Boy Buries Pet Bird in Yard, Finds Time Capsule There That Opens by Mom's Pendant – Story of the Day

"Look what I found, mom!" a boy shouted when his shovel collided with a hard surface beneath the ground. He was digging a hole to bury his pet bird, unaware that it would lead him to a hidden treasure.

After giving birth to her son, Casey put her career on the back burner and became a full-time stay-at-home mom. She loved her little one, Peter, more than anyone else and spent most of her day caring for him.

Becoming a mother, feeling protective of her son, and forming an unconditional bond with him was a first for Casey. She quickly became acquainted with the newfound feelings and enjoyed every moment she spent with Peter.

"I feel like I was born to become a mother," she would tell her close friends. Often, she couldn't find words to explain how it felt to be Peter's mother.

When Peter was a baby, it was routine for Casey to spend hours caring for him. Her life revolved around him. She felt happy when he laughed and wept whenever Peter cried in pain after bruising his knees in the playground.

Like most mothers, Casey would cook her son's favorite meals and buy him his favorite candies every weekend. She thrived on the feelings she got after caring for her boy, unaware that they would lessen with time.

The loving mother had never thought about what would happen once her son grew older and didn't need her help. She didn't have her own life goals or career aspirations because Peter was the source of her happiness and the light of her life. She didn't know of a world where she could live without caring for her son.

"Oh my..." Casey gasped and put her hands on her son's shoulders.

As years passed and Peter grew older, he made new friends and stopped sharing all his secrets with Casey. He respected her but didn't share the same bond with her as before.

One day, a strange incident occurred, which turned Peter's world upside down. He was in high school when his best friend, his pet parrot, suddenly died.

"Mom! Look what happened to him!" Peter screamed while holding the lifeless parrot in his hands.

Casey's heart skipped a beat after hearing Peter scream, and she immediately rushed to see what had happened.

"Oh my..." Casey gasped and put her hands on her son's shoulders. "He was fine an hour ago. I wonder what happened to him."

Peter started weeping while his mother patted his back, trying to console him. Then, she thought about the good time she and Peter had spent with the parrot.

Casey found the parrot on her balcony years ago when Peter was about three years old. He had collided with the wall of her apartment, which damaged his wing and left him unable to fly.

Instead of ignoring him, Casey picked the parrot and took him to a vet. Then, she decided to keep the parrot as a pet because Peter really liked him. Soon, the parrot became a part of Casey's family. He had learned how to speak a few sentences from Casey.

At that time, Peter hadn't started speaking. Casey was worried for her son because he had passed the age when children usually begin speaking. The doctors told her that Peter would soon start talking, but Casey never believed them.

However, things took a different turn after the parrot became a part of their lives. A few months after his arrival, Peter started speaking. It turned out that the parrot's ability to interact encouraged Peter to talk.

Casey was over the moon when she saw her son talking to the parrot for the first time. She was almost in tears and understood that the bird had crashed into her balcony for a reason.

"Mom, where are we going to bury him?" Peter's shaky voice interrupted Casey's thoughts.

"I can't believe he is no more!"

"We can dig a hole in the backyard and lay him to rest there," Casey replied.

Then, Peter went into the shed in the backyard to fetch a shovel. His heart was pounding inside his chest, and he didn't want to say goodbye to his best friend, but fate left him with no other option.

A few minutes later, he was digging in the furthest corner of the backyard when his shovel struck something hard under the ground. "What is it?" he asked himself and put the shovel aside.

"Mom! Look what I found!" Peter called Casey and showed her an old box.

After burying the parrot, Peter and Casey took the antique box inside and inspected it carefully. On the top of it were engraved two letters, "DG."

"DG? These look like someone's initials, mom," Peter said.

Casey's eyebrows furrowed, and she looked at the ground while thinking whose initials these could be. A few seconds later, Peter saw his mother's eyes widen.

"I know what this is!" Casey exclaimed. "It's a time capsule... it's from my great-grandfather."

"Are you sure, mom?" Peter gave her a puzzled look.

"Yes! DG stands for David George, my great-grandfather," Casey replied. "I'm sure he must have left this box for the later generations. And we got lucky enough to get our hands on it."

Peter inserted the key inside the keyhole while Casey stood beside him and looked at the box nervously.

"But mom... we need a key to open this box," Peter rubbed his finger on the keyhole.

"We need a key?" Casey asked and thought about where she could find one.

Peter stood up and asked his mother to come with him to her bedroom. "Mom, do you remember that pendant you used to wear? The one with an antique key?" the boy asked.

"Yes!" Casey exclaimed and rummaged through her jewelry box to find the key.

"Here it is!" she held the key between her fingers. "You were right, Peter. My grandmother gave it to me, but I had no idea what this was for."

"C'mon, mom," Peter said.

"Let's open the box."

Peter inserted the key inside the keyhole while Casey stood beside him and looked at the box nervously. Once Peter turned the key and raised the box's lid, they found a pile of papers inside the time capsule.

Casey picked up the papers and began reading them. On the first page, she found a written appeal addressed to whoever would find the time capsule. "You must read these papers carefully before deciding what to do with them," Casey read.

"This seems interesting, Mom," Peter said. "Let's read it."

Once Casey began reading the papers, she understood it was a biography that most probably belonged to her great-grandfather. In the story, the man said he had returned from war and wanted to write a book about his experience. He fell in love with a woman there and shared his story through his writing.

However, besides the love story, the man described many incidents that occurred during the war. He shared that he had helped many comrades and had described everything about the army camps in detail, but he was prohibited from having the book published.

She found a new purpose after reading the book and the papers accompanying it.

The reason wasn't clearly mentioned in those papers, but going by subtle hints across the entries, it was easy to understand that a lot of then-important people wanted to stop him from publishing so many truths for their own selfish reasons.

Whoever 'they' were, they had taken away all copies of his book and forbade him from publishing anything or sharing his story with anyone. "However, I managed to hide one copy so I could pass it on to my future generations," Casey read.

Peter picked up the last copy of his great-great-grandfather's book and read it loudly so Casey could also understand it. About an hour later, Peter finished reading.

"Wow! Your great-grandfather was such a skilled writer, mom!" Peter exclaimed.

"Yeah, I remember some parts of this story," Casey replied. "My grandmother used to tell them to me when I would go to her house as a child. She was the sweetest woman I have ever met!"

"What will you do with this book now? Will you do something for your great-grandfather's story?" Peter asked curiously.

"Yes. I will," Casey nodded while feeling grateful for finding the time capsule. She found a new purpose after reading the book and the papers accompanying it.

"I will restore his book and ensure it gets published."

Casey spent weeks typing her great-grandfather's story on her laptop. The papers she found in the time capsule were on the brink of perishing, but she could still read the text. Thank God I found these papers just in time, she thought.

Soon, she finished typing her great-grandfather's story on her laptop and printed it. "Wow! This was so much fun!" she said. She realized that she liked the process of writing a book and thought she could take her new interest further.

Later that evening, she told Peter about her recent idea. "I think I'll write my own book," she said. "It will be a continuation of my great-grandfather's story."

"Really?" Peter was shocked, but he felt happy for his mother.

"Yes. I will continue his story and write about my family history, Peter," Casey said. "I'm sure people are going to love it!"

The following week, Casey approached a publisher with the printed version of her great-grandfather's story and asked them if they would publish the book. Since the country's laws had changed over the years, the state now had no problem publishing the story.

"I'm so happy that his book can finally reach the readers!" Casey told the publisher. "He would be so proud of me if he was here."

"I think you did a great job!" the publisher told Casey.

Later that night, Casey thought about what had happened during the past few months. She realized once again that the parrot had crashed into her balcony for a reason. He helped Peter speak and later led them to the time capsule. Then, reading the documents and the book helped Casey discover her passion. She finally found a direction in her life apart from being a stay-at-home mom.

Casey spent the next few months writing a book in continuation to her great-grandfather's story. She spent days and nights typing her story on her laptop, and it was the first time she was doing something with so much passion apart from caring for Peter.

To write about her family history, Casey had to study her great-grandfather's life. A few months later, she had finally compiled the second part of her great-grandfather's book.

When she showed the book to the publishers, they praised her writing style and said it would be a hit among the readers.

"I think you did a great job!" the publisher told Casey. "You should have started writing books a long time ago, Casey. You're an amazing writer!"

After years of living as a housewife and caring for her son, Casey finally found a purpose in life. She developed a new interest and pursued it as a career.

Casey felt overwhelmed after reading the response when her book got published. Her book soon became a bestseller, and the readers wanted her to write another story. Soon, Casey began working on another book while Peter went to college. Now, she didn't feel lonely without her son, nor did she miss caring for him. She had started enjoying her life and felt delighted to pursue her passion as a career.

What can we learn from this story?

• There is always a reason behind everything. There was a reason why the parrot crashed into Casey's balcony and became a part of her family. Not only did the bird help Peter speak, but it also led Casey to the time capsule buried deep under the ground. If it weren't for the parrot, she would have never discovered her passion for writing.
• It's never too late to find a new direction in life. Casey had spent years as a stay-at-home mom, where her only worry was her son. Peter was the center of her world, and she had never imagined becoming a writer, but fate surprised her with her great-grandfather's story, encouraging her to publish her own story.

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Click here to read another story about a carefree son who ignored his hardworking mom's pleas to find a job until she landed in ICU.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com