It was dawn. The sky was grey and overcast. The air, cold and damp with mist from the low hovering clouds. I could hardly believe it was Summer. I looked out over the ocean but could not see a thing. Visibility was only about fifty feet. I felt bad, but worse for the kids. Some vacation I thought, stuck in a house on the rocky shores of Rhode Island for a whole week, with nothing but cold and rain. As I gazed at the water, I saw a ship. It was very close to the beach. It was old, ragged and tattered, and had three giant masts, but there were no sails attached. All that was left was some old torn remnants of dirty white cloth, hanging on the yardarms. I was stunned. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I immediately ran through the house screaming WAKE UP. I got the kids out of bed and to the large picture window overlooking the shore of the Atlantic ocean. It was unbelievable. Suddenly I heard the door close behind me, I turned around, and all six kids were gone. I ran out after them, and followed them down the beach to the waters edge. Like porpoises, one after the other, they dove right in and began to swim toward the ship. The beach was eerily empty, and I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I shouted at the kids, but it was as if they were in a trance. I dove in. As I neared the ship, the children were already aboard. There was a rope netting hanging on the side, which they had climbed up, and into the boat. I grabbed a hold of it, and after quite a bit of struggle, I too, hoisted myself onto the deck. Suddenly, a wave hit the vessel, lifting it up off the sandy bottom, and launched it, and us, back into the heavy grey mist, hovering over the deep turbulent sea. I tried to gather the children, but they were scattered about the deck from bow to stern. Jonathon was climbing up the center mast, headed for the crows nest. The crows nest is the small basket like structure, built high on the mast, used by the lookout, to help the captain avoid any hazards. Zachary had found a sword and was waving it all over, as if in a battle. My heart leapt in fear. I want you all to come here I yelled. It was to no avail. They were like zombies, totally enthralled in the moment. I looked for Jennifer and Amanda, but they had disappeared down some stairs, to some other level below deck. Christopher was at the helm. He was steering the boat straight away from shore, and had set his course to the open sea. I heard him holler," let's go ye land lubbers, we have treasures to steal". What was happening? They were somehow being taken over by some kind invisible force. My eyes roved the deck looking for Benjamin. He was near the stern end of the ship. He had found some old muskets, and was loading them with gunpowder and metal balls. "All clear captain", yelled Jonathon from atop the mast, "full speed ahead". I ran to the staircase where I saw the girls go down. I descended them four at a time, moving as fast as I could. I had to gain control of the kids as fast as possible. The girls I thought would be the easiest to bring back to reality. I finally reached the lower deck. I scanned the area as best as I could. I didn't see them. I opened every door I came across. Most of the rooms looked like sleeping quarters. I needed to find the girls now. Door after door and nothing. I began to panic, when suddenly , Amanda and Jennifer burst out of a large wooden door with big black metal latches on it. They were covered in jewels. Their eyes were wide and fixed. I grabbed and shook them, hoping to bring them out of this hypnotic stupor, but both at once, they turned on me, grabbing my arms and twisting them behind my back. To the captain said Jenn. At the top of the stairs, Zach was standing, starring blindly right through me. He put the tip of the sword at my back and pushed it, making me move forward. Ben was now beside him with the musket pointed at me. Jonny climbed back down off the mast and joined the others. I was in front and they were all behind me, pushing me forward toward Captain Chris. "Ahoy matey's", said Chris. "What have we here"? "A traitor", yelled Ben! "Yea" said Jenn, "a traitor trying to ruin our fun". "No" I cried, " I just want to get us out of here and home safe". "We should hang you from the yardarm and let the vultures pick your bones", said Amanda. Jonny stood tall with one hand on his hip. He looked like a pirate. "Plank" he said. Zach looked into my eyes. "What do you think Captain, here's a plank walker if I ever saw one". Suddenly they all jeered. "The plank, the plank"! "The plank it is matey's". The captain tied the wheel secure, to keep the ship on course for the vast expanse of the mighty sea. The water was rough. I was marched over to the starboard side of the ship. Ben pushed the long plank out over the dark churning water. The waves were huge. I stumbled back and forth trying to keep my balance. But the kids were steadfast. It was as if they had lived on the sea all their lives. "This land lubber won't ever ruin anyone's fun again", said captain Chris. They all looked at me with those hollow fixed eye's. Zach pushed the sword at my back and said,"climb, you bilge rat". I stepped up on the rail and onto the plank. My own kids were gonna do me in. I looked over my left shoulder toward the port side of the ship. I needed to make a getaway, and it had to be now. I took a step forward like I was going to walk the plank, then suddenly, I spun around and jumped onto the deck, right in front of Zack. I grabbed his sword, and pushed him against Ben at the same time. As they fell to the deck, I forced my way between the two girls, and scrambled toward the helm. As I reached the big wooden steering wheel, my arm came slashing downward with the sword, cutting the brown hemp rope, that was holding our course. Jonny and Chris were right behind me but I was fast, and this was my only chance. I turned the huge wheel, steering the ship to spin sideways in the waves. Immediately a wave came crashing over the side rail flooding the deck. I held tight to the wheel. Jonny and Captain Chris and the rest were knocked off there feet, but quickly regained their footing. I tugged the wheel hard, and as the next wave hit, the entire ship lifted out of the water and flipped over into the sea. My eye's popped open. Oh God, I was in my bed. It was just a dream. I got up and went to the kitchen. I was shaking something terrible. I put on the coffee and looked out the picture window at the ocean. We actually were on vacation. We were on Ortley Beach, at the New Jersey Shore, and the weather was horrible these first two days. I guess that is why I had the dream. They were calling for rain today, but warmer, and the rest of the week looked promising. As I drank my coffee I got an Idea. It was still very early, I would make an adventure for the kids. Something they would never forget. A hunt for buried treasure. First I needed a map. I grabbed a brown paper bag, and took it out on the deck, and burned the edges with a lighter. When it stopped smoking, I took it into the kitchen, and sat at the table and drew my best, using a black pen. I sipped my coffee, and looking out the window, got some pretty good landmarks. I drew waves for the ocean, and I used the boardwalk for a starting point. I went across the street and even paced off and counted my steps to get to the buried treasure. I put and X on the map. I marked the spot on the beach near the red wood slatted dune fence, where I would bury it later. Next, I went to my car. In the trunk was an old cigar box, that I used to keep a few loose tools in, in case I break down, and took it inside. Around nine AM, the bank opened. I took twenty five dollars, and cashed it in for all change. Dimes, nickels, and penny's. I left the money in the car. My better half took the kids to the water park in Seaside Heights, and I went to work. I filled the box with the change. It was quite heavy. Then I covered it with tinfoil, shiny side out, and I wrapped it a whole bunch of times. I grabbed one of the kids toy shovels, and again walked across the street to the beach. I went to the spot by the fence I had marked, and began to dig. It took me a while to get down deep enough to make the adventure last a while. Once it was buried, I put a small piece of tape on the fence right above the spot. I went back to the house and furthered my plan. I would stick the map in the sand by the boardwalk ramp in the morning, leaving a little part of it sticking out to be seen. I was all set. The day was warmer as the weatherman said and the kids all had a blast at the park. We cooked out on the grill for dinner and then walked the beach for a while. They were beat tired by 9 pm, and we put them to bed. Everyone was excited to go swimming in the ocean tomorrow. My brother and his kids were staying at a house a few blocks away and they were gonna hang with us on the beach. I'm glad the cold and rainy weather was over. Now Vacation could really start. I loved the ocean. I was up at the crack of dawn and I planted the map. I sat on the deck drinking coffee and watched over the treasure. Twice I had to run to the beach and explain to the treasure hunters, that this was my kids treasure. I call them treasure hunters, people with metal detectors who scavenge over the beaches in the mornings, looking for jewelry and what have you. What happened next was just short of a miracle. The kids were waking up and coming into the kitchen. I was watching an old man rummaging through garbage and looking all around under the boardwalk. The light bulb in my head immediately went on. I had an idea. I made up a story about a bank robber, who stole thousands of dollars in change during the 1970s from the banks in Ocean county. I told them it was rumored that he buried it all along the beaches. He had been caught, but they never found the money. My son Chris saw the old man out the window and said " hey, maybe that's him". Well he did escape I told them, but I find it very unlikely that this was him. The old guy was right on top of the map. "Maybe", I said, "if it is him, he lost a map or something leading him to where he buried the loot". Chris wanted to go out and ask him. No I said, first we eat and then we go to the beach. The excited look on his face slipped away. He was the oldest of the six. After breakfast, my brother John showed up with his two kids. "Ok let's go swimming" I yelled, and the entire brood was heading out the door. As we crossed the street, the kids were all looking down and over the sand. Jt, my brothers son asked, "what are you guys looking for"? Amanda told him the story. His head, and that of his sister Danielle, were now dragging the sand too. I saw the map sticking out as I stepped onto the ramp. "Look good" I said. "This is where I saw the old bank robber looking " said Chris. Everyone looked hard. I played my part. "Ok, enough of this, we are here to go swimming" I said. Just then Chris screamed, "I FOUND IT, I FOUND A TREASURE MAP". "Look" he said, "it even has an x on it". The kids all gathered around him. Their excitement was unbelievable. I think they forgot about the ocean and everything else. Their eyes were wide and fixed. Their focus was solely on the treasure. We set up our spot on the beach. Laid out the blankets, and stuck the umbrella deep into the sand. "Help" they cried, "help us find the treasure". "That up to you guys", I said, "but let me see that map". "WOW"! "That sure does look like a treasure map". "It is, It is" they shouted. I walked with the map over to the ramp where I began the hunt. "Look here" I said, and pointed to a reference point on the map. Amanda spoke up and said" hey, that looks like were we are". " And that must be the ramp". "It does kind of look like that"I said, " go find the treasure". It took about fifteen minutes and they were really close. I did give them one more clue, but just a small one. They began to dig. Chris, and JT started. They dug about a foot then got tired and move away. Zach and Jonny jumped right in. They dug and dug. I think they got further than the older two. Then the girls, Danielle, Mandy, and Jenn also joined in the excavation. Ben was still a toddler, but he hung right by them. He was old enough to know something cool was going on. Chris and JT got back into the hole. They lasted about two minutes and got bored. I heard one of them say, "there's nothing here". Jonny and Zach jumped right back in. They were the youngest other than Ben, but they weren't giving up. The hole was almost four feet deep now, and other kids on the beach were all hanging around the hole. Jenn, shared the story of the change bandit with them, and everyone was excited and watching. Even some adults were standing there. All of a sudden Zach or Jonny, I don't remember which one, caught a piece of the tinfoil in his hand. " I GOT IT", I heard yelled from the hole. I turned to watch. Jt and Chris physically grabbed the boys and threw them out of the hole. The two of them dug like animals to get the treasure out. They lifted it up. "It's heavy they screamed". Bring it here I demanded. Many people were now up and by the kids looking at what was going on. Chris brought the tinfoil covered treasure box over to our blanket. I let them all watch close as Chris opened it up. You could have heard a pin drop in the sand, and then suddenly Chris grabbed a hand full of change and through it in the air screaming,"WE'RE RICH WE'RE RICH"! Everyone started shouting and screaming and jumping up and down. I quickly closed the box to keep Chris from throwing any more. The crown on the beach around us was huge. Our kids had found a treasure. It didn't take but a few minute before it began. We want to go home and count it and split it up. "Ok" I said. I grabbed the box and headed back across the street to our rented bungalow. The kids were watching me like a hawk. It was setting in. When I got into the house, I gave the box to them and said, "count it and split it fairly, I don't want any problems". When the counting was done, they split the money evenly. Then the complaining began. Greed. You got more than me. I got cheated. Count it again. They argued and bickered for at least an hour. I fed them lunch and told them that if I hear any more squabbling, I would take, and keep all of it. That did the trick. I guess they figured better to have something than nothing. They all hid their money lol, and we went back to the beach. The weather was wonderful from there on out. We swam, played miniature golf, watched the fireworks on the beach, and even went on the rides one night at Seaside Park. What began as a miserable nightmare, became a vacation none would forget anytime soon. Still to this day, someone will mention the treasure. Kids can be very observant too. Amanda who was around nine years old at the time came to me the night they found the treasure. "Dad", she said, "I thought you said the change bandit robbed banks in the nineteen seventies"? "That's right I told her". "Then why", she asked, "are a lot of my coins dated in the nineties? I looked at her and smiled. She winked back at me and smiled from ear to ear. After each vacation we ever took, our bills fell behind. We always managed somehow to eventually catch back up. I would not trade these memories for anything in the world, and suggest that everyone, put your family first. It is worth it. I promise. ;)