The Sailor’s Stone tells the tale of Canadian engineer, Conrad Williamson, who travels back to his ancestral homeland following receipt of a document from a firm of London-based solicitors. No more than a scrap of paper, it contains sketches of a mechanical device. Complicated, but unfortunately, distressed. A few words endeavour to explain the workings, but all are indecipherable with the exception of a date and what could possibly be “lock and key”. Worn and stained, for all the world it looks like a page torn from one of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks. The official letter accompanying the fragile piece enveloped in a museum-quality preservative sleeve, offers an apology for the late delivery of the material which had turned up by surprise when the firm relocated to new premises. Somehow, it had been misplaced the previous time the solicitors had moved home. The document appears to have been signed by someone called Beaumont and is dated 15th October 1786.
Hoax! The first thing that came to Conrad’s mind as he opened the package. But that idea was quickly dispelled. Hoaxes don’t arrive by courier and a quick search confirmed the credentials of the law firm and the name of the partner who signed the letter. Curiosity got the better of him; that weekend he had an extended phone call with his mother back in Ottawa who was concerned what he was about to do with himself now that his contract was running down in Vancouver. After he explained the letter he had received, she said “You need to talk to great aunt Ada. She’s 92. We won’t have for her long, so you’d better be getting on with it.” Conrad, who had no idea who great aunt Ada is, asked of her whereabouts. “Liverpool,” his mother blurted, as if that were the most natural thing in the world, as if he ought to have known and why was he asking such a question. She put the phone down on him.
Exactly 30 days later, with a suitcase containing the entirety of his possessions and a one-way ticket to London, Conrad arrives at Vancouver airport, the first ever Williamson to travel back to the ‘old country.’ No one ever talked about their family history when he was growing up, perhaps he should have asked. He just wasn’t that curious. He’s curious now.