draliman on life

Here is my story for What Pegman Saw. This week we are in Terni, Italy.

This was the birthplace of Saint Valentine, celebrated on February 14th. I chose a rather idyllic scene from the outskirts of the town. Let’s see how it all began!

Copyright Google

Valentinus looked over his lands and smiled. Life was good.

It had started out slow. He’d carried a love letter from a suitor to his sweetheart. Once others heard, his services were in demand.

Ever the entrepreneur, he’d monetised it. Charged people to take part. Hired a local artisan to build little boxes, each with two sections. If someone liked someone else they placed some papyrus with their name on in the corresponding person’s right-hand section. If the names matched in two right-hand sections, Valentinus would arrange a meeting (for a small extra fee, of course). The left-hand box and he’d let them down gently.

Easy peasy.

He called it “Tinderus”. It sounded catchy, he thought. He was providing an essential service. A service to love. (What a great strapline, he thought.)

He ought to be canonised after he died, he reckoned. “Saint Valentinus” had such a nice ring to it.