It was 53 years within the making.
A message in a bottle written by a 9-year-old woman in 1973 washed up on the Jersey Shore lately — whereas the person who found it discovered the late creator’s sister simply hours later and was shocked to be taught that he and the woman share the identical birthday.
Laurie Blair Brown, who was on trip together with her household in Ocean Metropolis in August 1973, wrote a playful observe, which learn:
“This bottle was adrift on August 20, 1973 on 2nd Avenue seashore Ocean Metropolis as my captors have been transporting me to an island off shore within the Atlantic. Please notify my household {that a} band of ruthless sponge fisherman are forcing me to dive for them in shark infested waters!”
The woman additionally wrote her Bernardsville residence deal with within the dispatch, which she tucked contained in the bottle.
Weeks in the past, John Kauterman, co-founder of the nonprofit Tidelands Initiative, stumbled upon the lengthy misplaced observe by a marsh close to the Backyard State Parkway whereas on a cleanup within the wetlands of Higher Township — round 10 miles from the place Blair Brown and her sisters tossed it.
“My first preliminary thought was like, ‘Okay, this appears like a child’s prank,’” Kauterman, 49, informed NJ.com.
He then determined to submit a photograph of the message in a neighborhood Fb group, which led to him studying that Blair Brown died in 2017 from most cancers on the age of 52.
Inside hours, Kauterman related with Blair Brown’s sister, Allison Spencer, who revealed the letter really contained her handwriting.
“I provided to put in writing it for her as a result of she wasn’t positive tips on how to spell the entire phrases. It was her story, and I used to be the scribe,” Spencer informed the outlet.
“My sister, who was a really artistic and quirky individual, had a very nice humorousness. She instantly latched onto this concept and he or she got here up with the loopy story.”
Kauterman, who returned the letter to Spencer, was left awestruck that he was in a position to join together with her so rapidly.
“I felt as if it’s type of fascinating how the world works, the place you’ll be able to actually put one thing that’s been … primarily hiding for 53 years, put its content material on the web and be speaking with the creator in like lower than 12 hours,” he stated, in response to NJ.com.
Spencer, who additionally found that Kauterman serendipitously shares the identical birthday as her late sister, informed 6ABC she is planning to show her observe in a shadow field in her residence.
“She was actually assured on the time we wrote it that it was going to be discovered,” she informed the outlet.
“So I believe she would say, ‘I informed you so.’”
