Excerpt from an untitled novel

“Grandfather?”
“Hello, Lauren,” the old man sighed, not looking up from the merrily crackling fire.  How completely it opposed his mood. Somehow gleaning this, the little girl entered the room, timidly seating herself next to her beloved grandfather.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
The old man smiled indulgently, inviting her to snuggle up to him. She did, and for a while, they sat there, watching the fire with identical dark blue eyes. The little girl was happy in that childlike, innocent way, not thinking about what tomorrow might bring, but rather just reveling in the moment. Her grandfather was holding her, almost enveloping her, like he’d never let her go. His warmth was cozy and his unmistakable Grandfather smell danced around her, that combination of vanilla and bonfire which would always be the smell of her grandfather.
As she grew sleepier, her grandfather spoke. “Laurie, have you ever eaten a pomegranate?”
“Yes,” she mumbled into his arm.
For a moment, she listened to his heartbeat. It was a comforting sound. Its steady rhythm soothed her. When he spoke again a minute later, she giggled at the tickle of his vocal cords as they vibrated against her head.
“Did you like it?”
“I did. It’s so pretty on the inside.”
He chuckled appreciatively. “It is, isn’t it? The fruit shines like jewels. Like the necklace you wear.” He nudged the ever-present ruby necklace around her neck.
“But we can’t eat that, right?”
“Right.” They both laughed at the idea of trying to eat a necklace.
The little girl snuggled into his chest. “When I ate one, it was really messy. It’d be easier if they didn’t have skins.”
“Maybe.” A sigh. The old man had reverted to his original mood. “People are like pomegranates, Laurie. They have a thick outer layer. But once you get through that, you see the beautiful jewels inside of them. Those jewels are much more valuable than the ones people wear on necklaces.”
She looked up at him, so innocent, so naïve, so trusting. “Do I have jewels inside of me, Grandfather?”
He kissed her forehead. “Everyone does, Laurie. Remember that.”