The Locket

It all started on that beautiful day last month, on the pristine Broc beach we visited during our vacation to Istanbul, Turkey. My wife and I liked to stroll along the beach at the crack of dawn. It was easy to do because we had rented a small bungalow that sat just a few yards from the crystal-clear water of the Black Sea. On this morning, the sun had yet to rise but its rays had already turned the sky into a painters pallet of color.

We strolled, hand in hand for a while, just taking in God’s creation. We came to a rocky outcrop and had to wade into the water to get around it. At the furthermost end of the rocks, my wife stubbed her toe on what appeared to be a metal box. Curious, she picked up the box and examined it. It had some writing on the cover, but it was in a language that neither one of us could understand. It also had a keyhole that was of an irregular shape. Something like a figure eight.

Margaret, my wife, carried it as we turned around and headed back to our bungalow. After taking our shower and ordering breakfast from room service, we sat down and attempted to decipher the writing on the box top

The day before, we visited Ploutonion in Hierapolis. Hierapolis, founded in the 2nd Century and taken over by the Romans in 133 AD, became a thriving spa town; by the 3rd Century, visitors were coming from all over the Empire to bathe in the supposedly healing waters.

Ploutonion was also said to be the location of a "Gate to Hell", a portal to the underworld where the toxic breath of the three-headed hellhound Cerberus killed unsuspecting victims on behalf of his master, the god Pluto. A temple was built on the site, and pilgrims journeyed across the region to pay the priests to make sacrifices to the God Pluto on their behalf.

What we saw at the Ploutonion was a stone wall that contained writing remarkably similar to that on the box. We discussed the implications of that and checked my camera for a photograph of the stone. Fortunately, I found one. I took a few photos of the box top and the photo of the stone and sent them to my colleague, Dr. Robert Phillips at the University of California, Merced. I am an anthropology professor there and we just so happened to have a professor of ancient languages as a guest speaker and teaching a class in the history of language. The perfect person to assist us in finding out more about this artifact.

Due to the 10-hour time difference, we had to wait for an answer. In the meantime, Margaret had managed to make a key, of sorts, that would fit into the keyhole. I had to give her credit, she worked on that box for several hours before giving up. It was a little past 6:00pm when we received a reply from Dr. Phillips. It was a short text message that simply said, “Call Me ASAP”. We were walking back to our bungalow after having a wonderful dinner and some fabulous wine. I was a little bit tipsy, and the warm tropical air just made the whole world appear to be in harmony. I poured us each a glass of Brandy and settled down in an amazingly comfortable lounge chair and promptly fell asleep. Margaret, on the other hand was still intrigued with the box and tried again to open the lid. I awoke about an hour later and walked into the kitchen. Margaret was sitting in a chair with the box on her lap. The lid was open, and she was holding a beautiful gold chain with a heart shaped locket in her hand. I said “That is a beautiful piece of work, and it looks incredibly old. Let me examine it closer would you please darling?” She handed me the necklace and I took it to the desk. I always carry a magnifying glass with me, it’s an occupational habit.

As I am studying the locket, I suddenly remember the text message from Robert. I handed the necklace back to Margaret and walk out of the room to call Robert. He picked up almost immediately saying “Don’t open the box whatever you do”. He begins to explain to me that the writing on the box is a warning to not open the box because it is extremely dangerous. He said “Jim, whatever you do, please do not open the box. The writing on the stone tells of the key to the underworld being a heart shaped locket. The locket was placed into a metal box and sealed for eternity. Opening the box and wearing the necklace that is inside the box, or simply opening the locket itself, will destroy the world as we know it. It is literally Pandoras box.”

As an anthropologist, I think there are a lot of things from the past that we do not understand. So, I told Robert that Margaret had already opened the box but did not attempt to wear it. I assured him that I would take the box to the museum in Istanbul the next day. As I walk back into the kitchen, Margaret is about to put the necklace on when I yell “Don’t!” She looks up startled and the necklace drops into her lap. I explain to her about what I had learned from Robert. She sighs and returns the artifact back into the box and closes the lid. She said, “Do you really think this is as dangerous as he said it is?”

“Honey, there are many things we don’t understand about ancient times. And tomorrow, we are going to go to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara to visit an old friend.”

We drove the 280 miles to Ankara in just over 4 hours arriving around noon. The Museum is located on the south side of Ankara Castle in the Atpazarı area in Ankara. Entering the building through the employees entrance we were immediately met by my old college roommate Dr. George Wilson, the new curator of the Ottoman collection.

“Hey you old reprobate, what the hell you doing in Turkey?” he asked.

“I have a very old metal box that contains a gold necklace and locket that we found on Broc Beach yesterday.” I explained. “My colleague, Dr. Robert Phillips analyzed the writing on the box, and it contained a warning to not open the box. Unfortunately, my wife, Margaret. Oh, excuse me, you two have not met. Margaret this is my old friend George, George this is my wife, Margaret.”

“Pleased to meet you, Margaret. Ok, so tell me more about this box Jim.” Effectively cutting off any reply from Margaret.

“Pleased to meet you too.” Margaret mumbled to herself.

I continued, “Inside the box Margaret found a gold chain and a heart shaped locket. I have no idea how old they are, but they appear to be several thousand years old. I also sent Robert a photo of an engraving we found in the Ploutonion in Hierapolis. It warns of impending doom if the locket is opened or if the necklace is even worn. He said it is akin to Pandora's box.”

George laughed and said that “Stories like this have been around for centuries. Merely a story to tell children to make them behave.”

“That may be true George, but these artifacts are real and very old.”, I said.

“Let me have a look, Jim and I’ll let you know if it’s something to worry about.” He said.

We walked together down the long hallway and entered a small lab. George walked over to a table where a young girl was working on cleaning and identifying several, obviously old, pieces of pottery.

“Jim, this is our new intern, Aergul. Aergul, meet my friend Jim and his wife Margaret. They are from the United States.”

“Please to meet you.” Everyone said at once.

“Aergul, I want you to examine this box and the necklace inside and tell me how old you think it is. Also try to decipher the writing on the top of the box.” Looking at Jim he says, “While she is doing this, let’s get some lunch.”

The three of us walked out the service entrance and up to, of all things, a Taco truck.

As we sat down and started eating, I thought about what Robert said, Wearing the necklace or opening the locket would cause bad things to happen. I asked George “Did you tell Aergul not to open the locket?”

“No.” he replied.

I was just about to get up and go back inside when a sudden and violent wind came up. It was as if a tornado had suddenly dropped down from the sky. While we sat there, holding on for dear life, the taco truck was lifted and thrown several hundred feet down the street. Just as it hit the ground, the earth split open and a hole several yards wide opened. Cars, trucks, and people were thrown around like toys. I thought “She opened the locket”.

Three months later there was no buildings left standing, no operating vehicles and for the most part, no people. The landscape had been wiped clean, trees and plants had been destroyed. The sea was no longer crystal clean but rather dark and murky. The sky too was dark, volcanic ash was everywhere. The sun was obscured, and the temperature had dropped to freezing level. Earth had been scrubbed clean of all humans and animals. Everything was gone except, the Cockroach.