A generous man

Today I received a box sent to me by what many outside the online geekery circles would call a stranger. There is a better word from the Winnie the Pooh tales, however, and that is an unmet friend.

Here is the box:

What is in the box? Well, in local lad John Bunyan's allegorical tale, A Pilgrim's Progress, the hero Christian asks for a box of truth at Vanity Fair; there wasn't one to be had. This isn't a box of truth either, but it is a box of generosity. Look!

A softback copy of Basic Fantasy Roleplaying for each of my school gaming group, a bestiary, and three adventure/sourcebooks. There's even a hardback of the rules still in the post for yours truly. And all this as an unsolicited gift from a man on the other side of a lot of water who I doubt I'll ever meet in person. Extraordinary.

He has asked to stay anonymous, and I shall respect his wish, but wanted to support the promotion of gaming with youngsters and isn't in a position to do so himself (I often forget that for those outside education, mingling semi-informally with teenagers is pretty rare and the desire to do so is often considered suspect) having been supported in his own geekery by a teacher when he was a boy.

After the political turmoil of the last couple of months all across the globe, my faith in the general goodness of others was in serious need of a boost. This has given me that boost; I doff my cap to you, sir. Thank you.

Rab