Story: The Lost Key

Nicholas moved into a big, old house. Three hundred years ago, a famous pirate lived there.

Inside, many things were broken. “I’ve got a lot of work to do,” Nicholas thought.

He painted the walls, fixed the stairs and changed the carpets. That was when he found the gold key. It was underneath the carpet in the living room. It looked very old.

“Wow, it must be the key to the pirate’s treasure!” Nicholas thought.

Nicholas searched all over the house. He looked in the kitchen, the bedrooms and the bathroom. But there were no hidden cupboards or secret doors. He searched around the outside of the house, and even on the roof, but he couldn’t find a keyhole.

Nicholas couldn’t find the treasure. The pirate had won.

Then Nicholas had an idea. He wrote a letter to the person who lived in the house before him. He asked her if she knew anything about the pirate, or the key, or a secret door. “If you help me, I’ll share the treasure with you,” he wrote.

A week later, an old woman came to his door.

“Please come in,” Nicholas said. He offered her a drink and they sat down.

Then the woman took an old wooden box from her bag. It looked heavy and strong. She put it on the table. It had a big keyhole.

Nicholas stood up quickly. He was very excited as he gave her the key. She put the key in the keyhole and turned it. Then she opened the box.

Nicholas looked for the gold coins. But there was nothing inside, except an old letter. He sat down, disappointed.

“What a waste of time,” he said.

“I haven’t read this letter in fifty years,” said the woman. Her hands her shaking. She held the letter close to her heart. Nicholas saw that she was crying.

Nicholas didn’t know who wrote the letter. But he could see that it really was a treasure. He thought, “I hope she will share it with me.”