WEP - The Jewel Box of Mystery

Any container can hold surprises, and jewels or keepsakes can be cursed. Beautiful and detailed or worn and dusty, it's a risk not knowing where the box and its contents came from. . .

****
THE JEWEL BOX

Working in her study one morning, Madeleine heard a knock on the front door. Putting her book aside, she went to see who would call at this early hour. 

She opened her door cautiously, keeping the chain link attached between the door and the wall. No one was there. After removing the chain, she looked side to side but saw no one. About to close the door, she looked down and saw the wrapped parcel. It had her name and address on the front. She felt a shiver run up her spine. 

"What the . . . ?" 

She hesitated, remembering Pandora's box. That box would have been better left closed. Suppressing her curiosity, she picked it up and brought it inside. Setting the parcel gently on the dining table, she carefully opened the mailing box and unwrapped the object it contained. Inside was a jewel box made of a translucent ivory material that seemed to shimmer, with delicately carved symbols she didn't recognize.

She could feel the jewel box calling to her, open. . . open. . .open. . . So she did. A gasp escaped her lips as she two items in the box and a small bit of writing on a yellowed scrap of paper. Secured with a pearl hatpin, she saw an elegant sapphire ring surrounded by diamonds, and a triple strand of pearls of a choker-style necklace. They sparkled as if new, not hundreds of years old.

The jewel box belonged to someone named Gudruun, or so it was written on a strange type of paper inside, dated 1475. So, how had it survived so many years? And more to the point, how did it get to her door? Was this charmed or cursed? Hidden under the choker she found another piece of rag paper with a warning.

A beautiful chest contains the power, which attaches to the person who receives these objects, but know that the ring will give but the choker will take away. 

As she read these words, Madeliene felt a strange warmth infuse her body with a sense of contentment. Her mind was pushing her worries into a small corner and changing her resistance to put the ring on her finger. She felt no need to worry. . .

"Why not?" she said as picked up the ring. It was a perfect fit.

WC story 386

*****
Would you be tempted to open the box? If not, why not? If there was no warning, would you wear the jewelry, or arrange to have it destroyed?

Please leave a comment to let me know you were here. I'll respond. Thanks for reading my entry to this month's challenge.

*****

WEP - Write, Edit, Publish, a flash challenge
Prompt: Jewel Box

It's time for another WEP challenge - with the support team of Nilanjana Bose and Olga Godim and L.G. Keltner adding their imaginings and creativity. Thanks to Denise for being the host.

Click on the link for WEP  to see the list of participants and read their stories. Joining the WEP-ISWG challenges is easy. See information on the WEP website for details, if you're interested!

Our Partner in Writing

IWSG  - The Insecure Writers Support Group
Click on the link to learn more! .

***

WEP - The Road Less Traveled, An Outpost Story

Outpost Station #6 - The Far Reaches


A hermit doesn't seek or enjoy the company of others, unless circumstances require it. 

This bit of hermit wisdom described the wizened Old Man Noot. Not an ounce of fat on him, with long greying hair streaming from his beard and the top of his head. But when he looked at you, his bright blue eyes revealed a curious mind.

Noot, like many of the others who inhabited the abandoned space station at the edge of the Sirius system, was a space drifter looking for a place to stay off the grid, out of the mainstream and away from nosy authoritarians. He wasn't the first to show up at the station, where he had to sign an agreement before he was allowed a space in the eerie structure. This was a waystation for those who ran out of options, it provided shelter, access to supplies and was run by those who lived there. Working at odd jobs around the station was exchanged for a room and food supplies.

"Noot!" someone called out. The old man turned to see the station master, who was 'in charge'.

"Yes, Odiwa?"

"Got a job for you. It's down on level 15. I need someone to check the anti-grav equipment on that level. Someone reported hearing strange sounds coming from the room there. See if the equipment has been vandalized, or if it's a human problem."

"You think those new people may be filching stuff?"

"Possibly. Take your weapon and your wits, might need them."

"For the usual pay?"

"Depends on how much you have to do."

"All right, I'll do it, but I get to choose my options for the pay."

"Sure. If I don't hear back from you in a few hours, I'll send down a finder."

"Hmmph."

Noot didn't like the finders, all nose and no brains. He scrummaged in his equipment box for his spacesuit, the lightweight one, his tools, and a some extra ammunition. Never hurt to be prepared. He grabbed some emergency supplies and water. He was ready.

As he descended to the 15th floor, he wondered what he'd find this time. Last time he checked for noises he found a large family of rats. Rodents seemed to endure anywhere in an oxygen environment. Noot thought the rats hitchhiked on one of the early starships. 

All was quiet when Noot arrived on the 15th floor, so he let himself into the anti-grav room and cautiously entered. He didn't want to alert anyone or anything. He held his breath as he couldn't see further than 8 inches in front of himself. He activated his helmet light, just before he heard a noise in a far corner of the room. Grunts and mutterings reached his ears.  

Noot crept to within 10 feet of the corner and saw a human figure on a bedroll. He couldn't tell if the human was armed, so he gently told him, "Hello. My name is Noot, and I'm here to help. Identify yourself, please."

"Starship Pilot Mondero, recently on the trade ship Europa. Where am I?"

"You are on Outpost Station #6. We don't get drop-ins, Mondero, or encourage stowaways . How did you get here?"

"I'm a pilot, a starship pilot, who argued with his commanding officer. It didn't go well, so they deserted me here on this station, saying they would send someone to rescue me."

"Are you going to claim refugee status?"

"I don't know."

"What noise were you making? We got a call about the amount of noise in this apartment."

"I wasn't wrecking the equipment, if that's what you mean. . ."

"Never mind what I mean, get up and grab your gear. Have you got your identity docs?"

"Yes." 

***

Noot took Mondero to the station master, and advised him that the prisoner was a pilot of starships, who had some recent misfortunes. . . 

"A pilot, eh? We can use a pilot, if you can fly our small starships."

"Let's see 'em."


Odiwa took Mondero deep into the underground storage. "There they are."

Mondero stared, interest showing in his eyes. "Wonderful. The small scale blackbirds of Stealth. Haven't seen those for years."

To be continued. . . 

***


WEP - Write, Edit, Publish, a flash challenge

It's time for another WEP challenge - with the support team of Nilanjana Bose and Olga Godim adding their imaginings and creativity. Thanks to Denise and Yolanda for being the hosts! 

The challenge:

Create an artistic entry using the given prompt: a poem, a flash fiction piece of 1000 words or less, a non-fiction piece detailing your personal experience or someone else's experience, write a script, draw your dreams, or post a photograph or a photo essay. The genre and the artistic choice are yours!

Be sure to check all the other entrants on the WEP participation list! 

***

Would you want to live in an abandoned space station? What would cause you to have no choice but to live in this structure?


Please leave a comment to let me know you were here. I'll respond. Thanks for stopping by.

***

Spectacular Settings - WEP: A Slice of Montmartre, Paris

A quote about Paris, from David McCullough, in The Greater Journey.

". . .Paris was a place where one wanted to walk, where to walk - Flâneur* . . .as the French said - was practically a way of life." ('Ah, to wander over Paris!' wrote Honore de Balzac, 'what an adorable and delectable existence is that.  Flânerie is a form of science, it is the gastronomy of the eye.")

I concur.

***

A Slice of Montmartre Life

Paris - A Montmartre Street Still Life, by DG Hudson

A man in the left foreground of the image above, stands behind his wife who is framing a photograph.

"Oh honey, just take the photo. . .quick before the tour group leaves us behind."

"But I just noticed that street performer on the other side of the street. . .where did he come from?"

"Who knows? Be sure to get Sacre Coeur's dome in the shot, that's what we want - the church looming over the hill, reminding the people of its past. . .as the Mount of Martyrs."

"Of course, the camera is set for wide angle. I have included the church, the performer, the tourists, even the mother and child."

“Great, let’s catch up with our tour group. The performer is headed that way."

***

 The young mother watches the performer with his tell-tale long legs and wonders at his purpose.  Her son in the stroller sees him too.

"Maman! Maman! Look!" the child points to the street performer in stilts.

"I see him, ma cherie, do you know what he is?"

"Street play man? I want to see, ple-e-a-s-s-e, Maman!"

"We will see if he stops, little one, he may be headed for that tour group up the hill. . ."

***

The performer focuses on retaining his balance and stride as he climbs up the hill towards the tour group. His black and white ensemble is de rigeur for his occupation.

These new stilts are slowing me down a bit. . .but no matter, that must be the tour group ahead. What a disjointed collection of travellers. . .but I will charm them. I would much rather entertain that child and its mother, the little ones always love me, but the tour group will pay better. I have to eat too. 

I know what will appeal to this older audience, I will present the French tour guide view as he tries to interpret the Franglais and other mashed languages that most of the visitors speak.  I will be diplomatic as they say, of course! Ah, Paris!

***

*Flâneur - an aimless idler, dawdler, a dandy with time to stroll; one who observes life and offers his opinion on what he has observed.

***
From DG:

As I walked the steep hills of Montmartre, I saw the little things that bring a place to life and imprint upon the memory: the blue door to the residence where two brothers Van Gogh lived, an inner city vineyard, Lapin Agile - a café which swapped meals for art, the wall-passer - an author's story brought to life by a sculpture in a small square, and the view from  Sacré Coeur. I saw the areas which had declined with time, but they faded behind the historical aura of Impressionist artists painting turn of the century dances in courtyards tucked in the shadow of the windmills. I could almost smell the fresh bread made from the milled flour.

WC = 501

Feedback = MPA


***

August WEP Prompt: Spectacular Settings

A setting can infuse our imagination. The visual prompts the sensory and the memory follows along. What is spectacular will vary with each writer. 

WEP = Write, Edit, Publish - this worthy challenge is back!

WEP has been revised to allow more time between prompts and more opportunity to read the work by the writers who join in the challenge, WEP offers the writer an opportunity to test their short writing skills. The word limit is 1000 or less.

The hosting job is now shared between two writer/bloggers, Denise and Yolanda, who have tweaked this challenge to make it more interesting. Read more about the changes, the prompt and how to participate at the WEP blog site. Also check out their blog sites to find out a bit more about our two hosts.

Join us! Hope you enjoy reading all the entries via the web site and giving feedback where indicated. 

**********

Have you heard of WEP? Are you interested in joining? Do you like reading short fiction?

Please leave a comment just to say you were here, so I know you dropped by!  Constructive feedback is welcome. Hope you enjoy the reading!

Thanks for reading my entry, and don't forget to visit the other writers on the list at WEP - Write, Edit, Publish! 

*******