Willie awoke Thanksgiving morning to some delicious aromas! He tried to identify some of the smells: pumpkin pie, cornbread, and TURKEY! Flop smelled the turkey, too, and bounded off the bed with thoughts of giblets in his furry head. Willie was right behind his dog, but an item on his dresser caught his attention. It was the mysterious old bottle he, Grace, and Flop dug up on the beach last week! Willie's dad, Mr. Weaver, hadn't had a chance to pry open the metal cap that sealed the bottle shut. Willie and Grace were sure there was something interesting inside, and were having a hard time waiting patiently for Mr. Weaver.

This Thanksgiving Day was just like all the other Thanksgiving Days that Willie could remember. His aunts and uncles and cousins came, the men and boys all watched football while the women clattered around in the kitchen, and his girl cousins and his little sister Glennie played one silly girl game after the other. Willie didn't much care for football, and he felt bored, and wondered even more about the bottle. Did it contain money? Jewels? A pirate map?

Eventually it was dinnertime, and everyone held hands around the table and thanked the Lord for all the good things He had done for the Weaver family the past year. God had been very gracious! The food was just as good as it smelled, and Willie ate plenty!

After dinner, all the guests left for their own homes, and Grace came over. Mr. Weaver looked at them both and said, "Kids, it's time to see what's in that bottle of yours!" He took Willie, Grace, and the bottle out to the garage, and using a some pliers managed to pry the lid off the bottle.

"What do you see inside?" asked Willie and Grace together.

"There's a rolled up piece of paper. Let's see if I can get it out without tearing it."

Mr. Weaver carefully coaxed the yellowed paper from the bottle. He gently unrolled it and spread it out on the workbench. "Kids, this looks like an old map of Beantown. It looks like it's about 100 years old!"

"Aw, I was hoping for some pirate treasure," said Grace in a disappointed voice.

"Don't lose hope yet, Grace," said Mr. Weaver. Most of the writing seems to be in code!"