The Locket

The heart-shaped locket was badly tarnished. She pushed until the door of the small, wooden chest was wide enough to fit her hand through. She managed to touch the locket with the tips of her fingers and drag it towards the opening until she could finally grab it. It appeared that her uncle had hidden it many years ago. She took out an old handkerchief and wiped the locket until the loose grime was gone, but several dark spots remained. She frowned, spit on the cloth, and continued to try and rub away the stains until they were nearly gone. Finally, her effort paid off. Except for a couple of very tiny faded spots, the locket now looked almost brand new. The gold color was like rich amber that glistened in the morning sun that crept through the tattered drapes which hung over the window. She turned the locket in her hand to examine the inscription on the back. She moved it closer to her face and squinted her eyes, but the words were too small to read. She remembered the magnifying glass that her uncle kept in the desk in his study. Years of scholarly work had damaged his eyesight, and he had come to depend on the eye glass in the last few years of his life. The desk was covered with old papers and books. The strong, musty smell of old wood and papers erupted from the drawer as she carefully opened it. She recognized her uncle’s faded handwriting on the old notes that lay scattered inside. At last she felt the small, wooden handle and knew she had found the eye glass. She pulled it from the drawer and looked at it for a moment and smiled. She recalled her uncle’s playful nature, and how he had tried to make light of his fading eyesight by naming the eye glass, “Clarence.” She ran her fingers over the handle where parts of the wood had been rubbed off. The only damage she could see was a tiny crack at the bottom of the glass, but other than that, it appeared to be in good condition. She took out the handkerchief again and wiped off a thin layer of dust that covered the glass. As she walked out the door of the study, she turned back and paused. She recalled the many nights she had spent there as a child, as she listened to the fascinating stories of her uncle’s travels around the world when he was a young scholar pursuing his studies of ancient civilizations. She wiped a tear from her cheek and slowly closed the door on the beloved memories behind her.

The tiny ballerina squeaked as she twirled around the pink pedestal. The wind up music box no longer played the joyful tune that filled her room when she was a child. She gently opened the small drawer on the bottom and took out a thin, gold chain. She pulled one end through the loop on the top of the locket and hooked it to the other end to secure it. She walked over to the window and held the locket in the sunlight. She held the eye glass steady over the locket and studied the inscription:

“lacta alea est in omnibus servat ea”

She recognized the language immediately, and quickly returned to the study. She looked up and scanned the books stacked neatly on a tall shelf. Sticking out between two smaller books halfway up the shelf was The book of Latin and Other Languages From the Ancient World. The book was old and covered in a thick layer of dust. The binding was torn, and many of the pages were stained with a yellow tinge. She walked over to her uncle’s desk and carefully opened the book. She skimmed through the pages until she found the chapter on Latin. Some of the pages were loose and out of place. She put the locket next to the book and began to flip through the pages, meticulously writing down each word as she slowly decoded them. After several minutes, she had managed to convert the mysterious words on the locket into an English sentence. She sat back and studied the words for a moment:

the die is cast

she saves all

She stared at the words, puzzled. Why would someone etch such a cryptic message onto a locket? Whoever had engraved the inscription must have wanted someone to understand it, she thought. Her uncle had shown her many interesting trinkets that he’d obtained from his travels, but he had never mentioned anything about the locket. She unhooked the small clasp on the chain and hung the locket around her neck. As she stood up from the desk, a voice startled her. “Kristiana!” She gasped, and nearly fell back in the chair. It was Dominick, one of the few remaining friends she had since the conflict had started two years ago and the city had been seized by The Authorities. “I’ve been looking for you. Have you heard?” “Heard what?” she answered. “Come with me. It isn’t safe here.” said Dominick. She followed him downstairs towards the front door. They stopped in the doorway and glanced around cautiously. Most of the other residents of Falconwood were taken away by the Black Order under orders of The Authorities. They had forced many families from their homes under the false pretense that they were being taken to a safer place. The Authorities had gained control through violence and oppression. They used fear and threats to keep the people from questioning their authority. The ones who refused to bow down to The Authorities were either killed or imprisoned. Kristiana and Dominick were among the small group known as the Survivors who had managed to remain hidden each time the Black Order had come through the village. The sun was quickly disappearing behind large plumes of smoke. “Let’s go!” whispered Dominick as he grabbed Kristiana’s hand. A blast of gunfire erupted somewhere in the distance as they headed towards the woods to the hidden shelter. Behind them, the sound of screams made Kristiana shiver. At last, they reached a small clearing. They stood between two large trees. Dominick knelt down and rubbed his hand in the grass. He pulled hard on the small rope that was buried in the dirt until the wooden hatch finally lifted up. They hurried down a small set of creaking stairs. Dominick closed the hatch and locked it. Inside, Dominick and Kristiana joined the group of ten or fifteen people who were huddled in a circle on the ground. “Hey, guys. I found her at the house again.” said Dominick. An older woman, Elyssa, got up and gave Kristiana a hug. “You shouldn’t have gone to the house by yourself, Honey.” she said. “You know it’s not safe.” Kristiana nodded. “ I wanted to get a couple of things that belonged to my uncle.” “We caught word that The Authorities have ordered another raid on the village.” said Gabe, a large man in his fifties. “The Black Order will be back any time to scour the area for other Survivors.” he continued. “Is this the news you were going to tell me?” Kristiana asked Dominick. He shook his head. “No,” he answered. “they are going to demolish the remaining homes in the village to be sure that no one is hiding there.” Kristiana gasped. “What?!” Elyssa chimed in. “That’s why you must not return to the house again.” she warned. Kristiana’s eyes began to tear up as she thought of her uncle’s precious belongings that would be lost forever. “Then I am glad I went to the house. Look what I found hidden in my uncle’s study.” She unhooked the chain and handed the locket to Dominick. “It has a very strange inscription on the back. I translated it, but I don’t know what it means.” Dominick handed the locket to Gabe, a former history teacher who knew some Latin. Just as Kristiana began to speak, Gabe interrupted her: “the die is cast, she saves all.” “Yes,” said Kristiana. “what could it mean?” Gabe stood up and paced back and forth for a moment. “This is some kind of prophecy.” he said. “I believe it’s meant for you, Kristiana.” The group looked at her intently. “Me?” she answered. Gabe nodded, and handed the locket to Dominick, who handed it back to Kristiana. She set it on the floor and gazed at the inscription. She suddenly recalled her uncle telling her once that she was special, and that he believed she was meant for something important. “How could it possibly be meant for me?” she said. “Where did your uncle get it?” asked Gabe. Kristiana shook her head. “From some foreign place, I guess. He found many strange things.” She took the chain and opened the clasp. As she went to put the locket around her neck, a loud explosion suddenly shook the shelter. “My God!” cried Elyssa. The group struggled to stand as another blast came through more violently than the first. “Everyone stay down and take cover! They are here!” yelled Gabe. Dominick grabbed Kristiana’s arm and pulled her in the corner. He pushed her down and covered her with his arms. She suddenly remembered the locket. She had dropped it when the first explosion had startled her. She could see the locket, but couldn’t reach it. She tried to get up, but Dominick stopped her. “Stay down!” he cried. She heard gunfire nearby. A sickening smell, like sulfur, filled the shelter. She pushed Dominick off of her and crawled over to the locket. Another loud boom echoed through the small space. The deafening blasts and loud screams made her ears throb. She grabbed the locket and crawled towards the hatch. “What are you doing?!” screamed Dominick. She glanced at him, and then crawled out of the shelter.

The ground shook beneath her feet as she stood and stared at the horror around her. The sun had all but vanished. Blackness covered the land like a cloak. She ran towards the village. Many of the houses were no longer standing. Fire had ravaged several, including her uncle’s. The Black Order had captured a few Survivors and were moving them into a caravan. Her mind burned with anger. A strange feeling came over her. She suddenly felt numb and no longer afraid. She reached the last house on the edge of town and paused to catch her breath. A large waft of smoke made her cough. She started to take a step when Dominick grabbed her arm. “Hey!” he cried. “What are you doing?” She couldn’t explain. She knew what her uncle meant now. “Go back to the shelter,” she said. “you’re safe there.” Dominick refused. She squeezed the locket and thought of the inscription. The locket felt warm and tingly. “Kristiana,” said Dominick. “the locket.” She glanced down at her hand. The locket was glowing. “It’s time.” she said. They bolted towards the city gates. The energy inside the locket moved through her like an electric current. Its power was palpable. She felt like her feet barely touched the ground. As she approached, the gates flew open. “Kristiana,” said Dominick, but she couldn’t hear him. Her blue eyes had turned gold and glowed like the locket. Its energy burned her skin as she held it up in the air. Blood ran from her fingers and down her arm. She recited the words:

“lacta alea est in omnibus servat ea”

A powerful blast of wind. A sound like thunder. And then...silence. She lay on the ground. Her eyes burned. Dominick crawled towards her. “You did it!” he cried. The Black Order was gone. The gunfire had ceased. The screaming had stopped. The conflict was over. Survivors slowly emerged through the smoke. “The locket.” said Kristiana. “No.” Dominick whispered. “It was you.”

Their new world was about to begin.