The Locket (4 page)

***

Later that afternoon, Mrs. Morgan called for her. A dark shiver ran through Savannah’s body as she staggered down the narrow hallway toward her mother’s room. It seemed odd to be nervous, especially when she knew most of what was coming. Yet nothing she could ever do could prepare her for the final goodbye of a loved one. She just had to accept that whatever her mother’s last words would be, whatever her last opinion of Savannah would be, that’s the way they were going to stay.

She did not want her last conversation with her mother to go poorly.

Though the door was open, Savannah knocked on the wooden frame three times before she heard a faint “Come in.”

Apprehensively entering through the doorway, she peered about at the room around her. The once-blank walls had been long since covered by a handful of paintings and artwork from an earlier century, some of them framed. Her mother and father both loved anything antique or vintage; the older it looked or was, the better.

The floor was hardwood, lovely and corresponding well with the rest of the room, but it always creaked loudly when someone walked on it. This was a feature Savannah always thought it could do without, considering the many times she awoke from a bad dream and wanted to sneak into her parents’ bed.

A nightstand and a full-sized dresser stood up against the walls. Much like the artwork, these pieces were also more traditional and possibly the most beautiful furniture she had ever seen. Both had a weathered, wooden exterior with skinny midnight handles that never failed to feel as though they were going to rip off the drawers.

The bed was placed almost directly in the center of the side wall, although pushed aside a bit by the enormous dresser. Its frame held the same appeal that the floors and furniture had, with the beauty of the cherry oak color and adorned design.

Mrs. Morgan was sitting up in her bed indolently, her body not fully erect, but tired, worn, and ultimately useless. As in Savannah’s dream, the details in her face and hair showed just as much fatigue as her body and soul did. Her eyes held lost light, yet she had a rare tranquil sense of knowing that the end was near.

“You wanted to see me?” Savannah meant to sound brave and not out of the ordinary, but her voice came out shaky and quiet.

Mrs. Morgan nodded. “Yes. Sit down, my dear.” Obeying her mother’s orders, she pulled up a small, cushioned stool by the nightstand. “Now, I can finally tell you, after all of these years.”

Savannah leaned in a bit to show her curiosity. Her mother pulled down the covers that lay loosely over her and inched up the frame of her bed to sit up straighter. “Mom, you really shouldn’t—”

“Oh, don’t worry so much, baby. You and I both know I don’t have much time, so let’s make the best of it.” Savannah curved her mouth to the side, silently agreeing. She could see that her mother was wearing her favorite blue sundress. She would generally wear it on special occasions, so now when she thought of that dress, she thought of particularly cheerful memories.

As if Mrs. Morgan knew exactly what it was that she was thinking, she smiled at her, then glanced down at her dress. “Black is such a depressing color. I thought that as long as this was going to be my last day,” her daughter winced, “then I might as well leave happy—or at least leave looking happy.”

Savannah was a bit exhausted herself and did not feel much like wasting time on small talk. “What is it that you wanted to tell me, Mama?”

Mrs. Morgan’s grin faded a little, and then came back just as quickly. “You are so beautiful, Savannah, did I ever tell you that?” She rested her hand on her daughter’s cheek and let it slide down to her chin. “Your father and I did well with you. We’ve never been so proud.”

A tear ran down the side of her face, chasing after her mother’s hand. Her attention then changed to watching as her mother elegantly pulled a golden chain over her head and set it into Savannah’s open hand. Closing her grasp on the necklace, she glanced up at her mother, uncertain.

“I wanted to give this to you when you turned eighteen, but I suppose that two years won’t make that much of a difference. You’re mature enough now to understand.”

“Understand what? A difference in what?”

Mrs. Morgan, ignoring her questions, went on. “Although, handing this to you now may be better than giving it to you at too late a time.”

Savannah took less than a second to stare down at the trinket and then back up at her mother. “It’s just a necklace, right?”

Her mother shook her head. “Is that all you think about? The obvious?”

Savannah shrugged, getting ready for another speech about cynicism. “Is that a bad thing?”

“It is when you’re only a child,” her mother answered, pulling her hand away from Savannah’s face. “I don’t remember a day after your father died that you didn’t think about reality first.”

“You and Marie both,” she murmured under her breath. Then, to her mother, “I don’t see what’s so wrong about that anyway. I’m just being practical.”

“No, you’re being contemptuous,” her mother countered. “But that isn’t what I wanted to talk you about.” When Savannah sighed in defeat, she went on. “I want to talk to you about the gift I’m giving you.”

Savannah gazed down at the necklace in her hands. Studying it more closely, she could now see the full appearance of it, noticing that is was not just an ordinary piece of jewelry, but a striking, golden locket.

The locket glittered, the oval shape filling a decent portion of her hand with its size. Her eyed immediately fell toward the center, and the beauty of it made her pause. A beam of light glowed brightly, with all the colors life had to offer reaching out to prove their appeal. The strange glow lasted only for a moment, until Savannah looked closer and it no longer became a ray of light, but rather a picture. The picture was of an old, Victorian key surrounded by an ornate circle. The circle held many twists and curves and was decorated with what first appeared to be flowers, but when she looked closer, Savannah could make out the tiny images of creatures one only found inside a fairytale book.

Glancing away from the center, she observed the edge of the necklace where there was an inscription engraved:

Inside you will find what lies ahead for your future. Change can occur if you accept what you see. This locket is your key.

A tingle ran through Savannah’s body, making her suddenly crave more than anything to open up the small side of the locket. However, as she positioned her hand around the tips of it, her mother laid her own hand on top of hers. “Not yet, my dear. You still have the rest of your life to find out what’s inside.” Agreeing, she set her hand at ease, the necklace tight in her clasp. “Simply promise me this—you will not open this locket until you’re already situated at your aunt and uncle’s. And alone.”

Savannah’s eyebrows drew together. “Why?”

Mrs. Morgan smiled. “There are many wonders in this world, baby. Remember when you were little and I told you all about life’s little mysteries?” Savannah nodded. “Well this is one of them. This necklace is not just for decoration. It is something that you can escape to when you need a place to hide or that can hold a friend when you feel alone. I know you’re confused now, but you will understand later, I promise.” Her daughter nodded again. No matter how puzzled she was, she did not want to waste time talking about a piece of jewelry when there were more important things at hand.

Mrs. Morgan once again placed a faint palm against her daughter’s warm cheek and said, “I love you Savannah, and I always will. I know that you will keep me in your heart forever, right next to your father, and I expect you to do great things with your life. Do not even look back into the past, just pursue the goals in your future and don’t let a little thing like not having a mother or father hold you back from what you want … what you really want. It’s all right to believe in fairy tales, honey. Creativity and trust together can make dreams come true if you let them. Who knows, you may even find a ‘happily ever after’ if you do. ” Savannah lifted an eyebrow in response to this remark, but left it alone. It seemed more like a suggestion than encouragement. Or an order.

“We’re not trying to pressure you into doing anything, we just want you to attempt to make an effort at having a belief in something other than your religion.”

“We?”

“Your father and I. We only want your happiness, as you probably know already.” Savannah tried to smile. She knew all too well that her parents loved her; she just loved them so much that she didn’t want them to leave her.

Mrs. Morgan bent over and gave her daughter a hug and a kiss on the forehead, wiping away a few escaped tears from her eyes. “Don’t worry, baby, everything will be all right in the end, you’ll see. There will always be someone there to take care of you … always.” Her voice was a whisper, but her words held such a strong meaning that Savannah could do nothing but shake her head in agreement and smile at her mother—maybe for the last time.

She lay down again, pulling the covers over her body. Savannah realized that this might have been a good time to tell her about her dreams, as she may not have a chance later. “Mom?” She said. “I need to be honest with you about something. I would have told you sooner, I really wanted to, but I wasn’t quite sure when the right time was. Ever since I was a little girl, I—” Looking up at her mother’s face, she could tell that she was already asleep and thought that it was best not to disturb her. Instead, she leaned over and lightly kissed her on the forehead. After whispering a faint “I love you,” she stood up off of the stool and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

***

Her mother never woke up.

Savannah called the ambulance, unsure if she was ready for the chaos that would soon encircle her childhood home. This was, supposedly, one of the saddest moments of her life, and yet she could not cry.

She knew that it was all part of one big plan that was in store for her. When she was younger, Savannah always thought that she was one of the unlucky ones, with her father dead and not being able to see any of her other relatives. Now, she could see that she might just be one of the luckiest even if she had no other family to turn to. She got the best childhood a girl could ask for and chose to make the best of her life, and herself, when things turned so grim all those years ago.

That is when she began thinking about some of the visions that she had of other people in her dreams. She only had about two or three aside from her father and Marie’s grandmother, at least that she remembered. One of them was of an older woman, lying in her bed and extremely ill. Savannah could not tell much, but from she was able to, the woman’s bed was like her mother’s, very old-fashioned. Only the woman’s was a bit more authentic than her mother’s. The back frame had a more elegant design and the mattress was much, much thinner, creating a fifteenth century tone.

Even though Savannah could not concentrate in her dream on what the woman was saying, she did hear her speak of a daughter who abandoned her years ago. Unfortunately, that was all that she could make out.

The next dream that she had was of an older man, less limp and more adjusted to his pain than the woman from before. This time, however, he was on an old rocking chair in place of a bed. He, unlike the woman, had no people around him to talk to, so he talked to himself. Again Savannah could hear practically nothing, though she did make out a little babble about his failure as a father.

That is when she realized that these two must have been husband and wife and began entertaining the idea that they were her grandparents.

They must have been. After all, Savannah had never met her grandparents, and her mother had never even tried contacting them before. Mr. Morgan’s parents were both dead, or so he had told her years ago. So what other explanation could there be? You don’t just go around dreaming about people you’ve never met, or at least she hadn’t, minus the two exceptions. These random people had to be close to her in some way, they just had to be.

Whatever the explanation, Savannah was determined to get to the bottom of this. No matter what skeletons may be buried in her parent’s closet, she wanted answers. And she wanted them soon.