One of the first things we learn in school is to make sure you read the questions on your exam properly.
Unfortunately, this is a lesson that many people fail to take into their adult lives, with one couple in Australia particularly guilty of acting before finishing reading.
Hidden messages can pop up in all sorts of places, whether it's something cool and mysterious like the letter written by Queen Elizabeth II that lies hidden in a vault in Australia and can't be opened for another 60 years, or simply an obscene message you might find in your car after it's been serviced by a mechanic.
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The Police (the British band not the actual law enforcers) have seemingly instilled a belief among the general public that messages in a bottle are often declarations of love thanks to their 1979 release.
But this was far from the case down under when a couple discovered a message inside a bottle, which they instantly regretted opening out of curiosity.
Aussie couple Crystal and Rick shared the video of their mishap to TikTok, which quickly went viral as they reassured viewers that it was a 'total accident'.
They said: "We’ve seen a bottle here, washed up. Looks like it’s got a message in it.”
Rick, in his desperation to retrieve the note from inside the bottle, quickly discards of the sandy looking contents onto the beach before passing the note to his partner Crystal.
She quickly reveals that the inside of the bottle was in fact not sand but some ashes. Belonging to a man called Geoff no less. Hence the video's caption which reads: "Oops sorry Geoff."
To be fair, I can think of worse places to end up than on a sunny Australian beach, but the letter states: “If found please throw bottle into outgoing tide so I can continue my journey.”
One user wrote in the comments: “Looks like his journey has ended twice.”
As another joked: “Well anyways welcome to Australia Geoff.”
Others pointed out: “Ohh noo!! The extra little shakes to make sure he’s all out too.”
Geoff clearly loved the sea and wanted his ashes to go travelling after he departed, so hopefully he was able to sail the seas for a while before being found.
At least he will stay close by, unless there's ever a gust of wind, in which case he might end up back in the ocean, or in some poor kid's ice cream. Sorry Geoff.
James Moorhouse