Nicholas Adam Padget was killed in July 2006, at the age of 27. It was a blow to his head that did it. He had picked up a fight, while allegedly drunk, with a bouncer at a local pub. The latter was arrested, but ultimately acquitted. Days after switching off Nick's life support system, his devastated parents Patrick and Patricia turned to a long-dead writer for solace. William Shakespeare hasn't let them down.

Slowly letting go of what was a successful design practice, the couple spent three months painting. Their work was inspired by the Bard's plays. When this attracted the attention of The Shakespeare Globe Trust ufffd dedicated to 'the experience and international understanding of Shakespeare in performance' ufffd the Padgets discovered something unusual. Their son had been a supporter of the Trust since the age of 11. He had never mentioned it to them.

What could prompt a pre-pubescent boy to pledge his support to a Renaissance writer? Irrespective of whether the Padgets found an answer to that specific query, they found a solution to another problem insteadu00a0 ufffd the problem of how to fill the void left by their son.

Their decision may not, when looked at superficially, make much sense. Patrick and Patricia have chosen to occupy themselves with a project called Shakespeare's Treasure (shakespearestreasure.com). It is a virtual treasure hunt that will lead the persistent, via 15 questions, to a secret treasure hidden somewhere in England.
They refer to it as one of the most exciting challenges in the world, which isn't exactly true considering it primarily involves players in the United Kingdom while calling for an entry fee of ufffd10. The nice part is that profits from the year-long competition go to the Globe Trust, the Children's Society, and a scholarship called Nick's Fund to help gifted youth.