It is well known in some regions that, each season, during the summer months when the snails are at their most abundant, a Golden Snail will come forth and move across the land as all snails will. And it is well known that each year, there are a good number of honest people in every region who will search, diligently, for the Golden Snail. Their hopes and dreams of a future in which the riches that the finding of the Golden Snail would bring, are filled with comfort and repose.
It is also well known that a strong time to search for the Golden Snail is after sunset or just before sunrise. This is because the Golden Snail was known to emit an unearthly glow, which could only be seen as night was arriving and also because snails are most active in the hours of darkness, spending the daylight hours hiding under forest debris, in cracks of trees and generally in places where it was hard to find them.
Now it so happened that in a small town, not far from here, each year, the Golden Snail was being found by the same gentleman, the Bailiff of the small town. Now this man, already rich by the buying and selling of small holdings when the crops had failed, had no need of the riches that might be gained by the sale of the Golden Sale, or so he maintained. As this was the case, he chose to display the Golden Snails that he found in the town hall, behind the seat of the Bailiff, for all to see.
Each year the local people went out to search for the Golden Snail in the time of their abundance and each year it was the same Bailiff who announced that it was he who, yet again, had been triumphant in his search, and had found this year’s Golden Snail.
Now the poor people of the region, to whom the finding of the Snail had great meaning, became restive and disappointed by this annual turn of events. Each year they set out in numbers to search for the Snail, hoping beyond hope that this year would be the one in which the Golden Snail would lift them out of poverty and despair, and each year their hopes were dashed. Some amongst them had taken to stalking the Bailiff in the search, trailing him through the darkening forest, straining their eyes to catch the faintest glimmer that would lead them to their prize, but so far to no avail.
During the Festival of the Golden Snail, a large effigy of the Golden Snail was paraded around the town on a special platform, held aloft on the shoulders of four men, it consisted of a carved and painted wooden pallet, draped in embroidered cloth with two long poles, one on either side, which rested on the shoulders of the men, this was called a Pasos. It was considered an honour to carry the Pasos of the Golden Snail and each year the members of the Brotherhood of the Snail would vie for the privilege of carrying the Pasos. The Brotherhood of the Snail was an organisation consisting of those families that had, in the past, been Finders of the Golden Snail and their descendants. This year, the Bailiff decided that, as he was the Finder of the most Snails, he would show his Golden Snails on the pasos, surrounding the effigy.
The procession started at the town hall, where the Bailiff’s Snails were placed, reverently, upon the Pasos. Then the procession would wind its way around the town, passing as many of the houses of the Brotherhood as possible, ending up in the town square in front of the meeting hall. At this point it was custom that the Snails were made to dance. It was thought that this represented the journey of the Golden Snail through the woods, this dance would end with a great sounded roar from the crowd, which did show the Finding of the Snail.
But this year a terrible thing happened, as the Snail seemed to dance and the following roar was made, one of the supporting Brothers slipped, twisting his ankle and dropping his pole of the Pasos. There was a moment in which the scene seemed to stop in time as the platform slowly tipped to side, but then the platform passed the point of no return and the Golden Snails were pitched unceremoniously into the dust. Of course, the Brothers of the Snail who had been surrounding the Pasos soon picked up the fallen Snails and set right the Pasos with four fresh Brothers holding the poles but, on counting the Bailiff’s snails it was found that one was missing.
The crowd was told to disperse, and the atmosphere turned from one of festival to one of misery, a search was instigated now that the square was cleared, and the ground was searched with care. Nothing was found, the lost Snail was gone, someone in the crowd, not of the Brotherhood, had spirited the Snail away.
The Bailiff appealed to the people in the town and promised much reward for the return of the Snail or information leading to its return but after a week in which no one came forward, he knew that the Snail was gone. Seeing his desperation, one of the Brotherhood suggested that he go to the Guardians of the Cave who were known to be clever and quick at solving problems, so this was decided upon.
The Guardian, who was called Davide Sandor, arrived on a horse and cart with his travelling gear. He was busy finding the house of the Bailiff which he lieve was the grandest house in the town. The Bailiff made him welcome and took him to eat and drink well before they talked of the Golden Snail and its finding. Davide Sandor told the Bailiff that the Guardians were not usually tasked with solving crimes where the constables of the region should be called to bear, he continued by saying that this issue was not in the common purview of the Guardians. But the Bailiff said that he was loath to call the constables as they were not interested in the Golden Snail and would be paid handsomely, otherwise they would not come.
Davide Sandor was not happy to spend time on this as it had no bearing on the troubles of the people of the town, but he agreed to spend a small time finding any answers that the Mayor would be pleased. He agreed to bide a day until it was clear that he was not in possession of some news. Directly he went to the inn wherein all news was quickly come and dwelt some time with some conversations there. The inn keeper told that it was known that a poor man had the lost Snail but that when it was seen clearly the Snail was not made of Gold but a plain snail that had been painted to seem golden. The inn keeper was telling Davide Sandor that the people in the town, most the poor people, were sore angered and ashamed that the respected Bailiff of the town was not true and shewed himself to be a miscreant.
Now, The Guardian of the Cave, Davide Sandor was pleased by this as it now seemed that he may be of some assistance to help the poor people of this place. He returned to the Bailiff and begged him to stay one night until he could leave soon. The Bailiff made him welcome and gave him good bedding for the night, while in secret The Guardian was sure to make a plan that night which would undo the falsehoods of the Bailiff and balance the game such that the towns people could find the Golden Snail as anyone.
Early in the morn, after had broken his fast, Davide went out to the wood and found a Snail Shell like unto the ones of the Bailiff owned there with. He shewed it to the Bailiff and said to him, ‘I have found the Lost Snail, but I am affeered that all the paint has come away and it is Golden no more.’
The Bailiff was sore amazed at this event and replied, ‘How is it known that the Snails are painted and not fashioned of real Gold?’
‘It is well known, now, that you have deceived the people here, they are not pleased by this and I suggest that you should take great care in passing amongst them each day.’
Then was the bailiff much frightened and he made a quick gathering of all his gold and silver goods and within that day he was gone out of that place by palfrey and trap and was not seen more in that land.
When it was known that The Bailiff was away, the people of the town decide to give the lands that he had owned and not put under the plough, to the people who were in the most need that they should feed themselves and their children and so more harmony was brought to that place.
The Brotherhood of the Snail withered away as there was some shame in having been a supporter of the errant Bailiff and it was understood that the Golden Snail was a thing of story and legend. The towns folk wanted to retain the Festival of the Snail and it became the custom that there should be a great search for snails that could be eaten at that time and then a great feast of Snails ensued where much garlic and butter was applied, with a procession, music and dancing as well. All this being true, it was still common to see, at the propitious time of the year, figures moving through the woods at dusk, casting their view this way and that, hoping that an unearthly glow would catch the side of their eye and bring them to the Golden Snail.
The Guardians of the Cave 