Rolled Up Cigarette

Tonya took out the bottle from the bag and inspected it. It was beautiful no doubt. It was almost filled halfway with damp sand. But as Tonya slowly scooped out the sand, she noticed something through the dirty opaque glass. There was something inside the bottle. It looked like a thin cylindrical object, like a rolled-up cigarette. Except when she emptied the bottle, she found something entirely different. 

The Message

A rolled-up piece of paper fell from the inside of the glass bottle. Tonya’s eyes went wide, she picked it up hesitantly. It was soggy to touch but wrapped tightly. She didn’t know if she should open it. She decided to wait for her husband to get home. He will know what to do.

Kym’s Reaction

Kym kept staring at the bottle and the piece of paper over and over. It has been more than half an hour since he got back home. But even he was taken aback at this find. He was beyond curious so he decided they should open it. But it was so soggy they couldn’t open it without ripping it apart. That is when Tonya got an idea.

Heating It Up

Tonya decided to put the note in the oven and wait for it to be completely dry before they try to open it. She was not sure if it will work, she may just set it on fire. But it was worth a try and quite frankly, their only option. But to her surprise, it totally worked! The note opened easily but what they found inside was confusing, to say the least. 

Reading The Note

The paper was about 8 by 6 inches in size and had partially printed text and partially handwritten text. Most importantly, the thing the couple noticed almost immediately was that the text was not English, it was German. Just like the writings on the glass bottle. 

Translating The Text

The good news was that Kym was able to translate some major key points of that German text. The printed text asked the reader of the note to contact the German Consulate when they find the bottle and the note. It also asked the reader to note down the exact date and time when they discovered the bottle before returning it to the German embassy.