His calls were ignored. It was like he disappeared from the face of the earth. Could he really have run away to keep the winnings for himself?
Derek never felt so betrayed. He thought he knew this man? Was everything just a lie so he’d show him where the object was? Only time would tell and the answer would be devastating.
It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon when Derek Lenan and his friend David, headed out to spend their day searching for hidden metals and treasures in their hometown in Scotland.
They were searching through land that was owned by the Church of Scotland with their metal detectors. With permission granted, they could have never imagined anything could’ve gone as wrong as it did.
Derek knew David through the metal detecting community, and because they lived relatively close, they often enjoyed their hobby together. This wasn’t their first outing but it would be their last.
It was about 2 hours later when Derek’s detector started to pick up something. He had been hovering over every nook and cranny, hoping to hear this sound.
He called David over, dropped to his hunkers, and started to dig the soil with his gloved hands. It wasn’t long before he pulled out a rusty spoon, or so he thought.
He threw the spoon aside and started to dig again. He could see more shapes and metals in the mud. His heart began to race as something told him this wasn’t junk. But as he was digging, David was up to something else.
His friend picked up the spoon Derek disregarded to the side and rubbed all the mud off. He looked at the object within his hand, as his eyes began to grow wide in wonder.
This was much more than a rusty spoon. He watched as Derek uncovered a stockpile of medieval treasures. Oblivious to exactly what he discovered. He shouted at him.
“Be careful!”, David ordered. Confused, Derek listened as his friend told him to look closer at the metal pieces he was unearthing.
Derek choked up at the realization of hitting the jackpot. He looked around him only to realize the rusty spoon was actually a silver arm ring. Beside it was coins, a gold ingot, and beads. But this was just the start.
Derek and David collected their findings and registered their discovery immediately with the government and Church of Scotland. Derek and David agreed to hold on to half of the findings each until a financial settlement was agreed upon between all parties involved.
This is where things started to get ugly real fast, and Derek’s world turned upside down.
A court date was scheduled to fairly decide who got what between the landowners, government, and the explorers. But there was a problem, David didn’t show up.
It was then that David realized he had all the more valuable items with him. Did he do that on purpose? Why didn’t he show up to court? Derek rang him but there was no answer.
After 2 days of ignored calls, Derek decided to call his friend’s house but there was no answer. No one seemed to be home. Even his wife, who he knew worked from home.
It was like David had disappeared from the face of the earth. Could he really have run away to keep the winnings for himself? Derek never felt so betrayed but it wasn’t over yet.
Two weeks passed before Derek managed to track down David’s workspace. He called asking if they had seen him, and then everything became crystal clear.
If David ran away with the treasures, he would have been set up for life, never having to work another day. Would he really abandon their friendship and trust for money? It felt like Derek didn’t know his friend at all.
David continued to talk to Derek’s colleague that explained how they didn’t see him either but then they asked if he knew why?
Derek listened intently as he told him everything he knew about the last two weeks. Derek’s heart pounded, as he braced the shock of the new information unfolding. What happened? Where was his friend?
Derek listened as David’s colleagues told him that David and his wife got in a car crash and had been recovering in a hospital out of town for the past two weeks.
He also told him that both of their phones were lost in the wreck so that’s probably why he hasn’t heard from him yet. As far as he knew, they were both okay. But Derek felt awful.
He regretted thinking that his friend was some greedy, selfish monster that wanted to run off with all of their findings.
It was another two weeks before David was discharged from the hospital and well enough to attend the court hearing to settle the dispute. How did it turn out?
Three million dollars were split up between the Church of Scotland, Derek, and David. That meant that both men walked away with 1 million dollars each!
But what did they do with the money? Derek started an organization to help veterans suffering from mental health issues after returning from tours of duty. And David?
David also started up a business of his own but has also kept the majority of how else he spends his winnings a personal matter.
Wow, looks like metal detecting hobbies are the way to go if you’re looking for some unexpected cash! What a story! What would you do if you won a million dollars?
