The windmill turned slowly in the afternoon breeze. Like every day, the children gathered under the large mulberry tree, waiting for stories from Uncle Augustine and Grandma. But that afternoon, instead of starting with a story, Uncle Augustine arrived with his shovel over his shoulder, his clothes covered in dirt.

«I won’t tell you a story today—because we’re going to live one!» he announced with a mysterious smile.

The children looked at each other, intrigued.

 

«What happened, Uncle?» asked Juanito, the most curious of the group.

«Well, it turns out that this morning, while I was helping Grandma in the garden, my shovel hit something hard under the ground. I dug a little, and guess what I found?»

«A dinosaur bone?» said Mariana, her eyes shining with excitement.

«No, an ancient chest!» replied Uncle Augustine.

The children gasped in surprise, and Grandma chimed in with a giggle.

«Many years ago, when I was a child, I heard my grandfather talk about a chest someone buried here in our garden. But over time, the story was lost… until today.»

The children jumped up and down excitedly.

«Let’s open it!» Ana exclaimed.

Uncle Augustine led them to the garden, where the chest was still half-buried. It was made of thick wood, with rusty iron fittings. On the lid, carved with a knife, were words almost erased by time:

«For those who know the true value of a treasure.»

«This is getting interesting…» Grandma murmured.

Very carefully, Uncle Augustine and the children removed the dirt and lifted the chest. But when they tried to open it…

«It’s locked!» Carlitos complained.

«Where’s the key?» —Laura asked, inspecting the chest.

Grandma crossed her arms, thoughtful.

—I remember my grandfather saying that ‘the key is not in the chest, but in the story.’

—That sounds like a riddle… —said Juanito.

—Maybe the answer lies in a story that great-grandfather knew! —Mariana clapped her hands.

Grandma smiled and gathered them all under the mulberry tree.

—Listen carefully. A long time ago, in this very land, lived a very hardworking man. His name was Don Julián, and it was said that he hid something valuable before leaving on his last journey. Some thought it was gold, others that it was jewels. But he left a clue in an old piece of paper.

—A piece of paper? —the children asked in chorus.

Grandma took a yellow envelope from her apron pocket.

—I found this years ago among my grandfather’s things. I never knew what it meant, until now.

With trembling hands, she opened the envelope and took out a crumpled piece of paper with a single sentence written on it:

“Where the sun gives its first embrace.”

The children fell silent, thinking.

“The mulberry tree!” Ana suddenly exclaimed.

“Of course! Every morning, the first rays of the sun illuminate the trunk of this tree,” Mariana confirmed.

They ran to the base of the mulberry tree and began to dig. After a few minutes, Carlitos felt something hard under his hands.

“There’s something here!”

They took out a small clay jar sealed with wax. Inside was a bronze key. The key to the chest!

With great excitement, they ran back to the orchard, and Grandma turned the key in the lock. The lid creaked as it opened, and the children held their breath.

But instead of gold coins or jewels, they found…

Old books, letters, a diary, and a handful of seeds wrapped in a cloth.

«Is this the treasure?» asked Juanito, puzzled.

Uncle Agustín took one of the books and leafed through it carefully.

«Look at this. It’s Don Julián’s diary.»

Grandma took one of the letters and read it aloud:

«If you find this chest, you have already found the true treasure. Here I keep the stories of my family, the lessons of the fields, and the seeds that must continue to grow in this land. Wealth is not in gold, but in what we can share with those who come after us.»

The children fell silent, absorbing those words.

«This is a real treasure,» Grandma said with a smile. «Because memories and stories are worth more than gold.»

Uncle Agustín gently closed the book.

«And what are we going to do with the seeds?» asked Carlitos.

«Plant them in the garden, so they’ll grow and feed future generations,» replied Grandma.

That afternoon, everyone helped sow the seeds. And as the windmill slowly turned in the wind, Uncle Agustín looked at the children with pride.

«See? Today you didn’t just hear a story. You were part of it.»

The children smiled, feeling that that day, in the garden, they had found something much more valuable than a chest full of coins.

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