Writing for Fun
July 2021
A Small Gold Locket - Diane Silverston
There it was, hidden amongst the broken bead necklaces and old pin-less broaches. Tarnished but still with a light glint that caught Emma’s eye. Everything was mingled together, in what looked like an old, small rusting biscuit tin. It had been at the back of the top drawer of the bureau, which had seen better days, dusty in all the corners and on the top, except where ornaments had been standing for probably many years.
The whole room was musty, dusty, overcrowded and neglected. No one seemed to know when it had last been used by the occupant of the house. Decades ago, as she had been in a wheelchair for most of the time Emma had known her, stuck, just using the lounge and kitchen, and bathroom, all downstairs. All the rooms upstairs were in the same state as the one Emma was in now. Everyone was here, the whole family, desperately trying to clear everything before the weekend. Her Grandmother had died 3 weeks ago, they had held the funeral, today the Will had been read and the house was up for sale. Her Grandmother had left something to everyone. Emma had inherited the bureau and its contents. So here she was sitting in the front bedroom sorting out the drawers. Many were filled with clothes, which could go to charity. Some had paperwork in them which Emma had put aside in a suitcase to go through later, bills, photos, news cuttings and letters. One bundle had caught Emma’s eye, tied up with purple ribbon. They had been on top of the old biscuit tin. Were they connected to any of the jewellery.
Emma dusted the bureau, moved it towards the door, put the remaining things in the suitcase. She called her Father to help her carry things out to her car. With the back seat down, the bureau just fitted into the back, with the suitcase alongside. Then Emma returned to help the family clear the rest of the house. After a 4 hour drive she reached her home. It was late but her friend Greg helped her lift the bureau and suitcase into the study.
At the weekend Emma decided to tackle her inheritance. She washed and polished every part of the bureau, finding odds and ends tucked away in different parts. When she had finished it gleamed, just like she remembered it when she was a child. She pushed it into the alcove near the window of the study, overlooking the garden.
Now for the suitcase.
Emma started by finding some file boxes, one for the unopened post, one for postcards, one for newspaper cuttings, one for letters, one for photos and one for other oddments. She put them onto the sofa, put the suitcase on the table, opened it up and started sorting. Fairly quickly each of the boxes started filling up and the suitcase started emptying. Eventually the case was empty and she could close it and move it out of the way.
Emma decided to start with the box full of newspaper cuttings. Some were dated way back in the 1930s and 40s. She neatened them up, put them back in the box, labelled it before putting it on a shelf above the bureau, for a later day. Next the postcards, mostly from her extended family whilst on holiday. She read them with a smile on her face, remembering those holidays, often on the beach somewhere. There were a few very special cards from a previous period of history. Emma decided to keep them in the top of the bureau, the rest she discarded. Next it was the box of photographs, again many of them were of herself, her family, siblings and cousins growing up. Several she saved to make a collage later. Many she threw away, also those of people she had no idea of who they were. She found one of her Grandparents together. She decided she would buy a frame for that so she could place it on top of the bureau. Suddenly she came across of an old sepia photo of a young man in uniform, was it of her Grandfather? When Emma turned it over there was a date 1916 and what looked like a letter ‘G’ But her Grandfather’s name was Lionel. So who was it? She decided to keep it and see if she could find out more. So far 2 empty boxes and one on the shelf. Emma decided to look through the oddments, first the old biscuit tin. She decided to take the beads etc, to a jewellers.
That afternoon whilst in town she visited a jewellers, to buy a picture frame and ask about the things in the tin. He suggested that the pin-less brooches could be repaired or made into pendants, and the beads could be rewired. He was very interested in the tarnished locket, he was sure it was gold and could be cleaned. Emma decided to leave it, bought some special wire and clasps. Took the frame and went home.
She put her Grandparents photo in its new frame and placed it on top of the bureau.
Later that day she took another box to sort, unopened post. Many were bills from years ago, some letters from people her Grandmother knew years ago. All so out of date. Emma decided to tear them up and threw them away. One box still to go. Letters, many from family and friends, several from herself whilst at school or on holiday. Most could just be discarded, but the little pile tied with purple ribbon seemed intriguing.
Emma moved to sit in the big armchair to read these letters. They had been written in the early 1900s. They obviously were love letters between two young people. Each one started with ‘My Dearest E’ so must have been to Grandma Emmeline, but were from ‘Your loving G’ Who was he? That young man in uniform in the photo? Has grandma had a young man before Grandad? What had happened, had he died during the war? The last letter was dated 1918 and wasn’t from G but from his commanding officer, informing her that ‘George Adams’ was ‘missing in action’. How sad. Emma found tears rolling down her cheeks. She tied the letters up again, put them with the photograph and placed them in the little drawer in the top of the bureau.
During the next few days Emma restrung the beads, sorted out the brooches, some she replaced the pins, some she hung on chains as pendants. She offered them to female members of the family as memories.
It was a week or two before Emma was able to return to the jewellers to reclaim the locket. It was so beautiful, gleaming and the etchings were clear also the letters ‘E’ and ‘G’ on either side. The jeweller had managed to repair the catch. As Emma opened it there were 2 miniature photos of a young girl and lad. ‘Emmeline and George.’
Emma felt a twinge of sorrow for the two. A love unfulfilled. She knew her Grandmother and Grandfather had been happy in their lives together, but what might have been?
Emma decided she would keep and wear the locket herself. It as lovely to feel that connection with her Grandmother everyday.
It was several months later when she was out with her friends that someone noticed the locket and queried her about it. When they saw the letters ‘E’ and ‘G’ engraved either side, they half jokingly said, ‘You and Greg? Tell us more.’ Emma had glanced at Greg and blushed,
Could it be another E and G together? Was it meant to be ? Only time would tell.