Tuesday, May 30, 2006
A Skull for All Seasons
A Skull for All Seasons
Downtown Banbury, Parson’s Street, a slightly overcast day. A couple are walking past an auction house when something in the window causes the man stops in his tracks. There in the window is a skull.
Not a carved wooden skull like he already has, not a ceramic skull, but a real skull. In fact a skull plus. Because this skull has beautiful stones set into metal banding around the skulls and two large orbs for eyes. And it looks like the top of the skull is actually removable. Comments are exchanged, a head is shook and the couple carry on.
Flash forward a couple of days. A furtive male figure moves down Parson’s Street. He pauses in front of the store window, a camera flash is seen, and he move on. Hurrying home, emails are sent to associates and events are set in motion. Some more research is done and it is found that it is a Tibetan tantric monk’s skull, donated to his monastery to show his disregard for the physical body. And indeed the top is removable for storing libations.
After showing the emails to his wife it is agreed that the man can bid on the skull. A price limit is set. All that remains is for a final hurdle to be overcome. The man cannot go to the auction, there are unavoidable demands at work. Chants are raised, rituals are executed and finally the wife is convinced to go to the auction and bid.The day arrives, the man goes to work. He monitors his mobile for messages, nothing comes. He comes home for lunch, his wife is not there. He returns to work and keeps a watch on his phone. Nothing. Finally returning after work he is greeted with the bad news.
The skull sold for over twice the estimate, well above what was agreed on. All that remains is a memory. But perhaps that is appropriate as the skull was designed to show disregard for the corporeal. The memory of the skull fulfills that purpose. It has done its job.
More infor on skulls
A new projectile for the M777
(one of which I got to check out a while ago)
