The Lost Ring of Porthcurno Bay

Hi everyone!

I'm so excited to share my very first story here on Vocal. This one comes straight from the heart.

If you enjoyed it—or even if you didn’t—I’d truly love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Your feedback means the world to me as I start this writing journey.

Thanks for reading,

Sullivan

Finding herself back in Cornwall was a surprise to Julie. She’d vowed never to return after that first disastrous holiday here. To be fair, their family holiday ten years ago had been fun: the vast beaches at St Ives, the surfing at Newquay, the stunning fishing villages of Mousehole and Mevagissey and the hidden coves they’d revelled in finding around Porthcurno Bay.

That’s what had caused the problem though. Julie couldn’t fathom why Adam wanted to go back. As Julie looked through her flower shop orders for the coming week, she rubbed at the back of her left hand where her wedding band shone. It sat alone on her finger, because ten years ago she’d lost her engagement ring somewhere in Cornwall.

“It’ll be different this time, you’ll see.” Adam was enthusiastic that his bribery of a boutique couples’ hotel would enthuse Julie.

“I’m not sure we’ll find a lot to do. We’ve seen all the gardens, lots of the beaches, and there are shops here. I don’t need Cornwall.”

“We haven’t seen it all, Julie! We had the kids with us last time, remember? All of our activities were focussed on keeping them amused. And we haven’t seen all the gardens, not at all.” “I’ll give it a try,” Julie whispered. She had that sense of doom that came over her whenever a programme set in Cornwall came on the telly.

Whatever it was – drama, travel show, comedy – she’d switch channels as quickly as possible, heart thumping just like it had when she’d noticed her ring had gone.

She’d thought about her engagement ring many times over the years. She wondered if it wallowed deep in some drain at the cottage they’d rented, or if it had fallen off in a supermarket, or on the street.

Imagining it on someone else’s finger made her wince. When they’d been dating, Julie was still in horticultural college and Adam finishing up his engineering apprenticeship. All their early earnings had gone on the deposit for their tiny flat.

Somehow though, Adam squirrelled away money until the day he proposed in the local park.

Cherry blossom trees sent down pink confetti as Julie said, “Yes!”

On Julie’s small hands, the engagement ring looked dainty, and just right.

When Adam explained he’d had the original gold and central diamond from his grandma’s ring refashioned, adding the small diamonds into the new setting to resemble a flower, Julie had cried at his thoughtfulness.

A dainty daisy shape moulded in gold and diamonds. It suited her to perfection. It even seemed to foretell that one day she’d have her very own flower shop. Julie had been precious about the ring.

When she opened her own flower shop, she’d worn it under her fingerless gloves, relishing the feeling of knowing it was always with her. Arriving at the boutique hotel was a revelation to Julie.

They’d never been so extravagant with their holidays before but, with the teenage twins staying with their grandparents, Julie and Adam appreciated the opportunity to celebrate their anniversary as a couple.

A worry niggled at the back of Julie’s mind. She hoped Adam hadn’t planned anything secret.

She didn’t like surprises. Over the years, she’d been nervous that he might try to present her with a replacement engagement ring.

She told him many times, the ring could never be replaced, and not to even try. The last time she’d said this, Julie wished she could take the words back when she’d seen how hurt Adam looked, his dark hair falling over his blue eyes. The ring, with its connection to his grandma, was an emotional loss for him, too.

Adam worked his magic by listing the gardens they were going to visit, and Julie thought the short break might turn out ok after all.

She was so lucky to have a husband as thoughtful as Adam.

Adam was more inclined to favour a city break, or a visit to the theatre, so she wasn’t the least surprised when he’d said that, today, they were visiting a theatre at the edge of the world.

The approach had given nothing away, even when they’d made the walk down from the car park.

That first view of the Minack Theatre perched on a rocky outcrop at the edge of the sea made Julie gasp with delight.

They learned that Minack, from the Cornish “Meynek”, means a rocky place. For Julie, the biggest surprise was yet to come, for as they looked down to where the theatre had been carved from rock, there were sub-tropical gardens abundant with colour.

Meandering pathways and steps surrounded with glorious floral displays, led tantalisingly towards the terraced open-air theatre with an archway framing the sparkling turquoise sea and white fringed beaches of Porthcurno Bay and beyond.

It was impossible to explain how instantly uplifting it was. Winding their way down paths and steps, they explored the plants and the story about Rowena Cade and her gardener Billy Rawlings who carved and built this extraordinary place mostly by hand. Julie paused now and then to acknowledge a stunning piece of foliage or sniff a bright flower.

Pinks and lemons were scattered through with purples and the upper terraces strewn with contrasting layers of succulents in gold and red, purple and green.

Adam spotted something too. “Look, love, the flower beds have names on them. They’re named after people in Shakespeare plays!”

So, Adam, had managed to incorporate some of his favourite things into this day out too!

“Oh, they must be filming the performance later, I saw a film crew over there.” Julie called to Adam, who immediately whisked her in the opposite direction.

“Let’s take some photos from the stage. You’ll look good there with your dress, love.” Julie, for once, was inclined to believe him. She loved how the periwinkle blue picked out her eye colour, and the dress was cool in the summer heat.

The warm breeze from the sea beyond gently whipped her golden hair around her bare shoulders.

She’d worn little dangly silver starfish earrings she’d bought in the fishing village of Mevagissey and with her gladiator sandals, she felt smart but comfortable.

The moment Julie glanced through the stone arch though, her stomach plummeted. She looked over to the secluded coves where the tide rippled onto soft white sand, and she imagined her ring a thousand leagues under the sea. They’d visited those beaches with the children the year she’d lost her engagement ring.

When she turned back, she thought Adam was tying the laces of his trainers and the camera crew were setting up for later. Then, Adam reached for her hand.

“Julie, will you say yes all over again, please?” Adam held out his hand where something sparkly glinted in the sunshine. Julie felt unsteady on her feet. What was he doing?

“Julie, it’s the most amazing story! Please say yes, so I can get up?” Then he leaned towards her, saying in a stage whisper, “They’re filming us for a segment.

Please say yes, love – look!”

Julie looked closer, screwing her eyes against the glare of the summer sun.

It was a delicate golden ring with a floral setting in diamonds. Her heart quickened. It couldn’t be!

“It was found, Julie! It is definitely your ring – look!”

Adam held the ring out for her inspection, and there inside the band were the initials A & J, 2010 in a cursive engraving.

“Oh!” she gasped in disbelief.

“Do you think you could give me a hand, love, my knee isn’t what it used to be!” Adam laughed as he fell forward, taking Julie in his arms.

“Come sit down and hear all about it. It’s a miracle it was ever found. The news team want to tell the story!”

Adam said, energetically. Julie sat on the stone terraced seating, a cushion of springy grass beneath her, and twisted the ring on her left hand, getting used to the comfort of it.

It still fitted her finger perfectly.

Julie was amazed to discover that Adam had hooked up years ago via email with a local metal detectorist team who regularly went out on weekends to seek treasure.

Having given them note of all the places they’d visited on their Cornwall family holiday, Adam hoped against hope that the ring would turn up one day.

Of all the places Adam had imagined the ring might be, he never thought it would turn up where it did.

It hadn’t been the detectorists who’d found it.

Megan was interviewed alongside them, the film crew jovial.

“The last thing I expected walking my dog was to find a diamond ring!” Megan laughed heartily.

A dinner-lady in a local school, Megan had been out on a regular dog walk to the sea when she’d found something surprising on the approach path to the beach.

Hundreds of feet had likely walked that route over the years and the ring had been pressed and buried, deep in earth and grass, until uncovered perhaps by a large rainfall and uprooted by Megan spaniel, Dizzy.

“It looks a lot cleaner today!” Megan laughed.

“That’s a wrap!” the young reporter smiled.

“That’s a yes!” Julie called out, throwing her arms around Adam.

“I can’t believe you had metal detectorists looking for this for years and it was found by Megan and Dizzy!”

It hadn’t taken long for word of Megan’s exciting find to reach Terry, the main detectorist, and together with the inscription, it had made identification easy.

We found it! Well, Megan found it! the email had said.

With their anniversary on the horizon, Adam had wasted no time planning the last-minute secret getaway whilst Alan spoke to the local press.

Julie smiled as Dizzy, the clever young dog, clambered to be patted and was then led away to have his photo taken under the theatre’s arch. The hero of the story.

Julie’s cheeks were rosy with joy, as she looked into the blue eyes of her husband, the same eyes that had looked earnestly into hers as he’d popped the question in the local park in their youth all those years back.

“What a day! What a holiday!” Julie beamed.

“It’s not over yet.” Adam said, “We’ve got complimentary tickets for the evening theatre performance. It’s an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s short story ‘The Jewel Robbery’ at the Grand Metropolitan.

“Oh, we shouldn’t tempt fate!” Julie cried, “My ring! I’ll have to sit on my hand all evening to be sure it stays put.” Adam took hold of her hand.

“Well, your ring was never stolen, it just went on an extended holiday in Cornwall! Even so, maybe I should hold on to you all night.”

The couple were oblivious to the crowd that filed in behind them, settling in for an evening of drama to the backdrop of the sparkling Cornish sea at Porthcurno Bay.

The couple’s own drama had played out perfectly.

When the two came together to kiss, Julie’s hand on Adam’s shoulder, diamonds sparkling, it was the perfect moment after a 15-year search came to a successful fruition.