Beths Ring

Chapter one

The sound of crashing waves along the shoreline and rain pelting her window woke Beth Williams to complete and utter darkness. She looked at the clock to see that it read 1:49 a.m. She stifled an urge to scream. No, this hadn’t been part of the plan when she had moved here last week. Her plan had been to be lulled by the ocean and sleep deeply not kept up at all hours. She needed her sleep, she thought, if she could only sleep for one full night everything would be great.

She covered her head with her feather pillow when the thunder started to crack. Oh how she hated storms, even now being nearing thirty she was terrified of them. Well, she thought to herself, I should just get up like I have done for the last week and unpack some more boxes. No need to cower in the dark she thought and jumped up and made a leap for the light switch as a streak of lightening lit up her room. She flicked and nothing happened, she tried it a few more times just in case, but it was useless, the power was out, again. This was the fifth time in the past week that it had been out, she was sick to death of it. But that was all part and parcel of inheriting an old house, a very old house, but it was beautiful and she loved it, faulty wiring and all.

She knew when she had seen it again after twenty years that it was going to be her home, despite her family’s protests. They thought that it was run down old rambling house that would better just to sell. They even had all of Aunt Elizabeth’s things packed up they were so sure she would give it up. But she had refused; she knew without a doubt that it was suppose to be hers. Well she thought it was, she had been having a few second thoughts since she moved in. She had a few weird things happen, but she chalked it up to the house having character and her nerves being stretched thin. No she thought, she was happy she had decided to keep this house, her house even if her family disagreed. Her Great Aunt Elizabeth willed the house and all her possessions to her namesake, telling Beth that the house was meant for her to live in. Beth had agreed with the old woman and moved in a month after the funeral. She had walked into the house a week ago and felt like coming home, well except the fact that there were boxes scattered everywhere, unfortunately for Beth, everything had been packed up and in storage for the past five years while her Aunt was in an assisted living home. Now Beth wondered what kind of things lurked in all these boxes and under countless sheets.

She shook her head slightly and wondered if it was a romantic notion to unpack boxes by candlelight or just a silly thought. Maybe she should give up the thought and try to go back to sleep again, heaven knew she needed it. The storm couldn’t last forever could it? A crash of thunder made her jump and also made up her mind, she would take her chances downstairs with the boxes and all the candles she could find to light. That would be better than this dark empty room.
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She warily made her way down the old creaky steps, pausing to peek out the window that was half way down. She knelt on the window seat and looked for the familiar view she loved. She remembered watching the ocean out this window when she was a little girl. It hadn’t been often that she had came here, a handful of times when she was still quite young, but the memories of that sight out of the window remained in her heart. She always had a strange feeling in this spot, not a bad feeling, it was actually a very comforting feeling, like a warm hand on her back keeping her steady. It was a safe feeling she thought, this was the reason she loved this house. She touched the cold glass of the windowpane and sighed, she knew that this house would somehow make her life more stable, more whole. She surely needed that to make up for the past year of heartache. Yes she thought, this house would do very nicely to heal her broken heart. She tapped the glass lovingly and went the rest of the way down the steps.

She lit the candles that she already had stashed here and there from the previous power outages. Wondering if there were many other adults that were nervous in the dark, she hastily lit all of the candles and sighed as the golden light broke the through the shadows and the dark, lighting up the living room. She scanned the various piles she had started, sorting through not only her things but also her Aunts. The floor looked like it had little islands all over it, she had a lot to do still, she might as well get started now.

No time like the present she murmered to herself. Her hands started work on the next pile of boxes and she started to sing softly to herself, keeping the storm at bay with her quiet voice.
She opened up the third box and threw the rumpled newspaper in the growing mountain that was beside her. She reached in and felt a smooth box and took it out. It was a beautiful wooden box smaller than a shoebox. She wiped off the top and saw that there was some sort of writing. She reached for a candle and held it closer so she could read the script.

One and only one this lid may raise
Neither matter time nor the days.
Locked it will keep until the time
Destiny and fate shall intertwine.
Only open thy eyes and thy heart
Then and only then will the veil part.

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Beth ran her fingers over the words and felt a shiver run through her entire body. The words lit as if on fire under her finger and she screamed. She dropped the box and jumped to her feet. She looked down and saw the boxes lid had been opened; a single ring lay on a cushion of red velvet. The light of the candles made the gold shine and the sight of it made her feel in a trancelike state. She knelt down on her knees and just stared at it for a moment. She reached in and touched the gold band, expecting it to be cool to her touch, but it was warm, as if just placed in the box right from a warm body. She brought it close to her eyes and studied it. It was a slim gold band with green emerald set in the middle and two diamonds set on each side. There was an inscription inside but she couldn’t read it. She just couldn’t help what she was doing and she slipped the smooth ring on her finger. She just stared at her hand with the ring on it, her heart started to pound and a warmth ran through her entire body. She felt her body start to tingle and she became dizzy so she braced her arm on the wall that she was close to. She didn’t know what was happening, her breath caught in her throat as she heard a whisper in her ear.

“My sweet bethy, you have finally come”

She was frozen in fear as she felt something envelope her close, it felt like arms and a hand stroking her hair. It was hypnotizing and she felt herself relax and became still. She was in a dream, she thought, she smiled slowly and wondered what was holding her and whispering so softly. She slowly turned her face so she could see over her shouleder only to see nothing, just a mist like haze. Her eyes opened wide and she finally came to her senses and screamed, jumped up and ran up the stairs and then to her bedroom. She slammed the door and turned the lock. Beth buried herself under the quilt and threw them over her head. She listened for any sound at all but heard nothing. What had just happened, had she finally lost it, had finally lost her mind? Her breathing slowed down and she suddenly became very drowsy, she succumbed to sleep finally only to dream of ocean waves and a dark figure of a man that called her his Bethy. No matter how fast she ran towards him he grew further and further away. She screamed for him to stop only to have him disappear in the crashing waves of the water. She fell into the wet sand and sobbed for him to come back. He didn’t, only darkness answered her tears.
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