Jewellery

This was written in response to the prompt 'jewellery', and is the partner to a piece of poetry ("Paling Into Insignificance" ) written for the same prompt.

***

Passing under the stained-glass window, she gripped the banister with her gnarled and bony hands, dragging herself up the narrow staircase to the top of the house. Her lungs ached and the muscles in her legs burned, but she kept going until she finally reached the top, leaning against the oak-panelled wall, gasping and shaking. Pushing off from the wall, she hobbled across the small landing to the doorway and slid the heavy iron key into the lock. Considering this door had been locked for almost forty years, the key turned surprisingly easily, sliding the bolt back with the satisfying ‘clunk’ that only old locks made. Grasping the smooth brass knob, she pushed the heavy door inwards, and shuffled into the darkness beyond.

Standing in the darkened doorway, she strained her eyes to see into the gloom beyond. A gap in the thick drapes over the windows allowed a solitary finger of light to point across the room, reflecting on the dust as if the air was full of smoke. Reaching to her left, she felt along the wall for the old light switch, scarcely hoping for any result, but the room was suddenly bathed in light, as all bar one of the wall-lamps sprung to life.

Were it not for the thick dust covering every surface, one wouldn’t know that the room was not lived in. The pretty patchwork bedspread was tucked down at the top corner, and the pillows still held the impression of a head. Even the ribbon on the dressing table, and the dress laid neatly over the back of the chair in the corner, looking strangely outdated now, were exactly as they had been all those year before.

She walked over to the old chest, leaving scuff marks in the layers of dust on the floor, and slowly raised the heavy lid, resting it’s edge against the wall behind. Kneeling before its gaping mouth, she reached in and began lifting various items and placing them on the floor beside her knees. Heavy leather-bound books, rare bottles of whisky, a cigarette case and various other trinkets, wrapped in thin tissue paper, began to collect in stacks by her sides. Finally she saw it, barely visible beneath a mantle-piece clock, the rich burgundy of the cloth unchanged with time, and as she lifted the silent clock to one side, time seemed to mimic its stationery hands, stopping dead.

Her hands slid under the small form, wrapped in its burgundy mantle, and she sat back onto aching heels, holding her breath as she began to unfold the soft velvet. Even before it was fully uncovered, the large stone had caught the light, drawing it, flashing, into its crimson heart. As the last layer fell away and the necklace was revealed, exactly as it had been thirty-nine years before, all her aches seemed to melt away.

~ ~ ~

A rainbow of colours patterned the floor of the hallway, as the late afternoon sun shone in through the stained glass window on the landing above. The laughter of the children was already audible through the open doorway, even before they were visible on the road opposite the house. Margaret stepped out onto the gravel driveway, watching for Tessa and Ben to appear around the corner, laughing and joking as always.

There was less than two years between them, yet they had never really fought, Tessa always looking after her younger brother until he was old enough to return the attention. Now the two appeared, Tessa ‘riding’ on Ben’s back, in spite of her age, and Ben bounding along the road on gangly fifteen-year old legs, trousers rolled up to his knees.

Today was Tessa’s seventeenth birthday and Margaret could hardly contain her excitement at the present she and her husband were about to present to their first-born. For the first eighteen years of their married life they had struggled to make ends meet, but in the last couple of years Graham’s business had finally picked up and they had enough money, firstly to live comfortably, and now even to splash out. Only five months ago they had moved into a beautiful new house at the top of the hill, with stained glass windows and extensive grounds. Today they were to present Tessa with the first car that the family had owned, aside from the company van.

Graham was still round the side of the house, tinkering, as the children ran up the drive and threw themselves on Margaret like fox-cubs leaping on their mother after an adventure out of the den. Ben’s red hair was tousled as always, and one sock was scrunched around his ankle, revealing a tanned leg below the rolled-up trouser-leg. Tessa on the other hand always managed to look immaculate, in spite of the onslaught from her brother, and her ribbon-bound hair fell in perfect chestnut waves onto an impeccably unwrinkled dress.

Detaching herself from the dual bear hug, Margaret stepped to the side to allow her boisterous offspring to spring past her, racing to be the first into the house. She smiled and shook her head at the laughing and screaming as they battled their way to the top of the stairs. Graham came around the corner of the house, breaking into his boyish grin at the racket coming from inside, and slipped his arms around her waist, kissing the back of her neck.

Together they walked into the kitchen, where Margaret had already laid a fine spread of cold meats and salad, with home-made lemonade and cold beer. A couple of minutes later they were joined by the children, now in shorts and casual shirts, claiming to be “starving” and ready for their meal. After the meal Tessa blew out the candles on her birthday cake, and they all took a piece into the garden with a cup of tea, to enjoy the early evening sun.

Passing a jewellery shop a few weeks before, Tessa had pointed out “quite the most gorgeous necklace” in the window. Margaret, having sought Graham’s permission, had returned later and purchased the necklace – a large ruby set in gold and hanging on a gold chain. She now offered the necklace to Tessa, wrapped in a swathe of burgundy velvet, and almost cried at the delight in her daughter’s eyes.

Ben fastened the clasp behind Tessa’s neck, as she held her chestnut locks out of the way. She then ran down to the house to admire her reflection in the kitchen window, turning this way and that to make the beautiful stone catch the sunlight and reflect red rays onto the stone wall. Graham approached his beaming daughter, suggested that she come with him, and then headed off towards the side of the house. She followed behind, looking dazed, as she tried to figure out where her father was leading her to.

Margaret and Ben followed on behind and watched in amusement as Tessa squealed in delight at the sight of the brand new Aston Martin. Barely able to speak, she thanked her parents through tears of joy, and ran her slender hands along the smooth ‘silver birch’ flanks. Handing her the keys, Graham opened the rear door for the others to get into the black leather interior, before climbing into the passenger seat in the front. Tessa drifted, dream-like, into the driver’s seat and sat with her hands on the wheel, scarcely believing that she was sitting in that position.

Graham explained the basics of changing gears and indicating as they drove slowly out of the town. Once on the country roads, he told her to pick up speed a bit to get a feel for steering the car, although what felt fast to Tessa couldn't exactly be described as racing. As the DB6 meandered its way along the narrow country roads, Margaret watched her daughter with a mixture of sadness and delight. She was overjoyed that they could offer Tessa this experience, and loved to see her children happy, but seeing one of them driving brought home just how fast they were growing up, and it wouldn’t be long before they left home for good.

Suddenly another car filled the windscreen and Margaret was jolted from her seat amidst the sickening crunching and screeching of colliding metal. She felt herself spinning, unsure of where she was and which way up she should be. Her ears were filled with hissing and screaming, and pain ripped itself through every muscle and bone in her body. She realised that the screams were hers just before she descended into a sea of blackness.

~ ~ ~

Blinking as the sun streamed in through the open windows, Margaret struggled to remember what she had been thinking about. Looking at the necklace on velvet in her hands, she knew that something magnificent had changed but couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.

Jumping as someone’s hands alighted on her shoulders, she turned to see Tessa gazing down at her, smiling and offering a hand to pull her to her feet. Taking the necklace in long slender fingers and putting it up to her neck, Tessa turned and drew her chestnut locks to the side, dipping her head to allow Margaret to fasten the clasp.

Telling Margaret how much she had missed the necklace and how glad she was to have it back, Tessa took her hand and drew her over to the window where she could see Ben and Graham playing football in the garden. The sound of laughter rang through the air and for some reason Margaret felt that it was a long time since she had heard that sound.

She waved to Graham on the grass below and then turned to follow Tessa out of the room, her feet feeling light as she tripped down the stairs to where a cup of tea would be waiting in the kitchen. The sun shone in through the stained glass window, falling in a rainbow of colour on the hall floor, and Margaret smiled, knowing that she was home.