He was desperately searching for the most important object in his life, disregarding everything else, fighting with all his might.
His fingertips began to feel a burning sensation, the pain was tearing, but he was oblivious until Ms. Protich spoke up.
“Mr. Burns, your hand is bleeding.”
Oh, it was bleeding… But that didn’t matter. It’s just bleeding, it won’t kill him. It’s just an external injury; it will heal with time. Finding the ring was more important. Yes, he had to find his ring.
Where is my ring? My ring… My ring… I lost my ring… It was my ring… The ring I gave to Winifred Dawson, the ring Winifred Dawson wore…
Blood stained the stones on the ground as he searched frantically, as if he would destroy his hands to find it.
At this moment, Leland Burns was extremely vulnerable. Even Ms. Protich could easily knock him down.
Ms. Protich knew she couldn’t persuade him. She could only quietly accompany Leland Burns in finding that ring.
She knew that if they didn’t find the ring, Leland Burns would not be satisfied; he wouldn’t give up.
To him, that ring seemed to carry Winifred Dawson’s life. Losing the ring meant he wouldn’t even have a keepsake to remember her by.
So, he would definitely find that ring, even if it came at a cost.
Ms. Protich watched Leland Burns search desperately like a child who had suddenly lost a hard-earned toy, crying and searching without giving up.
Ms. Protich also quieted down and helped him search in the rain.
Leland Burns’ actions went from frantic to calm. He carefully examined each stone, pulled out the weeds, and missed no corner. His bloodshot eyes scanned everything around him intently.
Rain drenched Leland Burns’ face; at this moment, he was both fragile and beautiful.
Garrison Reeves said that Leland Burns would never understand love or being loved in his lifetime.
Ms. Protich wanted to refute this. How could someone like Leland Burns not understand?
He wiped his face; the blood and dirt quickly washed away by the rain. He looked like an angel fallen to earth, gradually turning into a demon with a face full of despair, like a plum blossom blooming proudly in the snow, displaying stunning beauty.
However, he was destined not to be a demon and couldn’t fulfill his desires.
He knelt on the ground searching for a long time with devotion, hoping for a miracle. Even from a distance, Ms. Protich could hear his heavy breathing mixed with the sound of rain.
His body began to tremble; it was unclear whether from pain or cold or fear…
In “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” there’s a line: many things are discovered to be insignificant when you look back on them. The past is all false; memory is a road of no return.
But Leland Burns couldn’t let go of the past; he couldn’t forget it. That’s why he lingered alone in pain.
Tears as big as beans rolled down from his eyes and silently mingled with the rainwater. Leland Burns tasted the salty bitterness in his mouth; he thought it was tears but spat out blood when he opened his mouth to breathe.
It was Ms. Protich’s first time seeing Leland Burns cough up blood; it was terrifying.
His body could no longer bear the weight; his right hand clutched at his heart as he curled up in pain, bending over like a pangolin protecting itself from danger, blood gushing from his slightly open mouth.
“Mr. Burns!” Ms. Protich exclaimed anxiously as she rushed over to check on him. “Are you alright? Let me help you inside; I’ll call a doctor.”
She was at a loss for what to do; her eyes were almost red with worry. “Should I call an ambulance? Or should I call Mr. James first…? How did you suddenly cough up so much blood? What should I do…?” She really feared that Leland Burns might die on such a rainy day.
Leland Burns clenched a sharp stone tightly in his hand, piercing his palm. Even now, he still muttered about that ring, trying to find it again.
Ms. Protich’s eyes were wet; she couldn’t tell if it was rain or tears. She thought that Leland Burns’ persistence might mean that even in his final moments, he would still want to find that ring.
But some things are truly lost forever and forgotten in the past.
A ring can be found again, but what about a person?
Even someone as indifferent as him could have such deep feelings-madness and obsession.
Leland Burns wobbled and pushed Ms. Protich’s hand away as he regained some strength. The eaves were right there; just a few steps closer and he could shelter from the rain. He could go inside where it was warm, take a hot shower, drink some warm milk, and rest well.
But he refused… His persistence was terrifying.
The rain kept pouring down relentlessly. Ms. Protich could feel that he was about to lose consciousness but didn’t know what kept him going.
After watching him quietly for a while longer, Ms. Protich continued helping him search for that ring.
She didn’t know if they would find it.
The neatly laid stone path had been turned upside down into small puddles; such places were hard to search through thoroughly. The color of the ring blended easily with these stones and could easily confuse one’s vision.
After an unknown amount of time passed, Leland Burns’ body swayed before steadying himself by holding onto some wild grass at the edge of the steps tightly as if clutching onto dear life-it became his support point.
Suddenly pulling up those wild grasses forcefully caused his body to lose balance and fall heavily backward onto the ground again.
“Mr. Burns…” Ms. Protich looked over at him.
Leland Burns still clutched those wild grasses against his chest while gasping heavily before slowly removing them from between his fingers until finally revealing that simple ring lying within his palm once more-he had found it again amidst such heavy rain-a lost-and-found treasure indeed!
With hoarse voice cracking into smile: “I found my ring! Finally found it… I’ll never lose it again.” He placed it back onto his pinky finger only then realizing how loose-fitting now compared earlier times when worn perfectly snugly-what changed?
Even rings become ill-fitting over time let alone people…
What does finding this ring signify?
Leland Burns stared blankly ahead-ring found but then… He asked: “Can Winifred Dawson also be found?”