Over the next few days when I wasn’t in Bishop Gigor’s library poring over almost every book in it I was helping the boys…my friends…in their hunt for Welsh gold.

I can’t say we were very successful, it seemed t be a vain hope as the days passed, I found plenty of treasure in books, but no gold.

Gruffud became increasingly despondent about this. “Aled was so sure, how could the stories be wrong?”

“Well, it’s been many generations since the Romans were here, even if they didn’t find the gold, maybe other people did.” It was all I could think to say, which probably didn’t make Gruffud feel any better.

My anxiety about being far away from my parents had all but diminished, in fact, I didn’t want the fortnight to end!

On the last day, Bishop Grigor came to see me in the library.

“You’ve treated my books with amazing care and respect, young Geoffrey,” he began, smiling at me. “I think you deserve something for that.”

I looked at him curiously, wondering what he could mean.

“I want you to select any book you wish,” what Bishop Grigor said absolutely shocked me.

“Any book? But…you couldn’t have read them all! What if I pick something valuable? Or something you really want?”

Bishop Grigor shook his head. “Every collection starts with a single item, and I would be honoured to have given you the item that began yours.”

I still looked hesitate and he continued. “How’s this, if the book you choose is one I really do like or haven’t seen then I let you know and you can pick something else.”

I nodded and then went and looked, wondering…trying to figure out what I could pick, there were so many possibilities!

Finally I settled on a book about the caves around Abertawe, it seemed…fitting.

The book safely tucked away in my satchel, I left to meet with my friends one last time.

“I can’t believe we didn’t find even a scrap of gold,” Aled shakes his head, despairingly. “And now you’re leaving who’s going to get in the high areas.”

“Gruffud could climb on our shoulders.” Sawyl said, smirking at his little brother, Gruffud responded by making a face a him.

“Well, I was looking at a book about the caves around here this morning,” I began tentatively, I was after all going to be the one who was going to be hoisted up in a rather precarious manner. “I think there’s one we might have missed.”

The boys all turned to me, eyes wide and hopeful.

“It’s a mile up river, it’s hidden in a little valley of sorts, but we should be able to get there in time…if we hurry.” I added.

Unsurprisingly, I found myself almost lifted off my feet and dragged along as the boys moved in one big cluster, as they often did.

I wasn’t entirely sure how long a mile was, distance was never my strong point, but Aled seemed to have a very good sense of it and the book had been accurate about where the cave was.

It was quite a bit larger than all the other caves we’d gone into so far, which certainly made things easier, but it was also higher, even tall as I was and in all honesty I really wasn’t all that tall, how were we going to get to the top crevices anyway?

“This is huge!” Aled’s voice echoed. “I can’t believe we never found it before. Come on! Let’s find some treasure!”

You could say one thing about Aled…he was always positive.

We began scouring the cave, I certainly never expected to find anything, it was ridiculous to even hope for! Which was why when my hand brushed against something cool and completely different in texture from the rock that lined the cave walls, I almost didn’t believe it.

I was sure it had to be something else, I wasn’t sure what, but I would soon know. It was loose and I clutched it in my hand and pulled it out into the light.

I knew at once it wasn’t gold, but it didn’t seem to be ordinary stone either, I turned it over.

“Geoff, you found something!” Aled appeared quite suddenly at my shoulder. “What is it? What is it?”

“I don’t know.” I handed it to him.

The other boys crowded around us as Aled examined it and scratched at it with a fingernail. Then he looked up at us with a huge smile upon his face. “Geoff, this is copper!”

Gruffud, Sewyl, Wynn, Berwyn and Ifan were just as excited, but I wasn’t sure what it was all about myself. Copper coins were the cheapest and most abundant of coins, what good could even a large size portion of it be? Especially if it needed to be spilt seven ways.

But Aled immediately insisted on returning to town as quickly as possible to take it to the metalsmith, so off we went and I can’t say I was sorry to have left the caves behind.