His mother leaned closer.
The chart wasn't perfectly aligned with modern property boundaries.
But the resemblance was striking.
A narrow channel crossed the present-day field.
And the cliff opening stood at approximately the same location as the newly exposed timbers.
The mother studied the screen.
Then whispered, “Oh my goodness.”
The boy smiled.
“That's what I said.”
She looked toward him.
“Where did you find this?”
“A university archive.”
He clicked another image.
It showed a photograph of several wooden lake schooners tied to a small dock near Alder Bend.
The background included the same distinctive cliff profile visible from their farm.
The image was dated 1897.
His mother stared.
Then looked toward the window.
The cornfield stretched beyond the barn.
It was difficult to imagine water where crops now grew.
But the evidence suggested the land had changed dramatically.
She turned toward her son.
“I think you'd better show your father.”
The farmer was repairing a broken gate when his wife and son found him.
The boy carried the laptop carefully.
His father wiped his hands on a rag.
“What now?”
His mother gave him a look.
“Be nice.”
The farmer sighed.
“Sorry.”
The boy opened the historical chart.
Then turned it toward him.
For several seconds, the man stared.
His expression changed.
He leaned closer.
“Where's the house?”
The boy pointed.
“It wasn't built yet.”
The father nodded.
Then looked toward the old inlet.
He traced its curve with one finger.
“This runs right through the north field.”
The boy smiled.
“Exactly.”
His father looked toward the cliffs.
Then back at the map.
The old repair dock stood near the location of the exposed timbers.
For the first time, he allowed himself to imagine that his son's theory might be correct.
A ship.
Buried near the cliffs.
Connected by a chain to an anchor beneath land that had once been underwater.
It sounded impossible.
But the chart made the possibility less absurd.
He sat on a wooden bench.
For several seconds, he remained quiet.
Then he looked toward his son.
“Your grandfather would've loved this.”
The boy's smile softened.
“I know.”
The farmer studied the map again.
Then whispered something the child hadn't expected.
“Maybe I should've listened to him more.”
The boy looked up.
His father shook his head.
“Not just about the ship.”
He glanced toward the farm.