Buried treasure originates and ends in misfortune. The standard tale starts with calamity: Privateers ransack a merchant ship, then wreck themselves on jagged shoals. A survivor buries the plunder before returning to civilization, but hard living prevents its recovery. Deathbed revelations to a trusted friend offer cryptic instructions—a hint hoarsely whispered, a crudely scrawled cipher, a map sketched on parchment. The eager recipient exhausts finances and sanity seeking untold wealth, then passes the dream on. At last, a dogged scavenger This story is from Kinfolk Issue Thirty-Eight Buy Now Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 51 Emily Gernild The Danish painter breathing new life into an old medium. Arts & Culture Food Issue 51 Imogen Kwok The artist takes food styling quite literally, creating accessories out of fruits and vegetables. Arts & Culture Design Issue 51 How to Make a Chair And do it on a tiny budget. Arts & Culture Issue 51 Odd Jobs The comedian with strong opinions about your home décor. Arts & Culture Issue 51 Tall Order The hidden depths of height. Arts & Culture Films Issue 51 Vicky Krieps An interview with the actor.
Arts & Culture Food Issue 51 Imogen Kwok The artist takes food styling quite literally, creating accessories out of fruits and vegetables.