I paused, grimacing, as the rough edge of the stone dug into the palm of my hand. Glancing upward, I watched my sister, perched on a foothold an arm’s distance from me, as she placed her hand in the stone’s crevasse and lowered herself down.
The golden-orange sunset was at our backs as we carefully eased our way down the tower’s ruins. As the rough stone gave way to the soft grass, I stepped back, leaving room for Kateya to jump down. Once she had landed, we looked at each other, grinning over what we had just done. Even as we began to feel exhausted from the strenuous climb, we were not entirely over the surreal feeling we had felt when sitting on top of the tower, overlooking the land.
Our mother’s voice calling for dinner shook us from our adrenaline high, sending our thoughts scattering as we hurried over toward our picnic spot—a patch of grass a mere two meters from a circular pond that held the sun’s reflection. We sat by the water’s edge—Kateya, our parents, and I—with our backs facing away from the château, looking over the pond and the setting sun, and I felt a welcoming peace. As if all was right in the realm as I sat there by the pond in Verastarr.
That blanket of happiness lasted through the night as we laughed and talked by the fire’s light, reminiscing over our adventures and memories, wishing the day could last forever.
While we sat on the grass, the pinks and oranges in the sky faded to blues and blacks, and my parents decided it was time to make our way back to town. We walked the bustling, Verastarr streets for the last time—taking in all the unique smells and sensations. The summer breeze was gently tugging my long, brownish-blonde hair, making it dance this way and that. Smells of rich cuisine and chocolate pastries drifted by, alluding to a magical night.
I stopped by a fountain with a statue in the center of an angel flying off the water—head looking up—eyes focused on The Void. Slowly, my gaze lifted toward the sky, mimicking the carved angel, and skimmed over the full moon—the stars.
I closed my eyes and prayed to the God, wishing I never had to leave this land.
Turning away, a wrinkled, cracked hand urgently snatched my wrist. Clean, painted nails dug into my skin as I whirled around. My eyes widened as I caught my breath, my voice momentarily escaping me. Startled, I cautiously took in the appearance of the person grabbing my wrist. She was an elderly woman who appeared close to ninety years old, with fine, white hair, wearing a simple, silky dress with a lightweight shawl hanging off her shoulders. She looked at me with a fierce, determined gaze, her eyes a deep purple with a mysterious silver swirl.
“Mademoiselle, Mademoiselle,” she croaked. “Prends ca!” She fumbled to open my closed hand.
“Qu’est-ce que c’est?” I questioned; my voice was heavy with suspicion as I regarded the stranger. I could feel a small object with sharp edges being pushed between my fingers.
“Un mémoire,” she replied, placing the smooth object in my palm and curling her fingers over mine. “Pour quand vous le désirez le plus.”
She released my hand, then pushed me away, vanishing into thin air right in front of my eyes. Pushing me from the fountain and from Verastarr itself. I made my way toward my family, barely processing my surroundings, wondering why the elderly woman gave me this object. I pondered her last statement: “For when you desire it the most.”
I unfolded my tightly closed palm to reveal a red, rectangular pendant on a simple, gold chain. The pendant itself was a ruby-red gemstone with swirls of gold, and a few more intricate designs trapped within it. I gazed at the pendant, wondering what I was to do with it, before shoving the necklace into my pocket. I planned to look at it further in the morning.
Looking up, I focused on being present with my family and noticed how the streetlights left patterns of light and shadow on the road before me.
A sense of peace settled over me as I walked home that night, away from Verastarr, the place that I loved so dearly.
I knew then that I would find my way back, somehow, sometime, should the God allow me to…