A Hidden Treasure Found in a Secondhand Couch

When Emil Knodel, a student at the State University of New York, decided to buy a new couch for his apartment, he knew it had to come from an American flea market. "Like any student, I wanted to save money by buying something cheap yet functional and comfortable," he says.

And the flea market was the perfect place to do just that. "After a half-hour of browsing through furniture, my roommates and I decided to buy a used couch for $20," recalls Knodel. "It was an old couch, but just right for us."

But from the very first days of sitting on the couch, they felt something strange about it. "We sat on it and felt like we were sitting on hard waves. You could feel these waves and honestly say there was something there; it wasn't just our imagination."

After another week of discomfort whenever they sat on the couch, the three roommates decided to take it apart and see what was causing the issue.

What they found left them in shock. Inside the first 'wave' they checked, they found a large, stiff envelope filled with hundred-dollar bills. And it wasn't the only envelope...

After a frantic search, the three discovered more envelopes with a total amount reaching approximately $41,000. "Along with the money, we found a bank statement in one of the envelopes, with the legal owner's name. At that moment we knew what we had to do, and we didn't hesitate for a second."

The statement carried the name of a woman, and the three roommates quickly searched for her address online. Once they found it, they rushed to the woman's home - an elderly widow who, along with her husband, had saved the money over 30 years.

Then the sad story behind the old couch came to light: Her husband used to hide the money in the couch, in special envelopes he created for that purpose. After her husband's passing, the years went by and she completely forgot about the hidden money.

The problem was that no one in the family knew about this money, except for her and her husband. And when one day, her daughter decided to get rid of the old, worn-out couch and buy her mother a new one, she completely forgot about her secret...

"You've shown me today that true kindness hasn't disappeared from the world, and I'm so happy there are still people like you," the woman said joyfully, as she gifted each of the three roommates $1,000 as a token of her appreciation for their wonderful gesture.

Translated from English: Shira Cohen