Liam visited his Grandpa’s neglected grave one breezy autumn afternoon, clutching a bouquet of white roses. He had come to say goodbye, his heart heavy with the weight of leaving the only town he had ever known. Kneeling beside the tombstone, Liam whispered, “I’m sorry, Grandpa… Dad lost everything to gambling. We’re moving, and I’ll be stuck working as a mechanic instead of chasing my dream of building airplanes.”
As he cleared the moss from the tombstone, he uncovered something peculiar—coordinates etched into the marble. The numbers stirred memories of treasure hunts he used to play with his Grandpa, and his curiosity took hold. “Could this be one last message from Grandpa?” He quickly searched the coordinates on his phone, and his heart skipped a beat when they pointed to a cloakroom at the local railway station.
Racing to the station, Liam inquired about a locker under the name R. Hudson. The receptionist confirmed that locker 417 had been untouched for over a year. His excitement quickly turned to frustration as he fumbled with the combination lock, but then the distant hum of an airplane sparked a memory. He punched in 1717—the model number of the first toy plane he and his Grandpa built together—and the locker creaked open.
Inside, Liam found wads of cash and an old brown diary. The first page left him breathless: “Dear Liam, if you’re reading this, you haven’t forgotten me, and I’m so proud of you. This money is for your dream of becoming a flight engineer. But before you decide what to do with it, you need to know about your father…”
The diary revealed a heartbreaking truth: years ago, Liam’s father, David, had stolen half of Grandpa’s life savings in a fit of greed, sabotaging Liam’s future. But his Grandpa never gave up. Despite his illness, he worked tirelessly to save enough money to give Liam a second chance. Grandpa had even ordered the coordinates to be engraved on his tombstone, knowing Liam would find them when the time was right.
Clutching the diary, Liam’s tears mixed with resolve. He returned home, where his father, drunk and bitter, hurled insults at him for being a burden. But Liam had made up his mind. He offered his father a deal—money to save their home, on the condition that David quit gambling. His father eagerly accepted, but Liam knew better. Hours later, David called in a fury. The money was fake.
Liam stood across the street from the bank, watching his father exit from beneath the flashing lights of the casino. “You made your choice, Dad,” he said to himself, walking away with the real money still safe in his backpack.
An hour later, Liam stood in front of a new sign—Aviation Academy. He wiped his tears and whispered, “I won’t let you down, Grandpa,” before stepping onto the campus to pursue his dream.
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