Sunday, December 2, 2012

What The Water Gave Me

It was a rather uneventful day in the suburb of Lewes, until Florence decided to wade in the quick, rushing river. As she initially plunged her feet into the icy water, she shouted in surprise. She was headed for the opposite bank, where she had seen a glimmer of something bobbing in the water. She attempted to hold up the edges of her multilayered green dress as she waded deeper into the river. Her teeth began to chatter and sharp pains shot into her submerged legs. But she persisted, and grabbed the shiny locket snagged on the branch. Immediately, she turned around to return to her side of the river. Florence held the locket in her hand above the water in an iron grip, and did not loosen that grip until she had gotten out of the freezing river. Once she was on the shore, she ran back into her house, a cabin a few hundred feet away from the chilling river.
As she sprinted in, nearly slipping, and dripping cold water everywhere, she surprised her brother, who was previously asleep in a chair in front of the crackling fire. After a cruel awakening, he shouted, "What happened Florence?"
"I found a locket in the river
downstream Jacob, take a look at it!" Florence exclaimed.
She opened her hand to reveal a glistening silver circular locket and an equally fine chain that accompanied it. Jacob stood up and began examining it. He lifted it from her hand, searching for engravings to signify the owner.
"Ah!," Jacob stammered, "It-it seems to have some initials and a note engraved into the back."
"What does it say?" Florence questioned.
"To my love, your words mean more than you will ever know," he read, "Then there are the initials L.W."
Florence thought about all of the kind folks she had met at the market, and what their initials were. She thought about the Williams, but realized no one in that family had L as their first initial. But then, she remembered the secluded couple she had seen leaving town many times, and calling the town doctor on many occasions. It belonged to the Woolfs, who were Leonard and Virginia. She had heard from the grocer once that Virginia was a writer.
Florence voiced her realization with Jacob. She planned to find the Woolfs next time she was in town to return the lovely locket, and ask Virginia how she lost the locket.