Finders weepers

Suryakumari Dennison tells you the story of a ring that was more than an ornament.

Malini pounced on the glittering object and slipped it quietly into her pocket. She dared not flaunt it on her finger because it was not hers to flaunt. The ring belonged to Sarika, who had been miserable ever since she had missed it that morning.

It was a beautiful ring, set with stones of different colours. Sarika’s uncle had bought it for his niece in Egypt. “The old woman who sold it to me said it was a magic ring,” he had told her. Jewellery was strictly forbidden at school, but Sarika had wanted to show the ring to her classmates. It must have fallen off when she had tugged at it hastily to evade a teacher’s watchful eye.

“Finders keepers, losers weepers,” muttered Malini, as she took out the ring to admire it, in the privacy of her room. To her astonishment, it was completely different from the one she had picked up. The ring lacked sparkle and had a flat round surface. The colours remained, but those now formed the blue eyes, purple nose and crimson lips of a yellow expressionless face.

After all, it is a remarkable ring, thought Malini, when she had got over the initial shock. This was just the beginning of the wondrous things it would do. Malini settled down to her homework, confident that whatever she found difficult would swiftly fall into place under the ring’s enchanted influence. To Malini’s dismay, however, everything seemed complicated.

Gazing appealingly at the ring for guidance, Malini was startled to see that its face was no longer a lifeless mask. The eyes were looking at her sternly. Confused and upset, Malini tried her math problems again, but she could get nothing right. She decided that she had better give up on her homework that evening. She would set her alarm for 5 the next morning, and tackle it before breakfast.

As Malini retired for the night, she placed the ring beneath her pillow, hoping it would give her rest at the end of an eventful day. Unfortunately, sleep eluded her. She had a frightening dream in which the ring grew enormous, and loomed alarmingly over her. The eyes stared at her with angry contempt, and the large red lips proclaimed her a dishonest girl. Malini tossed and turned in bed, and when she finally drifted into an uneasy slumber, she slept through the shrill alarm.

“Malini, wake up,” called her mother. “It’s past 7, and you’ll be late for school.”

“I can’t go to school, Mummy,” said Malini. “I haven’t done my homework.”

Malini’s mother was amazed. Never had her daughter not done her homework. She always finished it as soon as she got back from school. “What’s wrong, dear?” she asked, and Malini poured her heart out.

“I found Sarika’s ring,” she began, “and the stones became a face and the eyes were scornful and the lips called me a thief and my sums were wrong and I...” Malini broke off as she burst into tears.

Her mother gave her a hug. “Let me see the ring, Malini,” she said. Malini brought it out from under her pillow. “I see no face,” said Malini’s mother, and Malini was astounded to see that the ring was just as it had originally been, with shining stones of varied hues.

“I don’t understand,” said Malini, bewildered. “It had a face yesterday.”

“Malini,” said her mother gently, “there is nothing extraordinary about all this. You stole from your friend and thought you’d be happy. Deep down, however, you regretted your action. It was not the ring accusing you of what you had done, but your own guilt and remorse. If anything magical was at work, it was your conscience. It told you that you were wrong, and it is now urging you to set things right.”

“Yes, Mummy,” said Malini readily. “I must return the ring at once and ask Sarika to forgive me.”

“That’s my good girl!” said Malini’s mother. “You’ll feel a lot better once you’ve done that.”

“I already do, Mummy,” said Malini, “but I still believe the ring is special.”
Later that day, as Malini handed over the ring to Sarika, she was not greatly surprised to see that the ring had changed once more. To her delight, friendly eyes beamed at her approvingly, as smiling lips echoed her mother’s words...“Good girl!”