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First I took Shaunda to see the nearby ruins of a cabin built in 1890. I hoped that my emphasis on the local history would lead her to see the box as an artifact and not suspect my sneaky plan. Next I told Shaunda I wanted to take her to some sand dunes I had explored during my college years. We hiked along old tire tracks through the tumbleweeds and sagebrush. After about 45 minutes, I noticed a broken line of old fence posts that matched Hans's description. At the end of the line was a sand dune. "This is the one!" I thought. To Shaunda, I nonchalantly suggested, "Let's follow the animal tracks along the fence row. They will take us right to that sand dune."
As we passed the last fence post, I saw the box! I tried to contain my excitement and not draw her attention to it yet. I wanted Shaunda to find the box herself so that she would think she found it, keeping her suspicions low.
I set down my backpack about 25 feet from the box so that the box was between us and the top of the dune. She still didn't see the box. At my suggestion, we headed toward the top of the dune. I was worried she would walk right past it, but she didn't! She saw it and exclaimed, "Look! A box." "Should we open it?" I asked, trying to seem calm. "Sure!" she replied. So I knelt down, brushed the sand away, and gently lifted the lid. Shaunda was leaning over my shoulder, eager to see what was inside. The piece of paper immediately caught her attention. "David, do you see that piece of paper?" "Yeah," I said, picking it up and handing it to her. "You read it and see what it says." Still on one knee, I turned to watch her open the paper.
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