Mystery
Last night I went to a concert at a church in Camberwell to listen to 16th century choral works by Byrd, Morley and Weelkes to name a few.
*ignores puzzled faces*
One of the performers was my dear Papa and before the show, he discovered something very odd.
Under a park bench in the quiet, manicured gardens of the basilica, sitting side by side, he found two gold rings. One a plain gold band with an engraving on the inside, the other more ornate and filigreed. They looked very much like the wedding rings of a single couple.
Pondering the strangeness of the find, Dad picked them up to examine them further and it became even stranger: the engraving on the man's ring was marked with the date of my Father's first birthday.
...
Why were they there?
The engraved date speaks of a wedding during the Second World War, maybe a romance blossoming during time on leave, or convalescence. In Australia or Europe, Africa or the Americas there is no indication. Perhaps the bands of a couple escaping the horrors of war, or the mark of a more mundane, but still 60 year-long relationship.
Possibly they are the rings of two lovers never able to speak or openly recognise their love - a lifetime of regret and sadness laid out on sacred ground.
Maybe death has finally caught the ring bearers and the gesture is that of a relative gently setting them free. Or perhaps it is the mark of a divorce, the breakdown of a family, the end of a lifetime's era.
I have no true idea as to why those rings were there, but the possibilities are endless and most likely tinged with sadness. I hope the owners of them approve and that the rings find their way into hands that will care for them.
*ignores puzzled faces*
One of the performers was my dear Papa and before the show, he discovered something very odd.
Under a park bench in the quiet, manicured gardens of the basilica, sitting side by side, he found two gold rings. One a plain gold band with an engraving on the inside, the other more ornate and filigreed. They looked very much like the wedding rings of a single couple.
Pondering the strangeness of the find, Dad picked them up to examine them further and it became even stranger: the engraving on the man's ring was marked with the date of my Father's first birthday.
...
Why were they there?
The engraved date speaks of a wedding during the Second World War, maybe a romance blossoming during time on leave, or convalescence. In Australia or Europe, Africa or the Americas there is no indication. Perhaps the bands of a couple escaping the horrors of war, or the mark of a more mundane, but still 60 year-long relationship.
Possibly they are the rings of two lovers never able to speak or openly recognise their love - a lifetime of regret and sadness laid out on sacred ground.
Maybe death has finally caught the ring bearers and the gesture is that of a relative gently setting them free. Or perhaps it is the mark of a divorce, the breakdown of a family, the end of a lifetime's era.
I have no true idea as to why those rings were there, but the possibilities are endless and most likely tinged with sadness. I hope the owners of them approve and that the rings find their way into hands that will care for them.
What a bittersweet little tale.
ReplyDeleteWHAT did he do with them?
It was a bit of a quandry, but in the end he picked them up and called the parish the next day to let them know he'd found them and that if anyone asked they should contact him.
ReplyDeleteI guess that was the right thing to do...
That story gave me shivers. I love those moments that are random and magical in their randomness.
ReplyDelete