The Little Locket

Where did you find that?!” Her voice practically broke while trying to get the words out. She didn’t think that something so important would end up in a lake so far from home.

The nobleman had in hands a small trinket that was covered in moss and dirt. He was still in the water, the legs of his trousers dipping dangerously close to the water. He was focused on cleaning what appeared to most as a rock and was now seeing it as a small locket on a very rusted and small chain.

“I just found it here…” the man said, his tone being a mixture of shock and confusion.

The redhead woman shook her head. “That can’t be possible!” She began to gather the hem of her large gown into her ams. “It looks like the-”

“Isabella!” The dark haired man called out to the redhead, moving towards her. “You do not have to get into the water. Let me get over to-”

“I want to! The water seems nice and we are only heading home after this.” She stated with a dainty chuckle. She was slipping off her shoes as she spoke.

He chuckled to himself as he rolled up the legs on his trousers, making sure to keep the small locket in his hand. “Please, be careful, my love!” He called out as he watched the one he loved trudge carefully in the knee deep water.

He rushed over to her quickly, and as carefully as he could, to get her into his arms before showing the tiny locket and chain.

“Roland! You don’t have to-” she protested gently, playfully tapping his arm before her olive eyes went to the item. “It almost looks like the locket I had as a child.”

Roland furrowed his brows slightly. “The one that your father gave you?” He was still doing his best to clean the build up of moss on the locket.

“Yes. My father had it last,” Her tone was casual as she spoke about it. “It had an “I” on the front and the chain broke on it and he promised to fix before he-” The man’s eyes went wide at the little locket as an “I” was revealed on the side he was looking at.

“What’s the matter, dear?” Isbella noticed his expression change while she was speaking, which made her stop in her tracks of thought.

Roland moved to show her the locket and looked up at her with his dark brown eyes. “Where did it break on the chain? What’s in the locket? This may just be a-” His words were going fast, something Isabella rarely saw from him.

She took his hand into hers, making him stop what he was saying for a moment. He let out a soft breath before moving the tiny chain from behind the locket. Isabella shook her head in disbelief. It was broken in the exact spot on the chain. It was just a coincidence…

“Perhaps we should sit in the grass and see if we can get it open? What is in there if it is yours?” Roland guided the two of them from the lake and onto a patch of grass.

“A picture of me and my grandfather. He had just passed away when Father bought me the necklace.”

The two were soon sitting in the grass near the pond, Roland doing his best to pry the little locket open. After a few more moments of trying, the locket was popped open. Isabella leaned close to Roland, the smell of her perfume still wafting from her skin, and tried to hold back tears.

“That’s Grandfather!” She practically screamed, gripping tenderly on to Roland’s arm.

“What happened for the locket to be in the lake? What happened to your father?”

“We don’t know. Mother said he vanished one night after a night out with his associates.”

“And no one ever saw him after that?”

“No.”