One hot summer day in the 1950s, Donna and her cousin Toby, who lived next door, decided to have a little adventure. At the age of six, it seemed a good idea to them. Donna’s mother was working in the garden and Toby’s mother was baking bread in the kitchen to share with their neighbours while it was still warm.

That day, the children were bored and restless and wanted to do something exciting. Toby suggested finding hidden treasure. He thought they would bury Donna’s mother’s rings and later take them out of the ground. It would be like finding treasure. At first, Donna was not sure as she felt it could get them in trouble. But Toby seemed older and wiser, so she agreed.

They knew Donna’s mother kept her rings on the dressing table in her bedroom. She had a beautiful pearl ring and a diamond wedding ring that she wore only for special occasions. So the children thought she wouldn’t miss the rings if they took them for a while. They got upstairs, entered the tidy room, which smelled of the mother’s perfume, and removed the rings from their special box.

Toby put the rings into his pocket and they both ran to the big field where they often played. Toby thought it was an excellent place where nobody would find the rings. They made a hole in the ground with the help of a kitchen spoon and put the secret treasure inside. Soon they heard their mothers calling them for lunch and ran back home. For some unknown reason, they forgot to go back to dig up the rings and to return them to their place.

About a week later, Donna’s mother found out that her rings were missing and was furious. From the look on Donna’s face she guessed the girl knew the truth. So Donna had to tell the whole story of her adventure with cousin Toby. At that moment she realized the seriousness of her crime.

The mother demanded that Donna should show her the place. They went to the field to dig up the rings. Unfortunately Donna couldn't remember exactly where they were buried. They tried several places without success till it was absolutely dark. They kept trying to find the rings for many days but eventually they gave up. Amazingly, the mother forgave Donna. She never scolded her nor even reminded her about the lost rings. She knew that her daughter didn’t mean any harm - she was just a small child and did it for a game. Everyone, however, silently hoped the 'hidden treasure' would be found someday.

Six years later, the field was planted with rows of little pine trees for a Christmas sale. One day, the farmer found a pearl ring in the ground and told a neighbour, who remembered the story of the lost rings. He handed the ring over to Donna’s mother. The discovery made her extremely happy. They started a new search but the other ring was never found.

Many years later Donna noticed her younger sister was wearing the pearl ring. When she asked her mother why she had given it to her sister, she answered, 'Well, I always planned to give my best rings to my daughters some day and you were supposed to get the diamond wedding ring!'