A tourist from Canada ended up returning several items she'd snatched from the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii some 15 years ago, insisting that the objects in question brought her nothing but misfortune, The Guardian reports.
According to the newspaper, the tourist, identified only as Nicole, sent the items - two mosaic tiles, parts of an amphora and a piece of ceramics – via a package to a travel agent in Pompeii.
In a letter she sent along with the package, Nicole insisted that the objects "bring bad luck", and that they have "so much negative energy… linked to that land of destruction".
"I am now 36 and had breast cancer twice," she explained. "The last time ending in a double mastectomy. My family and I also had financial problems. We’re good people and I don’t want to pass this curse on to my family or children."
The package also reportedly contained another letter, from a couple in Canada, along with “some stones stolen from the site in 2005”.
"We took them without thinking of the pain and suffering these poor souls experienced during the eruption of Vesuvius and their terrible death," they wrote. "We are sorry, please forgive us for making this terrible choice. May their souls rest in peace."
The return of "stolen artefacts" accompanied by "letters expressing guilt" turns out to be not that uncommon for the site, the newspaper notes, adding that park officials even established a "museum displaying the artefacts".