Zoom! An electric boat sped by 316 feet beneath me. Awoken by the distant humming, I was just in time to see a beautiful, fiery sunrise. The colors blended like my favorite pyracantha berries that only come out in the fall.
Suddenly, a golden glint from the Thames River shore caught my eye. Countless years of mudlarking had taught me to be wary of the water’s thieving grasp, so I quickly seized the opportunity to grab the precious Shiny from the receding water. Back atop the Big Tower, I examined my newfound treasure. The gold ring was heavily encrusted with mud. All that could be seen was a speck of red, a hint of gold, and the indentation of VI. What did these letters mean? Hmm…
The city spun beneath me as I circled overhead, looking for food and glancing at the large moving screens from time to time. They constantly flashed colorful images, popping up and disappearing at the flap of a wing. These were nothing new, but they could display interesting information if you watched long enough. A large wall twisted and turned on the screen, with the words, “Hadrian Wall,” displayed at the top.
Continuing my daily perusing of town, I noticed that a small crowd had gathered around the London Mithraeum Bloomburg SPACE, all clutching identical pamphlets in their hands. Curious, I positioned myself closer to examine the paper. The front cover had a picture of a gold ring with a brick-red stone center. On the golden band was inscribed “VI VICTRIX.” Apparently, it was likely worn by a centurion in the Legion Six to symbolize their status in the Roman Army. The person holding the paper turned the page, revealing another picture, this one depicting a wall. It was the same wall that I had seen from earlier today! As if to prove my point, the man moved his finger to underline the words, “Hadrian Wall.” According to the article, the wall was built by the Roman Army in England to mark the boundary of the Roman Empire. Three legions were mainly responsible for constructing the wall, one of which was the Sixth Legion.
“Shoo, you stinkin’ magpie!” I looked up as a man angrily waved his hands at me.
That night, a nagging thought woke me from sleep. Back over at the River Thames, with a side-to-side motion, I placed the ring into the water and washed off the caked-up dirt and debris. I gasped in amazement, for underneath the full moon, I beheld “LEGION VI VICTRIX” etched on the gold band surrounding a brick-red stone. I had done it again! I, Jasper the Magnificent, had acquired yet another hidden treasure, this time a ring from Ancient Rome. Indeed, the saying must be true.
“All discoveries start with the curiosity of a magpie.”
Written by Natalya Bender
