It was the early eighties. In a shady and disreputable bookstore in the even shadier and more disreputable city of Calgary I found myself drawn in by the sinister cover of a mysterious book: Kit William's 'Masquerade'.
The dust jacket said it all:
Somewhere in Britain Jack Hare lost the Moon's gift, the golden hare shown above, adorned with precious stones and faience, a rare compound used by the ancient Egyptians to grace the Pharaohs. This extraordinary jewel, made by Kit Williams out of 18-carat gold, lies buried in a ceramic container bearing the following inscription: " I am the Keeper of the Jewel of MASQUERADE which lies waiting safe inside me for you or Eternity." The precise location of the jewel is told in Masquerade by means of clues both visual and verbal. The jewel will belong to whoever discovers its hiding place. No knowledge of British geography is required. Kit Williams has said that the riddle could be solved by a child of ten as easily as by a college graduate.
I was hooked and my birthday money was soon spent and the book was in my hands. I spent a significant part of that Summer pouring over Mr. William's book studying it from various angles, endeavoring to find a solution. I did not succeed.
Thirty-odd Summers have passed since then and the book has sat all this time neglected and forgotten on my shelves. This Summer, I'm dusting it off and going in for round two.
