The Richest Heart

Chapter 28

The floor boards sighed and creaked under Peter's feet. They were dangerous to walk on. Most of them were charred from the fire. Some of them were missing. The rest were slippery and rotten from years of rainy weather and snow. The boy looked around with an excited smile as he walked forward. He had been so busy with trapping that he had hardly explored the old, burnt down house. But now, his hands sorted through the abandoned furniture and his eyes scanned the property for anything that looked useful.

"Here's something, Benjamin," he said, rubbing a dirty button on his shirt until the brass began to shine. His little brother bounded across the cluttered ground and grabbed it eagerly.

"Thanks Peter!" Benjamin exclaimed. He stowed the button away into a pocket that was already stuffed full of all kinds of odds and ends. Peter chuckled as the boy ran off again, sorting through the ashes and rubble for more valuables. Pal was right beside him, sniffing around the old house like a blood hound on a trail.

Since Emma had gotten busy packing for her trip, Peter had been a little bit lonely at the old tool shed. But today, Benjamin made good company. He wasn't afraid of the burnt down house and he'd never heard a ghost story in his life. To him, this place was a treasure chest of ancient gems.

Peter turned over a big chunk of wood. Once, it had been a tall bookshelf, but now a pile of ashes was the only remains of the stories it had held. Peter was looking for better things than Benjamin was. His eyes were always searching for tools. He had already found a few knives. They were dull and ruined, but he was still happy about finding them. Now, he dug into the ash with his hands, sifting through it with his fingers. Soon, he felt something hard and pulled it out. It was a lump of metal, and it shined beautiful in the sunlight.

"This must have been some lady's ring," he commented. "I think it's pure gold too!" Quickly, he rose to his feet and hurried to the front porch. There, he set the ring down in a pile of treasures he had found and then went back to find some more. Once again the floor boards made a moaning sound as he walked. Then a louder cracking noise made Peter stop and stand still.

"These boards are about ready to break!" he said nervously. "Maybe we shouldn't be..." his words were cut short as the boards began snapping and sagging beneath his feet. With a startled yell, he jumped back onto a more stable piece of ground.

"Get outta here, Benjamin, we're gonna fall through!" With big, scared eyes, the little boy obeyed, calling his puppy to follow him. But, as treacherous as the old house was, Peter didn't leave immediately.

"Maybe other things have fallen through too," he thought to himself. All kinds of things could have slipped between the floor boards. He could imagine piles of coins and other good things laying in a heap beneath the floor.

"Peter, aren't you gonna get out too?" Benjamin called worriedly.

"Not yet, kid! I'm gonna see what's under these floorboards. But you stay over there. It's too dangerous for you." Carefully Peter knelt down and started prying one loose floorboard up. Most of the wood crumbled in his hands as he worked. In a few minutes, a wide, dark hole opened and a cool, damp air wafted up from the chasm.

"That's deeper than I thought it would be!" Peter exclaimed. He peered into the blackness and reached down a hand. He couldn't touch the bottom. Finally his eyes began to adjust to the lighting and he could make out shapes and water beneath him.

"Of course," he thought aloud. "Every house has a cellar! And it's full of stuff!" Too eager to think it through, Peter let his legs dangle down the hole and then plunged into the dark, wet room below him. A murky water soaked up to his shins.