Metal Marks the Spot: Poland | Adventure Fiction | Rocco Renda | 6

Metal Marks the Spot: Intro

Fiction | Jack Levy | 6 Photography | Ben Foster | 8

Birthday presents, a big party, and a metal detector were all arriving tomorrow. Watson’s 21st birthday was only a day away, and he couldn’t wait for it to finally arrive. Watson loved archeology since his grandfather entrusted him with a family heirloom and told him countless stories about his family’s history in Eastern Europe. At the same time, Watson developed a love for treasure hunting as a boy growing up on the beach. That same grandfather also taught him to use a metal detector, and each year he’d spent days combing the sands of sunny southern California. To date, all he had found were some historic coins, but one day he hoped to find REAL buried treasure. Watson always loved traveling, too, since that fateful summer his grandfather took him to Egypt and Paris and shared his memories of working at some of the greatest museums in the world. In fact, Watson always dreamed of going to Germany and Poland because of the stories his parents and grandparents told him about finding a bag full of money that an ancestor had buried. That’s why he wanted, more than anything, a new metal detector and a plane ticket to Central Europe for his birthday. Watson ran downstairs on the eve of his special day and asked, “Hey mom, am I having a birthday party tomorrow?” Mom seemed a little confused and replied, “Well, no.” Chuckling, she added, “We talked about this already, and I said no, remember?” Watson’s plan was destroyed before it had begun. “You are not having a birthday party. We talked about