Pyat and the Mysterious Urn

Feeling the need to clear some cobwebs from my mind and spirit, I decided to take a walk in a spot as close to nature as I could find.

In warmer weather, I take jaunts to a private little bank on the Humber River near my office, accessible only by a perilous journey through a hydro tower corridor. However, the corridor, which I can see from my office window, is partially flooded.

So, I fired up Google maps to search for nearby green space. I rather sheepishly noticed that the Humber Arboretum, nature trail, and serenity gardens are about 1 km from my office, concealed from the main road by the campus of Humber College. I’ve been working here three years, and never noticed.

Parking was free, and the arboretum almost empty. I wandered off the trail in the woods. I talked to some friendly ducks, and listened to a woodpecker. Some of the trees were tapped for the collection of sap, which was flowing copiously. Now, sap collected in this fashion is quite watery, and a tiny bit sweet, with an oddly earthy taste.

So, I put my cupped palm under the spout and had a few drinks of Ent-Draught.

Later, I walked along the river bank, well off the path. As I walked, I spotted a red clay pot or urn at the edge of the river. It was lodged in some dry grass. I stepped over to examine it. It was fired, but not glazed, and painted red with yellow flowers. The lid was held on tightly with greenish duct tape. It was very heavy, and when I shook it, it sloshed. Something knocked inside.

Now, at this point I was unsure of what to do. I had some half-formed idea that the pot had some kind of ritual significance, and had been dropped in the river for a purpose. I wondered, even, if it might be some kind of funerary urn.

So, I opened it.

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