Heaven Tastes Like Peaches

It only took a moment, one terrifying second, before Konrad realized that his leg had sagged in about fifteen centimeters and stopped on another, more durable board.

"Are you alive?" Sławek was right next to him.

"Yes," he laughed nervously. "Just a little ... Well, I'm alive."

"How's the leg?"

"Fine. Help me take it out."

"I've walked this way dozens of times and the floor has never collapsed. I'm so so sorry! You could have hurt yourself!"

"Come on, everything is fine. I pushed myself here, nothing really happened. I guess I'm just a little heavier than you"Konrad laughed, wanting to relieve the tension.

They pulled his leg that got stuck in a crumpled board. Nothing disturbing, it seemed, had actually happened to her. Only Konrad was filled with fear, although he was not going to admit it to Sławek. He peered into the hole to see what had saved him. The ceiling of the house and the floor of the attic appeared to consist of two layers of boards. He had never heard of houses being built like this, but on the other hand he was not an architect. Between the boards there was a layer of old straw eaten by time and rodents. He felt shivers down his back at the thought that he might have fallen into a rat's nest.

There was no gray fur or a leathery tail in the chopped straw, but something was definitely shimmering red. He took a closer look and frowned. It looked like an old metal tea can.

"Wait, there's something in there," he said and held out his hand. He sincerely hoped nothing would run over it or bite it. He pulled out a box, too heavy to be empty.

"What is it? Tea can?"

"It looks like it," he replied, turning it over in his hand.

"What's she doing there?"

"A hiding place?"

They looked around and Sławek gently brushed away the dust and chaff gathered on the floor with his foot. In fact, they noticed what could be a hiding place. Domejczuk leaned over and tugged one of the boards, enlarging a hole in the floor.

"Is there anything else?" Skalski asked, putting the can down.

They both leaned over the hole and examined it for a moment, finally Konrad decided that it was necessary to take a more decisive step and put his hand there.

"Just chopped straw," he said, disappointed. A hiding place in the attic floor! Where, where, but this is where the treasures should be hidden.

"I wonder what's inside?" Domejczuk glanced at the red box.

"We'll check?" The excitement returned immediately. After all, they have a can and there is definitely something in it!

Sławek, who looked equally excited, nodded.

The box, despite the years, had a beautiful red color with the inscription "Earl Gray" on the lid and a drawn old sailing ship resembling a British corvette. It was about eighteen centimeters high and about twelve by twelve the width of the base. In terms of format, it was smaller than a notebook, but still quite large and roomy. Konrad slowly, thoughtfully, lifted the cover. Together they looked inside.

"Papers?"

"Letters?" Domejczuk added taking out one of them. "Look how old. Fifty-eighth year!"

"Who is it for?"

"To my grandfather."

"So this is Sławoj's hiding place?"

"I think so. Another letter is also for him" Sławek added while browsing the contents.

Letters, the whole box was stuffed with letters addressed to Sławoj Domejczuk.

"You, look, Mombassa" exclaimed suddenly surprised Konrad. "And this… Al Kaira… Cairo?"

"Do I think the sender's handwriting is the same?"

"I think so too. No sender's name or address, but the handwriting is round and pretty. Woman?"

"I do not know. Grandpa didn't say anything about friends abroad. Especially about women."

"Nobody from the family was away for longer?"

"Nothing that I know of."

"I wonder what's in those letters?"

Sławek was also excited about the discovery, but suddenly, at the thought of reading these letters, he felt something unpleasant. These were letters addressed to his grandfather. It didn't matter that they were already several dozen years old, that the recipient, and perhaps the sender were already dead, it was private correspondence and as such it was sacred in the eyes of the boy.

Konrad probably thought the same, because he did not open any of the letters and did not renew his suggestions.

"You know, I don't think there is anything materially valuable there," he said and handed the can to Sławek. "Maybe these letters have some historical value, but I will not say so. Maybe some philatelist could sell the stamps, but the letters themselves… It's a pity. I thought we might find something after all."

"Grandpa wasn't one of those people who would hide treasures and take out loans. If he had anything valuable, he would have sold it to pay for my mom's treatment."

"Your mom's treatment?"

Konrad heard about it for the first time.

"She had cancer. The health fund paid for drugs that were not effective, so the doctor suggested other, non-reimbursed drugs. Grandfather borrowed to buy them."

So that was the purpose of the loan taken out by Sławoj - drugs for the daughter-in-law suffering from cancer? With this money he tried to save Sławek's mother's life?

"I'm sorry. I did not know."

"Me too. Neither about the course of treatment of the mother, nor about the loan. It wasn't until that year that I found hospital papers, invoices from pharmacies. I asked my grandfather about it and he explained it to me. Not all, but enough. I was very grateful to him because my mother was only his daughter-in-law."

"And your dad?" Konrad remembered that he died, but he did not know when exactly. Sławek mentioned that he remembered him as always busy, so he should probably have money. "Didn't he leave you anything?"

"No. He died in an accident when I was nine. The compensation was ridiculously low and only allowed us to survive for a while. That's why grandpa helped us as much as he could, even though he didn't have much himself."

"In order to bring it, you need machinery and the strength to work. Grandpa was old, I don't know much about agriculture and I go to school. Grandpa leased it to a neighbor for extra payments" he sighed. "I think that my grandfather believed that he would be able to pay off the debt. If he sold the land, he would leave me with nothing, and I know he was afraid of that. Or maybe he was just too old and couldn't think like a businessman."

"I don't know, but I know he definitely loved you."

"Yes," Sławek replied, and, clutching the can of letters in his hand, he walked down the ladder.

Konrad's heart ached. Sławek's sadness was visible not only through his eyes. His whole figure, shrunken and stooped, said he was sick. This failed treasure hunt might have spoiled his mood even more. Feeling guilty of this state, Konrad began to wonder what he could do to improve Sławek's mood?