A retired Mississippi teacher was out on the Pearl River on January 16 looking for some of his favorite things — old bottles, sea glass and fossils. He found an old bottle and tossed it into his boat. When he got home, he realized he found a treasure of sorts: a message in the bottle, written more than 40 years ago by a 3-year-old child. The message read: “The finder of my mystery bottle, My name is David Blanks. I live in Jackson, Mississippi. I am 3 years old. If you find my bottle, please call me at [phone number] – call collect. Good luck and happy hunting! David” The note was dated June 4, 1983.
The teacher, named Jeremy Weir, called the number and reached the parents of a now-adult (and very surprised) David Blanks. While there was no treasure to be found from the message, it was an adventure Weir will remember for awhile. He and Blanks plan on meeting so Weir can give him back the bottle.
For his part, Blanks was “ecstatic” to hear of the discovery, but alas, he didn’t even remember writing the note.
Photo: Jeremy Weir