Tales & Treasure

Vidmar - A Stroke of Luck

"Why did I take this job?" Vidmar said, wading waist-high in sewage on the outskirts of Basswood.

The smooth, slimy floor of the man-made pond slid underneath his bare feet as he shuffled along, searching for a ring he knew he would never find. The clothespin pinching his nose shut hardly helped contain the acrid stench of urine and fecal matter, but it was better than nothing. Yesterday, he didn't bring anything to cover his nose and nearly passed out before he even stepped into the thick, green-brown water. Today, he arrived prepared and continued his course, systematically shuffling back and forth to cover every inch of the small pond. He rounded the corner on his third pass when he kicked something hard.

"Please," Vidmar said, bending down.

He carefully lowered himself deeper into the water, stretching his neck like a turtle coming up for air as he searched the floor with his hand. The thick slime made it nearly impossible to grab the object. Finally, after several unsuccessful attempts and a great deal of cursing, Vidmar brought his prize to the surface. A smooth, ultra-common, not-at-all-rare rock. He screamed. Birds scattered out of a nearby pine tree, and he threw the stone at them, but as he threw, he lost his footing on the pond floor and fell backward into the waste.

He scrambled to get out, gasping for air as he resurfaced. After he regained his breath, he yelled again. Waste dripped from his nose into his open mouth. He spat before slamming his fist into the water, splashing slimy liquid high into the air. He dropped to his knees. His right knee landed on something sharp. Pain reverberated through his thigh into his hip, but he didn't dare move. "Please, please, please." He said as he bent down to search again.

This time, he emerged holding a silver ring with a large topaz stone. "Fucking Darkness. I found it."

Vidmar laughed as he slid his feet timidly along the pond floor, careful not to fall into the waste and lose his prize. He waded to the shore where his clothes sat and placed the ring next to his leather jacket. His pack lay open on its side, with a few of his limited possessions spilling out near the edge of the pond. A small stone with intricate gold markings teetered on the edge. That was too close. Vidmar could feel his heart in his throat. He put the stone in the bag, pushed it further away from the pond, took several steps sideways, and pulled himself out of the water. He did not want any of the waste getting onto his only set of clothes, so he laid on the shore, naked and exhausted.

Ember's home was a short walk from the pond, just far enough that the smell only reached her home when the wind was blowing southwest, which, fortunately for Ember, rarely happened in Basswood.

She sat on a rocking chair on her porch, knitting what looked like socks or a small hat. "Oh my," she said as she saw Vidmar approach. "Oh my, you look horrible, oh, and you smell even worse." She had a glum expression on her face. Yesterday, she hugged him despite the mess, hoping that he had her ring. Vidmar had thought about her look of disappointment all night. It was the only reason he was back today. I would have made it much farther in this world if it wasn't for my damned conscience.

Vidmar rolled his eyes. The waste still dripped from his hair onto his shoulders, leaving faint streaks as the liquid cascaded down the length of his torso. He was naked but covered himself by carrying his clothes in front of him, the clothespin still attached to his nose. "It's like I went diving in a pond for of shit for some old women's ring," Vidmar said, wiping sewage off his shoulder.

"Did you find it?" Ember said eagerly.

"I'm back at your house, midday, covered in shit because I didn't find it," Vidmar said, tossing the ring towards Ember.

She jumped up in nervous excitement, dropping her carefully knitted garment. The ring bounced off her palms and ricocheted towards her feet. "Are you trying to lose it again? This ring is more valuable than your life," she said as she picked the ring up off the ground.