To Pluto

He slid his fingers over the cold metal. It wasn’t beautiful, by any means. The chain had tarnished and rusted long ago. He could see that the heart shaped pendant used to be ravishing. It had a dismal green tint behind the years of dirt and grime. The blackened silver hugging the stone still clung onto its former beauty, still trying to shine. He sat there for what felt like an eternity, admiring the beauty of the jewelry. He,mindlessly, turned it over and over in his hands. He wondered who it belonged to and what the story could’ve been. He turned it over in his hands one last time and saw something. If he wouldn’t have looked down at that moment, he would’ve missed it. It was the smallest twirl. It seemed to have been burned into the metal. An inscription, perhaps? He thought. It definitely didn’t look professional. It was shaky, messy, and a stark contrast to the elegant front.

He made the decision to go get it cleaned. He knew of one jewelry cleaner in town, Demitis. He stood up and wandered through the empty streets of Bennetin. It was a small town, about forty-five minutes from the Big City. He looked around at all the empty store windows. Stores had shut down about five years ago when the New Government came in. They promised to take care of all possible needs, so everything disappeared. All grocery stores, clothing stores, even libraries. All jobs were dissolved, even remote ones. Needs were requested through the Orion app on the government provided phones, the only app they were allowed to have. He had taken his last two years of high school through the app.

Everything was done through the app, even matchmaking. He shook his head and tried not to think about the fact that he needed to consult the app for a match soon. He dreaded the thought of being forced to match with someone he didn’t know. His parents had always taught him that love was the most important thing in the world and that marrying for love was something special that had to be cherished. He hung his head. He had been forced to leave his home, his entire family, and move into Bennetin. Orion had told him it was so he could “grow” and “learn that he only needed the government for support” He shuddered at the thought and started walking faster.

He had arrived at Demetis’s house. He walked around to the back and found the old storm cellar that Demetis spent most of his time in. He knocked three times. Silence. Then, the faintest knock could be heard on the other side. He smiled and pulled open the door. Demetis greeted him as he climbed down the ladder. They exchanged a handshake and a hug, two things that had also been banned. The Government didn’t believe in having friendships, because that meant support outside of The Government.

Demetis smiled and said, “What have you got for me, friend?” He pulled the locket out of his jacket pocket. Demetis’s mouth hung open. “Where in the bloody hell did you find that?!” He whispered. He smiled, “You know I can’t tell ya that.” Demetis rolled his eyes, “Yeah, Yeah, Just in case the guards come.”

The Government had started having the guards come for “surprise inspections” when the discourse had been at its peak, about two years after they came in. They were here for “additional support”. He had seen them drag a kid away for asking his mother a school question. They dragged her away as well for trying to answer it, instead of immediately telling him to consult Orion. Where were they taking them? He didn’t want to know.

“Well, I can tell you that this is an emerald. Authentic, too.” Demetis whistled low, “She’s a beaut. Genuine silver and there seems to be an inscription on the back, although it looks to be done by an amateur. Definitely not done by someone who knew what they were doing.” “Can you clean it and tell me what it says?” He asked. “Way ahead of you,” Demetis pulled out a squeeze bottle of a clear liquid. “What’s that?” he questioned. “A magician doesn’t tell his secrets,” Demetis laughed, “Now turn around, this will take a second.” He chuckled.

He took a look around Demetis’s “humble abode”, as he liked to call it. The walls were bare because Demetis claimed that it helped him stay focused. He found it very soul crushing. He remembered his childhood home, filled with photographs and colorful flowers at all seasons. His mother adored flowers and adored her children even more. His brother and him never went without. She went above and beyond for her boys, especially after their father had been killed. He always thought that she filled the house with flowers to make the place smell good. But as he had gotten older and been forced into isolation, he realized that she put flowers everywhere to remind her to smile. She hoped it would help her boys smile as well.

“...And….There! It’s done!” Demetis shouted triumphantly. He whirled around. The silver was gleaming. The emerald was stunning and reflected the light of Demetis’s old lamp. He grabbed the locket gently out of his friend’s hands and turned it over. To Pluto. “Well, it’s not grammatically correct. There should be a comma.” He commented, while squinting at the inscription. “Ok, brain boy.” laughed Demetis. His friend took the locket. “Who do you think Pluto is?” He rolled his eyes, “It’s a planet, dumbass,” he snided. “I’m aware! But I doubt someone is actually trying to give a locket to a fucking planet,” His friend laughed, “It’s probably a nickname. Probably for a girl.” Demetis wiggled his eyebrows, making him laugh. “Perhaps. It probably predates Orion.” His friend nodded his head, taking a closer look at the inscription. He opened the actual locket. “Well, shit. That’s no fun. It’s empty.” Demetis shrugged. “Here’s your locket back. Don’t let anyone else know about this. Remember!” He nodded his head. He climbed his way out of the storm cellar. He started walking back towards his apartment. He rubbed his thumb over and over the locket in his pocket.

He unlocked his door and plopped down on the couch. He pulled out his phone and saw a notification from Orion. Time for daily affirmations! He rolled his eyes. Not right now, he thought. He placed his phone next to the necklace on his desk and wandered into his kitchen. His food delivery was due to come today, so he didn’t have much left. I’ll just wait until they get here. It’s only twenty minutes. He walked back to his desk to see what show Orion had picked for him today. Something was wrong. His screen was completely red. “The hell?” he tapped his phone. This had never happened before. A solemn face appeared on the screen. You are in violation of Code 642. Guards will escort you to headquarters. He felt the blood rush from his face. He backed up from the phone. “What the fuck does that mean?” he yelled. You are in violation of Code 642. Guards will escort you to headquarters. It repeated. He jumped at the sound of knocking.

He had to think fast. He grabbed the locket, leaving the phone on the desk. He climbed out of the window in the back of his apartment, right as the front door was kicked in. “Stop!” The Guards shouted. He ran down the fire escape, stuffing the locket in his jacket pocket. He stopped for a moment at the bottom of the stairs and tried to catch his breath. He heard guards shouting in his apartment. “Find Him!” He took a deep breath and only had one thought. Run.