Heart-Shaped Locket

Heart-Shaped Locket

By S Fujii

The pandemic lasted much longer than anyone expected. Little did we know Covid-19 was just the beginning. The Gamma variant was far more advanced and deadlier than the previous strains.

The pandemic dominated the airwaves, so no one was paying attention to the other strange viruses that were affecting the animals. Brood X had emerged, mice invasions decimated crops, dying livestock polluted waterways and as beaches opened up after the first lockdown, sand flies were spreading a tropical disease never before found in the US.

Worldwide, leaders finally realized borders had to be shut-indefinitely. Flights were cancelled and two major airlines closed permanently. Restaurants and grocery stores shuttered. Initially, the US Government sent out stimulus checks, but later took on feeding its people with weekly deliveries of meat and vegetables.

The United States was a mess. We were still proud Americans, but the US Congress was in recess, and we only saw the US president via televised broadcast from an undisclosed bunker. Some conspiracists said he was dead, and the videos shown to the public were old. Many of us, chose to believe otherwise. What is a country without a leader?

We were still believers in democracy, but some things had changed. It seems funny now how some complained about not wearing a mask, all the while making the environment more hospitable to mutations by not doing so. The highly contagious variants prevented travel. Families separated by miles had limited communication. Many of the freedoms we took for granted were simply gone.

The intense technology and social media that once kept us all informed and connected was no longer. The Solar flares and fires prevented our satellites from transmitting information. Fires out west caused rolling blackouts for the rest of the country, in addition to a mass exodus.

We no longer traveled state to state. We no longer went to Canada or Mexico. Our borders were shut. Our military no longer went abroad, in fact, everyone stationed outside of the US had been brought home. We had genuinely become turtle island, cut off from the rest of the world and each other.

When the first wave of the pandemic killed half a million Americans along with hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, we discovered and distributed a vaccine, only to have twice as many people die from contaminated drinking water and the return of Zika. Not being able to travel or log onto the internet or our phones for information made communities panic and turn inward. Information was passed by short wave radio, or word of mouth. Medical concerns were handled by local doctors when present. We were forced to rely on each other. Now our neighbors were closer than family.

We were foolish enough to think that we would someday in the near future return to our lives, especially since we had a vaccine. After a year of no new Covid deaths, an exceptionally cold winter, religiously boiling water and spraying for mosquitos statewide, things quieted down. We thought that meant the vaccines were working, but little did we know, that was the least of our worries.

Tracy and her daughter were planning on staying with her dad. They walked to his house. He had a big place. That was always the plan if things ever got bad. If ever there was a time, this qualified. As they came down the road, they could see his home. The house looked good. There were no farm animals anymore, but there was wild game on his property and lots of space for Tracy’s daughter, Kate, and dog to move around.

Kate was turning 12 on her birthday. Even though things were radically different, Tracy was determined to make her daughter’s birthday special. Since school was out and she was at home, Tracy decided to make birthday muffins and she wanted to give Kate a matching hearth-shaped locket, just like the one she wore every day. The lockets were handmade in Egypt and bought back when the world was open, and gold was cheap. They were inlaid with lapis and one-of-a-kind. The locket was Tracy’s mom’s, and now, it would be Kate’s.

Tracy carefully packed the birthday muffins before she left and protected her bag with the hope that they would not be crumbs by the time she made it to her father’s.

As they approached the property, everything looked in order. The clean two-story red brick home looked pristine against the blue Georgia sky. By looks alone, the home reminded both ladies of a happier time. Kate rang the doorbell. Nobody answered. She did not even hear her grandpa’s little dog, Lady, who never left his side. The two walked around the home to see if he was in the expansive backyard. Nope. Back around to the front of the house, Tracy felt above the door frame and grabbed the key. She knocked, before opening the door.

The house was empty. Her dad was gone, and so was his dog. There was no use in calling him since the cellphones did not work. The plan had always been for her to come to his house should modern communication be lost. Here she was, with her family, but he was not there.

It was getting late, and Tracy and Kate decided to eat the sandwiches they brought, along with the birthday muffins. They saved one for Tracy’s dad. It was odd, but not out of the question for Tracy’s dad not to be home by now. The ladies decided to retire upstairs for the evening. Just as they were going upstairs, there was a knock at the door. Due to the rolling blackouts, it was difficult to see who was outside. It appeared to be Tracy’s father’s neighbor, Chip. Tracy had known Chip since she was about Kate’s age, so she opened the door.

“Hi Chip,” said Tracy.

“Hi Trace, great to see you. Is your dad around?” said Chip.

“Well, he’s unavailable. Can I help you?” said Tracy.

“Well, I was coming to tell him we just heard on the radio that the food deliveries are going to start coming once a month. We thought it might be a good idea to hunt on his land if that’s okay.”

“Well, who is we? Just your family?” said Tracy.

“Sure, just us,” said Chip.

“Well, I will be sure to ask. You know, we have not seen as many deer lately. With the pandemic and all the weirdness, I am guessing lots of people are going to be hunting this winter,” said Tracy.

“Or sooner,” Chip mumbled.

“Ok Chip, I’ll let my dad know you stopped by.”

Tracy closed the door. Chip was nice. It was weird that her dad was not home yet.

Tracy and Kate went to bed. Kate’s dog slept by the door. Later that night, Tracy thought she heard a noise. It was after midnight, and she stepped out onto the deck to get some air. The air was filled with the sweet perfume of grilled meat. She could smell the BBQ- riding the air like a rich summer memory waiting to be shared. Guess Chip was grilling, but it was kind of late for that.

The next morning, Tracy got up and decided to go for a run around the property. She kissed Kate on the head and left the dog with her daughter, tucked in bed. She was not sure where her dad was, but surely, he would be back this morning. He was a big man and always carried a gun. He was probably fine.

Tracy knew the trail on her dad’s property like the back of her hand. She would run down to the lake and back. She could see her dad’s place the entire way and would be back before Kate woke up. As she left the house, the air was crisp, and the faint hint of grilled meat still hung in the air. The air was brisk, but the run felt good.

Kate woke up to the sound of her dog barking. Someone was at the front door. Was it her grandpa? She got up and ran downstairs to look at the camera. It was Chip, the guy from next door. Kate spoke into the intercom.

“Hi Mr. Chip!” said Kate.

“Well, hi there Katie, is your mother home? I wanted to drop off some BBQ from last night and to say hi to your grandfather.”

“Oh, wow. Did you say you have some BBQ?” said Kate.

“I sure do,” said Chip.

“Well, um, I will be right down.”

Kate knew she was not allowed to open the door, but she was hungry. She also knew she was not supposed to tell anyone she was home alone. Where was her mom anyway? She decided she would go downstairs and open the door. As she approached the door, her dog, Maverick, would not let her near the door. She tried, but he was so big, she could not control him. She went back to the intercom and asked Mr. Chip to leave the BBQ at the door. He agreed and Maverick calmed down after he left.

Kate opened the door and picked up the food. She locked the door and took it into the kitchen.

She wanted to wait on her mom to eat, but it smelled so good. It was almost 10:00am, and she had not eaten breakfast yet. Kate opened the BBQ and took a bite. It tasted so good. Wow. Her mom was going to love this. Where was she, by the way? She was probably on her morning run. Kate was grateful to sleep in. She hated when her mom forced her to go on a morning walk. As Kate ate the juicy meat, some BBQ sauce spilled down her chin and spilled on to her locket and t-shirt. She gently wiped off the rich sauce and was reminded how special she felt having matching necklaces with her mom.

At 10:30 the doorbell rang. It was Alice, Chip’s daughter. She was the same age as Kate. She jumped off the porch and was playing in the front yard with a soccer ball. Kate yelled into the intercom that she would be right out. As she laced up her shoes to head out, she looked out the window, only to see Alice’s mom call her over, while holding Lady’s collar and wearing Tracy’s necklace.