When preparing to welcome a new arrival into the family, expecting parents will take all sorts of steps to ready themselves and their home. They’ll read all the baby books, childproof the house, buy more diapers than they can count, and paint the nursery. However, when one couple in England learned that they’d be having a little girl, the father-to-be had a pretty unique idea. Instead of the usual stuff, he set out to complete a plan that would take more than six years to finally come to fruition. But when it did, it was totally worth it.
When one unnamed English father found out that his wife was going to give birth, he knew it was time to start getting ready. However, his idea of preparing for his first child wasn’t what most people might expect. Back before his daughter was born, he decided to hide something in his house for her to find. He took this project so seriously that he actually waited until his daughter was six years old to reveal it to her.
When he was ready to reveal the project to her, he told her that she had to clean out an old trunk full of junk. She didn’t notice that her dad had his camera turned on, or that her grandmother and mother seemed keen to watch the events unfold. After emptying the trunk of countless odds and ends, the little girl finally found something she wasn’t expecting: an old and wrinkled piece of paper, sort of like something out of an adventure movie.
What was it, though? Why, it was a treasure map, of course! The little girl was over the moon. She immediately asked her father to help her figure out if this map was the real deal and if the two of them could find the treasure it seemed to promise. The little girl soon figured out that the ancient-looking map was actually a map of her own house. She took it out into the hallway and tried to get a lay of the land. Clearly, she was hooked and ready to find her secret buried treasure.
With the help of her father, the little girl realized that the treasure was located right in her own bedroom. The whole family followed, and once they were inside the room, she made an amazing discovery. On the map, there was one big clue that told her where to look inside her room. Would there be a treasure chest filled with gold medallions stolen by some swashbuckling pirate of days gone by? She didn’t find a treasure chest, but she did learn that there was a secret room hidden in one of her bedroom walls. It must have been concealed, however, because she couldn’t see a doorway or a passageway.
Did she hit a dead end? That was when her dad knocked on the wall and noticed an unusual hollow sound coming from behind the panel. Together, they were able to pinpoint the exact spot of the room. What was back there? Could it be the treasure?
The little girl’s father fetched an actual electric saw so that he could cut into the wall and see what was hiding behind it. Of course, his daughter had no idea that he was the one who planted it all along. After cutting out a square just large enough for his daughter to crawl through, the father sat back and watched with excitement. His little girl pulled back the sheetrock to discover the secret room that was marked on the map.
Once inside, the little girl couldn’t believe what she saw. It was an entirely new space in her home that had been right beside her own bedroom all that time. After taking it all in, she noticed something curious. It turned out to be a tiny little chest—this must be the buried treasure! At first, she thought it would contain a mountain of money, but when she cracked it open, she couldn’t have been more surprised. It was filled with all sorts of knickknacks, like old coins and pieces of jewelry. The little girl couldn’t believe her incredible find. She was so excited that her father didn’t have the heart to tell her that it was all an elaborate treat that he created for her amusement. She was just too thrilled.
The little girl couldn’t stop showing off the amazing discovery to her mother and grandmother. It was enough to keep her occupied for hours. Obviously, Dad’s idea paid off big time. Can you imagine what it must have been like for this little girl to make such an amazing find? It was as if a fairy tale or old pirate story had come to life. It was clear she was completely surprised.
The little girl spent the rest of the day poring over the box of treasures. Her parents and grandmother seemed just as excited to spend time playing with her as well. After all, they hadn’t seen the contents of the box in more than half a decade.
Everybody prepares for having a child in different ways, and while this father’s idea was unusual, that only made it all the more special. One look at his delighted daughter’s face was all it took to know that she would cherish these memories forever. While these photographs painted a pretty picture of the treasure hunt, you just need to see the little girl’s reaction. Thankfully, her father made a video of the entire thing as it unfolded.
How cute! Isn’t that such an amazing thing for a father to do? Now, who’s ready to get out there and prepare their own awesome treasure hunt?
