By Tim Binnall
A key that was taken from a tower in England nearly 50 years ago along with an apologetic note was recently received by the organization which oversees historic monuments and sites in Britain. The odd pilfered object, which was reportedly sent to English Heritage this week, was used to open the doors at St Leonard's Tower in the town of West Malling. Included with the key was a message from the sender, who indicated that they had "borrowed" it back in 1973 and, expressing remorse for "the delay," were now returning it to the site after 47 years.
"It's certainly one of the most puzzling packages we’ve ever received and just in time for Christmas," marveled English Heritage properties curator Roy Porter, "it's a modern mystery to add to the historical questions posed by the tower." To that end, the organization hopes that the individual behind the parcel will come forward so that they can learn the full backstory behind the key, since they are baffled by the circumstances by which it went missing in the first place.
Lest one think that they might be in trouble for taking and keeping a historic object for nearly five decades, English Heritage actually wishes to "reward the honesty of whoever returned the key with a gift of membership." While it is uncertain as to what may have inspired the mysterious individual to return the object after all these years, their decision to do so is the latest in a series of similar events this year in which people have sent back rocks, relics, and artifacts taken from various prominent and historic sites around the world, suggesting a certain air of reflection and perhaps regret brought about by the difficulties we've all faced in 2020.