirror, surrounded by the shadows that danced around her in the backlight, she took a deep breath and exhaled before leaving her sanctuary.

In the main shop, Penny felt invisible. The cacophony of sounds bouncing off the walls seemed to put her at ease. The smell of fresh coffee percolating tingled her senses. She always felt alive in this place. She observed the people perched on counters with their ear buds in and laptops open as others causally sat at low tables conversing their weekend plans. The endless possibilities that did not exist for Penny and her current lifestyle. Weekends consisted of her studying environmental justice permits to prepare for her next case.

Penny looked around at the bold abstract artwork on the walls and imagined herself as a paint stoke, free to move in any direction, carried by impulse and desire. She wasn’t sure how long this reverie went on but she was jolted out of her trance by the sound of her cell phone. Three letters flashing before her forming a name she hadn’t seen in years….Sam.