KENTGROVE

2005

The five-year old Dusty Rein is playing with a ball in the playground that was in front of his house. His grandfather was with him. He was once a famous archaeologist but now is a retired man who is enjoying the good weather with his only grandson.

-Come on, Dusty- Rein, fetch the ball! It is over there!-pointed the grandfather the exact location of the small ball to his grandson.

-Grandpa, don’t kick the ball too far! I am still little and can’t bring it back so swiftly.

-I’m sorry, Dusty-Rein. I promise I won’t kick it too far the next time.

-I got tired, grandpa. How about you to help me build a sand fortress.

-I got a bit tired, too! I am 85 years old and can’t play like I used to. Only if you knew. At the university, which was a billion years ago, I was playing soccer and my team admired my skills with the ball. Those were unforgettable times.

Dusty-Rein’s grandfather sank for a several moments in a reverie but when the hand of the 5 year old child pulled his sweater to kneel down on the sand and take the plastic red bucket with the sand, Mortimer-this is the grandfather’s name, came back to the reality and helped his grandchild to build an unconquered fortress.

-Who’s gonna be in the fortress, Dusty- Rein?

-A princess. A princess who needs help. And there will be a flying dragon around the fortress that will spit fire and that way will protect the princess from the vile invaders.

-What an imagination you have, little boy! Good for you! I have such a clever little grandchild.

-Now, grandpa, I would like to ask you something?

-Ask me anything!

-How exactly did you discover that ancient basilica in France? You never told me that story, you know!

-It is a long story, Dusty-Rein. It was so many years ago. Your dad was a child when I made that important for my discovery. Well, he was a little bit older than you.

-How old was he?

-I think he was about 10.

-And what was the story about? Come on, tell me!

-Alright. But while I talk, you need to finish the fortress, ok?

-Deal!-said Dusty-Rein, full of expectations to hear the story.

Mortimer began talking:

-The Institute of Archaeology I was working for sent me to Europe, in a city in southern France, now I don’t remeber it’s name, and when I got there, a local guide who I believe was a historian told me that he heard a story from old citizens from this area, that there were underground basilica from 4th century but no one knew where it was exactly.

Dusty-Rein decided to interrupt his grandfather:

-If no one knew where it was, how did you find it, grandpa? Simply by luck?

-This is the most interesting part, Dusty-Rein, just let me finish.

-OK.-replied the 5 year old boy who carefully formed from the sand the left tower of the fortress. The boy was very handy for his age. The grandfather continued with the story:

-The same day when I landed in this new for me place, I couldn’t find anything. I was bringing my archaeologist’s instruments with me and made shallow diggings here and there but the sun was already setting, so I found myself a guest-house and told the French guide I will continue with the research tomorrow. Something happened when I felt asleep. Something very odd. I started to see pictures of farm animals who drink water from a rectangular fountain, built in the outskirts of the city and then a large white dove perched on my shoulder and spoke to me:

‘’It’s here.’’

Then I woke up utterly shocked and amazed by this dream. It was not exactly a dream but something like a vision. A vision for me what to do and where to start from.

-So, the next day you tried to find that large fountain?-asked curiously Dusty-Rein.

-That’s what I did. I met the French guide and asked him if there is a large rectangular fountain for animals nearby. He thought a little and told me that in about 2 kilometers from here , there is a large dry fountain which no one uses anymore. Decades ago, when there was still a running water, local people used to wash carpets and clothes there and also gave from this water to their domestic animals. But that was in the past. Now the fountain is almost forgotten. I asked the man to take me there. I had an intuition that if I start digging there , I may find something. I just knew it. What appeared in my mind last night was not a coincidence.

-It’s so interesting, grandpa! Please, continue the story. I wanna hear the end of it.

-OK.OK. You brought me so back in time with my biggest discovery. Somehow I feel rejuvenated.

-There was no metal-seeker back in the day, so I had to do all the work by myself. I had a special pickaxe only archaeologists use and began disrupting the soil in several places around the dried-up fountain. I did 20 meters in depth-nothing. Then I began to lose hope I can find something valuable. There was a Chinese fig-tree around and I sat under it to have a rest. I was digging for hours. The sun was burning bright. Now I wonder how I managed to complete my work in this place. While I was having a rest under that tree, a fig fall from it and smeared my trousers. I became irritated, woke up and tried to clean myself up and when I looked down I saw an X, carved-out in the ground under that tree. I was sitting on the X sign without noticing it and then I put 2 and 2 together and realized I should dig exactly where the sun was.

-Wow!-exclaimed Dusty-Rein, listening to his grandpa enraptured.

-I digged and digged and digged deeper than all other holes I made before that. Digged and digged, my whole body was in it and I continued to dig. When I hit once again with the pickaxe, the steeled edge touched something which was not a soil. It was a stone.

-A stone?

-Yes, a stone. Then I removed the covered soil around with my brushes and saw another stone next to it.

-Eureka! Here it is! Here is the basilica!-yelled I and got myself out of the hole. Then I went to the city and told everything to the French guide. He gathered some people from the regional museum and they all saw the stoney roof of the ancient basilica I had just discovered. The next day, a TV crew from the National French Television came and interviewed me. I didn’t know the language, so an interpreter had to help me. I will never forget that day. It seems to me like it was yeterday. When I flew back home, they promoted me and gave me a bigger salary, also a medal for extraordinary achievements.

-Grandpa, you were something like the boss of archaeology. I wanna be like you. I also want to become an archaeologist when I grow up. And to discover unknown, cool things.

-My boy, it is not that easy. You have to study a lot to become a good discoverer. And don’t think my job was so adventurous like in Indiana Jones’ movies. No. I also had a bit of a luck.

-You’ll see, grandpa, one day I will become a famous archaeologist. I promise you!!-siad firmly Dusty-Rein and hugged him.

The sand fortress was completely ready. The little boy was so proud of his creation.

-Now, let’s get inside.-insisted Mortimer.

-Mom and dad will be coming back from work very, very soon.

-I will show mom what we built in the sandpit.

-And I will tell her to make you an apricot puree for dessert because you are a good boy and the best grandson I could ever want.

Dusty-Rein smiled and took his grandfather’s hand.