The Locket

Mary was born into a family of four. They lived in a quaint little town in what she had heard was once called the Ozark Mountains. Her parents were of the third generation since everything was rebuilt. Literally everything had to be rebuilt. In a single day, a solar storm had wiped out all electronics. The earth’s magnetic shield was weak, the poles shifted, and the entire planted tilted. Deserts became lakes, the Arctic became tropical. There was no amount of preparation that was sufficient. Following this was complete turmoil for many years. Those that survived either headed for the hills and sought shelter with the earth or they remained in populated areas and formed tribes. Shortly following this were the tribal wars. These wars were short lived. The majority of people died of starvation or thirst and the rest from battle.

After the wars ended, those who had hidden themselves in the wilderness began to form communities. They rebuilt homes and attempted to have what was formally known as ‘normal’ lives. Those that rebuilt the homes knew the importance of the silence. They said it was the silence that showed them how to survive. Inside each house, they built a room that they called the silence rooms. It was here where families were suppose to retreat to daily. They taught that the inner silence of the heart could answer all questions and bring peace.

Within 40 years or so, all the builders had passed away. It was around this time that the ones who were now the eldest in the community decided to form what they called ‘The Directors’. It was suppose to be a small group of people who helped make decisions for the whole. However, it didn’t take long for The Directors to realize that those families who utilized their silence rooms regularly, didn’t take heed to their decisions. The silence rooms became a nuisance to them. They began teaching the dangers of inner silence and how it disrupts the societal structures.

By the time Mary came along, these rooms were locked in all homes. The children knew they were off limits and for the most part, didn’t even ask about them. The Directors had completely gained control over the people simply by removing their inner silence. From the outside looking in everything seemed peaceful. But, everyone knew that something was not quite right.

On her 17th birthday, Mary’s family held a great celebration. All the people in the community attended. There was food, music, dancing, and gifts. Mary was given many wonderful gifts that day. However, after everyone left and had returned to their own homes, her mother brought her a small box. She had told her how this belonged to her grandmother, Mary’s great grandmother. She told Mary that it was time for her to have it and take care of it. When Mary opened the small wooden box, there lay a necklace with a silver locket attached. The locket was shaped like a heart with a pearl overlay on one side. She was so excited to have it. For the days following, Mary wore that locket continuously.

A few weeks later, Mary was helping her father stack wood he had cut for their cook stove. As she bent down to pick up her last arm load, the locket hung on a small piece of tree bark and fell to the ground. As it struck the rock below, the pearl over lay shattered. As she looked down in distress, she noticed that the locket was hollow and that there was a small piece of paper with writing on it. Quickly she put it in her pocket, finished her chores, and went to her room. Her thoughts were racing as she unraveled the paper. When she read the note she felt fear strike her being. She immediately looked up into the hallway at the locked doorway.

The note read “Go into the room. It is silence that provides the answers.” Mary couldn’t let anyone find this, she would be put on display in front of the entire community and flogged. She had seen this happen many times before.

That night, as she lay in bed, her curiosity got the best of her. She knew that her father kept the key in a small jar on a shelf by the wood stove. This was the location The Directors had told the people to keep the key. As she crept back to the door with the key, her heart raced. She slid the key into the lock and turned it. The door opened without a sound and Mary stepped inside.

The next day, Mary was glowing. The things she had experienced in the silence were unbelievable to her. She felt as though she could breathe for the first time in her life. However, what she had done did not go unnoticed. As the Directors performed their daily rounds throughout the community, they knew what she had done when they looked at her. Immediately, they took her and bound her.

That day, Mary’s blood filled the center of town from the beating by The Directors. They were so angered by her actions that they couldn’t stop. Mary died that day.

After her burial, The Directors gave a speech to the people. They gave their condolences to her family for her death. However they also included a warning to the people that this sort of behavior was absolutely unacceptable and could not be tolerated. They spoke of how it was the inner silence found by those who used these rooms, that was the greatest threat to the people and to The Directors.

That night Mary’s parents were heartbroken. They went to her room together and wept. Her mother saw the small box that had contained the locket she had given Mary just weeks before. She opened the box and saw the broken locket and the small piece of paper. Mary’s mother and father read the note. After many minutes of silence and tears, he stood up and went to the jar by the stove. After he grabbed the key, he took his wife’s hand and walked to the locked door. He slid the key into the lock, opened the door, and they stepped inside. Mary’s death was not in vain.