VICTOR ON THE HUNT FOR THE HURTVILLE TREASURE

Flashback: As he walked off the field into the dugout, he thought ‘ Surely God is behind all of this.’ Whether it was God or not, the event left a stamp on Victor that marked the nature of his future path and adventures. Always eager to learn something new and experience God in unexpected and newfound ways was Victor’s new way of thinking.

Victor is a vivid baseball fan. A Yankees fan to be more precise. He was not a player himself until not too long ago. His first real steps toward a baseball career were taken during Yankees Summer Youth Camp. The camp during which he also built new friendships with Robert and William. He was meeting with these newfound friends alongside Charlie at the local baseball field downtown. 

Baseball cards were the topic. They compared, traded, and revered them. Amid their discussion about their favorite players, a young brown-haired boy approached them. He was wearing dark jeans with a blue shirt from the Toronto Blue Jays. If he was Canadian they all instantly wondered. Ethan was his name. As a baseball enthusiast himself and a major baseball card collector, he brought his very own collection. Some rather impressive cards he held, even older ones, neatly encased for added protection. Graded they were and could bring quite a buck or two. 

While the 4 “newbies”, a name they were given at the New York Yankees Summer Youth Camp, marveled through his collection, Ethan told them of a story There was a legend he heard back in Toronto regarding a former New York Little League baseball team Foxes that played baseball in this city back in 1962.

“What legend?” asked Victor intriguingly. “The Legend of the Hurtville Treasure. There is a rumor that the baseball team buried precious old baseball cards and collectibles in a time capsule on the old baseball field where they played. Victor wanting to know more about the treasure asked, “Is it known where they buried it?” 

Ethan disclosed he had heard it was buried under the pitcher's mound, except none knew where the pitcher’s mound was. That is until now. The location of the borders were unknown so it was impossible to locate it. But someone disclosed that at the center field border, directly at the farthest part of the field stood a landmark - an oddly shaped stone. It looked almost like a little pyramid except it was off-center and jagged. Approximately 200 feet from the other part of the field. Around 155 feet away from the mound. 

Ethan was eager to explore but wanted some partners to join him. While Will and Rob immediately rejected the idea, Victor was up for an adventure. Charlie though sceptical decided to join his buddy in this endeavor. 

They went to the location where the old field stood. An old farm was erected there. All around the farm vegetation grew to enormous proportions. It was akin to a jungle. So overgrown everything was. Finding the right stone was going to be much harder to find than initially thought. 

Still, they had another clue that helped them. The center field was opposite the farm’s front door. And so they began their meticulous search. They went slowly yet surely. Despite their best efforts though it seemed soon they would be left with no light. The day was steadily coming to an end. Just as they decided to retire for the day, they found it. 

Noting where it was they decided to call it quits for the day. Since it was Friday, they opted to continue on Sunday. On Saturdays, Victor celebrated Sabbath with his family and was unlikely to be allowed to join them on this quest. 

Come Sunday, Victor eagerly arose with excitement and delight brimming inside of him. At 7 o’clock he was already on the way. They were to meet up at the old farm. Arriving a little shy of 7: 30 AM as they agreed, Victor decided to eat breakfast while waiting for his fellow culprits to arrive. 

He managed to snag a chocolate brownie and a banana. Not much but enough to fill him for the time being. Together they went in search of the landmark according to their memories. Soon they were standing by the stone. “It does look like a pyramid. Well, sort of.” commented Charlie and said further, “So,..., how are we going to do this?”

All three stood there dumbfounded, even Victor despite his usually sharp mind. It was still early though to say in his defense. Silence permeated the atmosphere for the next 10 minutes. Then Victor remembered reading about the measurement of a stride in inches in comparison to the height of a person. Not quite sure why this thought passed through his head initially, he tried to push it away. It persisted until it finally downed on Victor.

Enthusiastically he explained to the other two, “I read the other day that one stride of an average 9-year-old kid is around 23 inches. That approximately equates to 2 feet. The mound is 155 feet away from here, so we need to take around  78-80 steps to get there.” The other two were too awed to comment or object so that is how they began their march towards the mound. 

Vegetation was in the way, but luckily no trees grew in their straight path towards the mound. What they were unaware of though was the hidden drain about halfway to the mound. The iron was extremely rusty, when Victor stepped on it it caved beneath him. He caught himself before falling in but received quite a bump on his ankle. Charlie and Ethan helped him get out of the newly made ditch. He sat there for a bit holding his ankle in complete silence. If one looked they would see a pained expression on his face. 

Braving himself he got up after 5 minutes and took a short step. It pained him a bit but was not as painful as he expected. “Should we go back?” Ethan asked. Victor made some more skittish steps and then answered, “Nah, I will be okay. So, where were we?” Charlie with a concerned look on his face responded, “That was step 38. We have around 40 to go.” 

Victor interceded any objections with a resolute, “Let’s go then.” They continued onwards a bit more carefully. With 20 steps left to go, they realized they would need to enter the barn. As it appears, the barn and farm were built right over the infield area of the old baseball field. ‘Well this might pose a problem’, Victor thought.

“How are we going to dig?” Ethan voiced Victor’s internal struggle. ‘That’s a good question’, Victor concluded. Not sure what they would do, they still decided to continue inside the abandoned barn. They looked around after entering the old barn. The high ceiling as is usual for such barns allowed for a little light to seep through. Still, there was more than enough light inside the spacious barn. Made form medium grey wooden bars, the place smelled of old wood. Understandably, since it has been abandoned for years. It needed a bit of dusting and cleaning too. There were cobwebs everywhere. On the right side, there were steps leading to the open second floor, where some hay still lay. This barn looked old school. 

Besides some ancient tractor parts though, there was nothing inside. While observing the barn the crew forgot all about the steps and hidden treasure. They began to wander around the barn. But as though it was faith, Charlie ended up in the middle of the barn staring up at the ceiling wondering if he saw a bat. Right at that moment the old molded wood beneath his feet decided to give up on him. 

A loud crack warned Victor of the incoming danger. Close as he was he quickly launched himself towards his best friend and caught him just in time before he fell completely through the floor. Charlie’s weight and Victor’s launching momentum did not manage to stop the downward movement. They both ended up a story below on a big chunk of hay that softened their land. What could have broken some bones ended up being merely a soft fall. 

Unhurt, yet a bit spooked they lay there in silence. A total outburst of hysteria by Victor interrupted the suspenseful air. Charlie soon joined in the laughter. 

After their hysterical laughing fit, they finally sat up and surveyed the room they landed in. A small-looking storage is what their eyes saw. In the left corner, there was a bag full of baseball bats, while on the shelf there was a basket full of baseballs, helmets, and some shins. Old-looking was the equipment. In the center of the room was a small symbol of baseball. Odd Victor thought it to be, but felt it was of little importance. He took in the rest of the surroundings. On a shelf on the right, there were some beaten-down cleats and gloves. In the right corner, there was some catcher equipment. 

On further inspection, everything struck Victor as odd. Charlie, who was just as puzzled, said “Someone cherished baseball quite a bit. It tools as though they took a lot of effort to hide it.” ‘Yes! That is what is bothering me about all of this. Why would they hide it though?’ wondered Victor. 

The equipment looked to be fit for little leaguers. It appeared that the three musketeers found the hidden treasure. Or at the very least found the spot where it might be hidden. Once more Victor looked at the baseball symbol on the floor and this time noticed something was off. There was slight discoloration in the shape of a square around the symbol. 

Victor took a step towards the symbol on the floor and further noticed a tiny opening on one side of the square. “Is this movable?’ he pondered. As it turned out it was. Victor, joined by Charlie and Ethan who managed to find the door and stairs, removed the movable piece. Lo and behold! Beneath the wooden panel lay a wooden chest. Inside were the old memorabilia and baseball cards. The majority was extremely well preserved, some even signed. They found the Hurtville Treasure. 

With enthusiastic cheer, they celebrated their accomplishment, but shortlived it had to be once they noticed, the sun was already past noon position. “My mother will worry if I don’t come home for lunch,” said Charlie. The other two agreed. They decided they would look through their hidden treasure another day. In the meantime Charlie would take it home with him since that way it would be least likely to be found.

On their way home, they halfheartedly discussed this wild adventure. It was fun and exciting. A sharp pang in his right ankle and a memory of Charlie and him falling through the floor reminded Victor it was also dangerous. 

He took one look back at the barn, one look at Charlie safe and unhurt and another at the box he was holding and reflected on the real meaning of treasure, the real meaning of wealth. 

Blessed are those who find wisdom,

    those who gain understanding,

for she is more profitable than silver

    and yields better returns than gold.

Proverbs 3: 13-14 (NIV)

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Until next time!