Trinkett and the legend of the locket
The locket is discovered… (Illustration by Laura S. Pinter © 2017)
One:
The Discovery by the Matchbook
Nestled between the floorboards at the back of the linen closet, just to the right of a faded red matchbook from "The Diner in Savannah," and behind a rusty metal sewing bobbin, was the most beautiful treasure Trinkett had ever laid eyes on. It was pinkish in hue and definitely made of some sort of metal. She scurried closer to investigate.
The treasure was fashioned of two ovals pressed tightly together, nearly as tall as she was, and secured with a curious doorknob device of sorts. Lacy indents followed the outer rim of the ovals with smallish roses that curled around each other.
Of course, Papa would be proud, but would she be able to hand over such a prize as this? Surely not. He'd put it on display right in the front of the shop where all his regulars could ogle it. They’d climb over each other just to put their greedy little paws all over it. No way!
Trinkett felt the heat rise in her cheeks as she imagined her father's admonishment for not turning over her greatest discovery. She edged forward to get a closer look and could already picture it hanging near her nest.
Well, my my, I'm already considering it mine!
She giggled. She'd never had anything that was just hers and the few things in her possession rarely stayed for long. Even all of her hand-me-down toys eventually went to Papa's pawn shop. She had become adept at finding treasures for him to sell, that she'd never really thought about what she would buy if she were one of the customers. She crept across the dust until she stood just in front of her prize.
It must be worth a fortune, she thought, but then she was never sure of those things. Papa was the expert in discerning the value of the treasures she carried back to his store. She just discovered and delivered, never appraised. After wiping away a swath of dust, the treasure came to life with a shine. It was reflective, gleaming from the narrow ray of light that peeked through from under the closet door.