Brian

Without thinking Brian pulled the metalic object from deep within the earth. He used nothing but his bare hands, which were now stained in the thick, black, rich earth. He knew he had something, but couldn't know quite what it was. Brushing away the dirt, the sun began to glimmer off the polished surface. Heart racing he frantically rubbed with his shirt to reveal the intricate, hand crafted designs.

He didn't know why he started digging, other than the large sign with an arrow that pointed to the ground reading: "Treasure Buried Here."

So predictable, he thought, as he marveled at the beautiful artifact in front of him.

Brian looked around at the people walking along the beach. "Why hadn't anyone else dug?" He thought.

He recognized it. He knew what this was. No one would give up the opportunity to obtain a treasure of such magnitude. It was priceless. He looked at it closely, almost becoming possessed by it.

They could all see the sign, plain as day. Was it too obvious? Did everyone just assume this was some trap? Did all these folks have all the treasure they needed?

Having the courage or perhaps the plain naivety to dig, he discovered it wasn't a trick. This object was pristine in every way. Its value was not of any question, and once obtained he knew the wondrous implications. All he had to do was put it in his pocket and walk away.

Something prevented him from doing it.

"What do they know that I don't!?" he asked the object. "They must know something!"

Brian couldn't force himself to trust his own eyes. Nothing in his life had prepared him for this. How could he be trusted with such a thing? He certainly hadn't earned it, so much as he thought.

Or, could he earn it simply by walking away with it? By believing in himself and his judgment?

He wondered how many others had asked the same questions he had.

After a minute he placed the object back in the ground and covered it with topsoil and sod. It looked exactly as it did before he arrived.

He looked around at the guys playing Frisbee and women pushing strollers along the boardwalk in the bright summer sun, living their lives. Slowly, he began to walk onto the sand and down the beach.

"Others had," he said to himself.

He was relieved with what he had found.