A beautiful night sky

As the water carries away the mud and grime, you are able to catch your first glimpse of the ring itself. It's a smooth, almost mirrored blue, like steel and sapphires made one; you've never seen metal like this before. Across its curving surface are etchings of stars, inlaid with fine streaks of silver.

Rubbing off the last of the dirt, you see that the ring has a small round stone set into it. It looks somewhat like a pearl, gleaming with white light; it's probably supposed to represent the moon, though it's far brighter and more magnificent than the real thing.

After drying your prize off with a washcloth, you slip it onto the ring finger of your left hand, and are delighted to find that it's a perfect fit. Your admiration is soon interrupted, though, as you hear the pounding of footsteps followed by a sharp knock on the door.