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The Jewel of Jawhara · Stories from Väruld

• 0:02
  Presenter: You are listening to stories from Väruld.
• 0:06
  Presenter: In this episode, the Jewel of Jawhara.
• 0:23
  Presenter: There are jewels whose value can be measured in gold.
• 1:22
  Voice from Malmber: Put the lamp closer. Closer, I said. These letters were written with berry ink. Too much light and they fade. Too little and you start inventing words that were never there. There. Do you see the name?
• 5:11
  Voice from Hetelika: Entrusted? ENTRUSTED?! Is that what they call it?
• 8:18
  Voice from Deris: Put that map away! I know where the reefs are. That line there? Wrong. That reef is farther south. Follow your map and you'll tear the belly out of the boat before you see the shore, that's for sure. You're here for the jewel, aren’t you? No need to deny it, gal. People who come for fish bring baskets. People who come for family bring gifts. People who come with maps and clean boots are always looking for the Jewel of Jawhara. Hetelika sent soldiers once. Malmber sent men who claimed they were scholars. Scholars with shovels, and enough rope to lower themselves into every crack on the island. They found nothing. Would you like to know why? Because they were looking for a ruby. The woman who came to Asead did carry something. That much is true. My mother’s mother told the story, and she heard it from hers. The stranger arrived half-dead in a fishing boat. Young, perhaps, though fear makes age difficult to judge. She had blood on her dress and would not let anyone touch her. By morning, the stranger was gone. Some say she left on another boat. Some say she died and was buried without a marker. You will find people here who swear both stories are true. The island keeper said she had spoken to him, never said what about. When he was dying, his daughter asked him about the jewel. He laughed, they say. He laughed and said, “They will search forever, because they all believe she brought what they wanted.” Perhaps there WAS a ruby. Perhaps the girl carried a message, a royal seal or the name of someone Hetelika wanted forgotten. Or perhaps she threw, or dropped, the stone into the sea before she ever stepped ashore. Look behind you, gal Do you see how the setting sun enters the water? All that red beneath the waves? On some evenings, strangers point at it and think they have seen the jewel shining on the seabed. I can assure you they do. We let them think it. It brings visitors.
• 10:57
  Presenter: Three lands...
• 12:06
  Voice from Hetelika: Thank you for listening to Stories from Väruld. In the next episode, The Aburrido Flute.