A black box adorned with a painted skull and filled with treasure might be something you’d only expect to find in the movies, but a Richmond resident helped turn fiction into reality for two of his grandchildren.
Ken Frail, a long-time Richmond resident, got a call from his daughter asking if he could create an adventure for her sons, ages five and six, in November.
The request was simple – to make a pirate-themed treasure chest and bury it.
“The adventure was so much fun,” said Frail. “It was probably equally as fun for me to make the chest as it was for a couple of my grandsons to create the map and my other grandkids to find it,” said Frail.
“It was an absolute treat.”
Frail told the Richmond News that his two eight-year-old grandsons, from his son’s family, volunteered to create the treasure map for their younger cousins who were obsessed in anything pirate-related including pirate treasure, maps and ships.
The “treasure chest” was made out of a metal box and filled it with recycled jewelry and other bits and pieces of unique findings.
“On my birthday, I followed their map and buried the chest and two weeks later my daughter and her five and six-year-olds found it,” said Frail, adding that it took them about 10 minutes to figure out where the treasure was.
“When the kids’ father told them the treasure should be where they were standing, the five-year-old immediately dropped to his knees and started digging … with his little green plastic shovel.
While Frail wouldn’t divulge the location of the treasure to the News, he did encourage families to search for a treasure they hold a “deep value” in – family time.
“What grandfathers search for is to have an opportunity to have fun with their kids and grandkids … and we don’t really need a reason for it,” he said.
“The real treasure for me was being able to join in the thrill of imagination with my grandchildren.
“It brought a lot of joy to find the treasure, but the real treasure was to stay safe with my family members outside and to enjoy nature and each other’s company at a distance.”
