The Mystery of the Box

So I wrote this short story a while ago based on two Vermeer paintings and I thought I would share it!

Here are the two paintings:
http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.1236.html
http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.46437.html

I now present The Mystery of the Box!

Between 1662 and 1666, Johannes Vermeer painted Schrijvend meisje (A Lady Writing) and Vrouw met weegschaal (Woman Holding a Balance). Each picture features a young woman at a table with a painting behind her, a blue cloth and wood box on the table. Both pictures show a simple picture of daily life, nothing extraordinary or exciting, but they both have a story. No one knows who the women were or if they were possibly the same woman, one could only guess as to the story behind their lives. This is a story of  the one woman, portrayed in both pictures, and just a glimpse of her life.

“My dearest Grandmama, I have such great news! The young Baron Von Orberndorff has just come to speak to Father. My sister, Mina, says that he is asking Father for permission to woo me and seek my hand in marriage. Oh Grandmama, this is so exciting! A wealthy, handsome, young man has come seeking my hand. I know he is not the first suitor who has come with a title and fortune, but both the Count De Ficquelmont and the Baron Van Isselmuden were fat, old drunks who only cared to have young woman on their arm and a full glass in their hand. The Baron Von Oberndorff is neither fat nor old and, as far as I can tell, he is not a toper. I am terribly sorry but I must cut this letter short. My nurse has just informed me that my father wants to see me. Farewell Grandmama!” With that, Adeline put her quill in the inkstand, folded her letter, and ran downstairs, pausing only when she reached the door to her father’s library. There, in front of the mirrored wall, she straightened ribbons in her hair, smoothed her yellow dress, and took a deep breath just before opening the large double doors leading into the library.

Baron Van Asbeck’s library was a magical place. Hundreds of books filled the shelves that stretched from the ceiling down to the floor on three of the four walls. The fourth wall was made up, almost entirely, of clear glass creating the largest window Adeline had ever seen. In the corner of the room was a small door leading out to the courtyard, where Adeline spent many a summer’s day reading under the shade of an Elm tree. In the center of the room was a large oak table, on which sat a globe, a large encyclopedia, a copy of Euclid’s Elements and the family’s new Statenbijbel1. Her father told her that she could find the answer to any question at that table. From the doorway of the library, Adeline could see her father sitting with Baron Von Oberndorff at the desk by the west wall. Baron Van Asbeck beckoned with a loving smile for his daughter to come. Adeline smiled back as she skipped to his side and gave her father a kiss on the cheek. She loved and trusted her father and strived to please him with everything she did. He introduced Adeline to Baron Von Orberndorff and she curtsied gracefully. The baron bowed, kissed her hand, and told Adeline that he would be delighted if she called him by his first name, Gerbrand.  She blushed and nodded with a gentle smile. He then turned to the table beside him, picked up a beautiful, Beech wood jewelry box, and gave it to Adeline. On the lid of the box was carved a line from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales; “To love my lady, whom I love and serve; And evere shal, til that myn herte sterve.”2 

The box had three compartments each opened by a separate lock and key. Gerbrand told her that each compartment had a special gift and represented a specific event; the top compartment for her wedding, the left drawer for her engagement, and the right drawer for the birth of her first child. Once she reached each of those landmarks in her life, Gerbrand would give her a key to the corresponding compartment. Adeline held the box close as she gently ran her fingers over the lettering on the box and thanked Gerbrand for the precious gift. Her father, then, turned to her and asked her if she would permit the baron to court her. She nodded and gave Gerbrand a loving smile, then excused herself and ran to her room.

“Oh Grandmama! The Baron Von Orberndorff, or as he asked me to call him, Gerbrand, asked father if he could woo me! He is so handsome and charming. When I entered my father’s library he stood and bowed gracefully, looking just like a prince from some fairytale. After Father introduced us, Gerbrand kissed my hand! I probably blushed as red as the ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς 3! He gave me a beautiful box with three locks and told me that I would get the key to one of the locks at different periods of my life. I wonder what could be inside. Oh my goodness! I am so sorry for the ink blot. My nurse just came into my room to tell me that Gerbrand is coming for supper tomorrow, and I forgot to put my quill away. Oh Grandmama! I wish you could see him! He is tall with dark brown hair, green eyes, and a smile that just melts my heart. I can not wait to see what God has set forth for me in this relationship. Well I must run off now. It is time for supper. Farewell Grandmama! I will write again soon.”

For the next few years Gerbrand courted Adeline and gradually stole her heart. Their love for each other grew stronger each day. Then, after three years of courtship, Gerbrand got down on one knee in Baron Van Asbeck’s library and handed her a key with a note saying “Zult u mijn bruid zijn?”4. She gasped and nodded excitedly. He then told her to get the box he had given her when they met. She rushed to her room and retrieved the precious box. He gave her the key to open the left drawer. Inside was a beautiful gold ring with three rubies set into it, one to represent each of the things she loved most, her God and Savior, her now fiancé, and her family. He slipped the ring on to the fourth finger of her left hand and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead.

They walked together into the dining room, where they were greeted by all of their loving friends and family. Adeline eagerly introduced Gerbrand to her beloved Grandmama. He bowed graciously and said he was honored to finally meet the wonderful woman who has poured such amazing amounts of wisdom into Adeline. She smiled and said that she was pleased to meet the young man whom she had watched her granddaughter fall in love with, through Adeline’s letters.  Adeline continued to introduce Gerbrand to her family and he introduced her to his, all the while falling more and more in love with each other as they witnessed the influence of great people in each other’s lives.

“Dearest Grandmama, this does not seem real. Did I truly marry my beloved Gerbrand yesterday? It seems like only a week ago that I met Gerbrand, but here I sit, the day after my wedding, looking back at the last four years and thanking God for the wonderful man he has given me. As you know, Gerbrand gave me a box when we first met; well, yesterday he gave me the key to the top box. Inside, I found three beautiful necklaces, a small, leather bound, copy of William Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, and a unique, hand painted deck of cards to play Ruff and Honours, my favorite game. On the cover of    Merchant of Venice are two lines written in gold leaf saying, “All that glitters is not gold; Often have you heard that told”5. He told me not to judge a book by its cover and that he firmly believes I will love this play. I started reading it and so far I really enjoy it. You should read it sometime. Well I should get back to my husband now, it is our honeymoon after all. I will write to you as soon as I return to our new manor. With all my love, your little Adeline.”

Little did Adeline know but that was the last letter her dear Grandmama would ever read. As Gerbrand and Adeline were heading home from their honeymoon, a messenger met them and gave them the sorrowful news that Adeline’s grandmother had died of typhoid. The new bride was devastated. The woman she looked up to and cherished, the woman who helped to raise her after her mother’s death, was now gone as well. Her grandmother was her best friend and mentor. Adeline did not know what she would do without her. Gerbrand was a kind and wonderful husband and comforted his new wife and encouraged her to lean on God during these times of pain and heartache. She heeded her husband’s advise and turned to God for comfort.

Shortly after hearing the news of her grandmother’s death, Adeline discovered that she was pregnant. She busied herself with preparations for the baby to distract herself from her grandmother’s death. A few months went by, when Adeline received a letter saying that her grandmother had left her an inheritance. Within a week, a small chest was delivered with a small bag containing Adeline’s inheritance and a small balance with a note tied to it. It read, “The great Euripides once said, ‘The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life, acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man.’ As you start a new period of your life as bride, I pray that you will remember to keep your life in balance with God as your priority. My mother gave me this balance at my wedding and now I pass it on to you with my blessing.” 

Adeline treasured the little balance and often held it up to remind herself of her grandmother’s wisdom. The time finally came for Adeline to give birth and she blessed her husband with a healthy baby boy. As she held their son, Gerbrand kissed Adeline and handed her the last key.

Frozen in time, Adeline stands for the world to see. Born from the tip of Vermeer’s brush, she has become a treasured masterpiece. Her story will be told many different ways and she will be given many different names, but her true story will remain, like Gerbrand’s final gift in the box, a mystery.



1- First Dutch translation of the Bible; published 1637
2 - Canterbury Tales, Knight’s Tale lines 285-286
3 - rosy-fingered dawn
4-“Will you be my bride?” in Dutch
5- Merchant of Venice - Act 2 Scene 7 Lines 69-70

Ask me questions!!

I realized I forgot to say this in my intro, I wanted to note that if anyone has any questions, I would love to hear them! I will do my best to answer them! You can ask serious questions, funny questions, political questions, theological questions, or random questions. I will do all I can to answer them to the best of my ability!
-PJ

Hello!

Hello Blogger World!
I am very excited to share little bits of my life here with you! Now, I made this blog like 3 or 4 years ago and never really got around to posting anything. I am hoping I can blog somewhat regularly, like little journal entries. Although I might not get too personal and open (I mean this is still the world wide web) but I will be honest. I might do some entries on my opinion about certain popular topics or I might just post a funny picture I saw. The point is, I am going to use this blog as a means to sort of document my career as a college student.
So here's to new beginnings, new ideas, and lots of laughs!!
-PJ