Before she was even born, Peter Kaye knew he was going to leave something special for his daughter, Emerson. But the father had no intention of giving his secret to her right away; he wanted her to be old enough.
As she got older, the two went on tons of adventures together. When his daughter followed clues leading to what was going to be her greatest discovery yet, Peter had no choice but to look on in tears.
Peter Kaye Kept A Secret From His Daughter For Six Years
For six years, Peter Kaye kept a secret from his daughter, Emerson, hoping that one day she would follow his clues to unlock the mystery. He set it up perfectly, just waiting until the time was right, and she would be old enough to understand the clues.
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He couldn’t wait until she discovered what he’s been hiding all those years. He had set everything up perfectly. And it was only a matter of time until she figured everything out.
He Sent Her To Clean An Old Window Box
His moment to set Emerson on the correct path came the day his daughter asked him for some change. Not having any in his pocket, but knowing where to find some, Peter made a plan. He was going to have Emerson work for the coins.
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So, he sent her to clean out an old, empty window box they had lying around. Little did the young girl know, but she was about to find something hidden in the forgotten box.
Emerson opened the box, not expecting to find a whole lot of random objects. Keep reading to learn what she found.
Emerson Opened The Box Only To See Darkness
Not thinking much of the task, the little girl walked into the room where the old window box was located. With her father, mother, and grandmother not far behind, Emerson opened the box, expecting to find coins or some type of treasure inside.
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Well, the first thing she noticed was that it was very dark inside, so she couldn’t make out anything. So, being a kid, Emerson stuck her hand in, not expecting to pull out something so exciting.
There Was An Old Doorknob
When Emerson opened the box, the little girl noticed there was an object inside. Since it was so dark, she couldn’t make out what was inside, only that it most certainly wasn’t the coins she was looking for.
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But she stuck her hand inside anyway, grabbing the object and bringing it out into the light. To Emerson’s surprise, it was an old doorknob. She handed it to her father then turned her attention back to the box, convinced there was something valuable inside.
Peter’s Daughter Kept Digging Through The Box
After handing her father the doorknob, Emerson dove back into the old window box. To her surprise, she pulled out doorknob after doorknob and then something that looked like two metal circles and a pole.
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Emerson hadn’t found the treasure she was looking for, but this little girl was determined and loving every minute of her impromptu hunt. So, she stuck her tiny hand inside the box one last time. This time, she pulled out something different.
Peter And His Daughter Were Equally As Excited
Peter was delighted that his daughter was throwing herself into something he’d planned years prior. He wasn’t sure if she would play along or not. But it turned out Emerson was just as excited as he was for the treasure hunt.
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Now, it was time to egg her on to the next part of the quest. So, together, they both dove back into the old window box to see if there was anything left to discover.
Next, Emerson finds something that will send her on a quest. Can you guess what it is? The answer is coming up next.
Emerson Found A Map!
His daughter went right back to exploring the inside of the window box. And, when she pulled out what looked like a piece of paper, everyone stood there in shock. Her grandmother gasped, and when they shook out what looked like a dusty old piece of parchment, they were able to see what it really was — a treasure map!
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Even her father gasped in mock surprise, even though he could have jumped for joy that his little girl found the first clue to his secret.
There Was A Big ‘X’ On The Map
Everyone stood around the window box in excitement as Emerson held on tightly to the map. Her father asked the grandmother to close the window box, so they could place the map on top and everyone could have a better look.
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It was then that Peter’s daughter noticed the big X on the map, blurting out that it was a “secret room treasure map!” But her excitement went through the roof when she noticed the map’s address.
Emerson Didn’t Know Where To Start
As it turned out, the address Emerson pointed out was to their house! The treasure was somewhere close. Her father was so excited. Now, all the young girl had to do was decipher a few clues. He decided to give her a push in the right direction.
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So, he told her perhaps the treasure was located upstairs. But the grandmother intervened, asking Emerson where she thought the treasure was located. It was then that she pointed to something else on the map.
She Spotted A Hidden Door Labeled On The Map
Emerson was pointing at something on the map that mentioned a hidden door. Unfortunately, she had no clue where the mysterious door would be located in the house. She’d never seen one before, after all.
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So, once again, Peter recommended checking out the upstairs, mentioning that the room they’re looking for might be located there. Handing the map to his daughter, they all made their way to the staircase and, hopefully, secret room.
The little girl thought she knew where to go. Keep reading to learn if she was right.
Emerson Thought She Knew Where To Go
After they all made their way up the stairs, Peter advised his daughter to put the map down on the ground. That way, everyone could see it thoroughly. She did. But Emerson soon claimed she knew exactly where the hidden door was and was running off in what she thought was the right direction.
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Peter let her run off, knowing that she would be back soon after realizing she hit a dead end. He was right, and his daughter was back at his side and studying the map in no time.
Peter Told Her The Door Was In Her Room
Emerson went back to studying the map. But, this time, Peter decided she could use a little help. So, without giving too much away, he pushed his daughter in the right direction. After some time he finally told her that it looked as though the door was in her bedroom.
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Excited at the thought, Emerson ran toward her bedroom, eager to find the hidden door and whatever treasure it was hiding. But it wasn’t that easy.
Emerson Believed The Door Was Near Her Dresser
Sitting on her bed, Emerson said that it was very weird that she had no clue there was a hidden door in her room. Where could it possibly be? That’s when she noticed the wood next to her dresser.
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Emerson thought the hidden door was located somewhere around there. So, she jumped off her bed and did a very six-year-old thing — she started banging on the walls. But it wasn’t in vain; Emerson made quite the discovery.
Emerson was onto something. Keep reading to learn what the father-daughter duo did next.
The Wall Was Hollow
As it turned out, the wall was hollow where she was banging. After yelling, “here,” Peter decided to play along a bit more, banging on the wall himself. Pretending to be shocked by the hollow wall, Peter told his daughter that she definitely stumbled across something.
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But it wasn’t the father who suggested this next course of action, but the six-year-old who was dead-set on finding out what was behind the hidden door in her bedroom.
Emerson Wanted To Cut Into The Wall
When Peter asked Emerson what they should do next, she said exactly what he needed her to. She suggested they cut into the wall. Her mother, who wasn’t privy to the whole treasure hunt, wasn’t so sure demolition was the right way to go.
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But the father insisted. He told his wife that if there was a hidden room than there was probably some form of treasure inside. Of course, Emerson nodded in wide-eyed agreement.
The Cutting Began
Peter ran downstairs and grabbed his electric cutting tool. Then, he started in on the secret door he sealed years prior. He couldn’t believe the day has come that Emerson was finally going to find his secret treasure!
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Emerson’s mom and grandmother sat on the bed with her, documenting everything on their phones. They wanted to be sure they had every moment recorded for them to watch at a later date. But there was something else Emerson had to do.
Together, Peter And Emerson Pulled Back The Wall
After Peter finished cutting away at the wall, he asked Emerson to pull back the little flap he had created. But she was tiny and needed a bit more muscle to move the wall. So, she turned to her father for help.
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Together, the two of them pulled the wall back. When the opening was finally large enough for Emerson to peer inside, she couldn’t contain her excitement. After looking around, though, she didn’t see what she had hoped for.
Emerson wasn’t thrilled with what she found. Then again, maybe she wasn’t looking hard enough. Can you guess what she found?
The “Yucky” Room Was Empty
To Emerson, it didn’t look as though there was anything in the room beyond the secret door. Regardless, the young girl crawled through the opening and into the secret room. When she made it to the other side, Emerson had one word to describe the space: “yucky.”
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Of course, Peter begged to differ, telling his daughter that she needed to look a bit closer. So, Emerson began looking around the empty room.
There Was a Treasure Box On The Floor
Even though Peter kept saying that it was pretty cool a hidden room was behind her wall this entire time, Emerson couldn’t hide her disappointment. The young girl was expecting treasure, not a dusty room! Then, something caught her eye.
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There was a treasure box on the floor! Excited once again, Emerson opened the box, squealing when she noticed its contents — actual treasure! Of course, right then and there the little girl declared that the findings were hers.
There Were Coins, Jewelry, And A Tiny Note
Inside the box was an assortment of coins and jewelry. But there was also a note, and Peter had Emerson read it aloud. The tiny piece of paper said, “I Love You.” But that wasn’t all; Peter had made “pirate coins” into earrings for his daughter.
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Watching her excitement through his misty eyes, Peter could honestly say that watching her smile and laugh at the contents in the box was the best treasure he could have ever asked for.
