A Journey to Find a Locket

   A Journey to Find a Locket

Suzanne Marsh

Matty Swenson held her small grandchild on her lap for several moments, savoring her short time with her only grandchild. The child that she knew she would not see again in this life. Susan Swenson Wentworth smiled as she watched Matty’s feeble hands reach behind her neck and unfastened the gold locket and chain. Matty had intended to give the locket to Susan, but the moment she saw her grandchild, she knew it must belong to her. She reminded Matty a great deal of her younger-self. All the child Wilma Mae Wentworth could speak about was the big ship she and her parents were going on, returning from Canada via The Empress of Ireland. Wilma repeated everything her parents had told about the Empress. She was large, no expense was spared, she was a sound ship. They would be traveling first class. Wilma simply could not wait to return home to England and her friends.

Matty faced Wilma:

“Wilma, you are almost ten years old, keep this locket as a memory of your grandma who

loves you so. Wear it and enjoy it as I have for all these years.”

Susan smiled, she knew her mother had intended to give her the locket, but giving it to Wilma seemed like a beautiful gesture of love for her and her daughter. Wilma turned to Matty:

“Grandma I will wear it always, thank you.” Wilma gave her a big hug. Susan then interupped:

“Wilma get your things dear, we have to meet your father, we can not miss the train to

Quebec.”

Wilma removed her new pink coat with the white fur collar from the hook where it hung. She put it on the matching pink fur hat, she felt like a grown-up in the ensemble. Susan and Wilma hurried toward the train station, the train was right on time. They boarded and sat down, watching as the train pulled out of the station, they would be in Quebec shortly before nine o’clock in the evening, which gave them enough time to board the Empress of Ireland.

28 May 1914

The Wentworth family arrived just before sailing time. Wilma was impressed by the size of the ship and her beauty. The family boarded, and a steward helped them to find their suite. The Wentworths unpacked what they knew they would need. The tug boats arrived and the horn blasted the Empress began to move slowly out of port. Soon Quebec was just a small speck; on a broad horizon. It was late, but the family went to the dining salon for something light to eat. Once their hunger was satisfied they returned to their cabin suite, ready for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow Susan told her daughter Wilma they would be in the waters of the Saint Lawrence River, then out to sea to Liverpool; and home. Wilma fell asleep almost immediately while her parents lay in bed talking. Everything appeared to be going well. The visit to see Susan’s mother had been a special one for Wilma and Susan, but they were happy to be returning to their home in England. The Wentworths finally settled down, and like most people fell into an exhaustive sleep. They were jolted awake in the early morning hours of the 29^th of May, by a loud bang. The first thought that entered Charles Wentworth’s mind was had they hit something? He got his wife and child moving, each with a life preserver; and the warmest coats they had. Preparing for evacuation was never an option.

29 May 1914

The jolt flung Charles and Susan toward their daughter Wilma. Wilma screamed in sheer panic; were they going to perish on this ship? She had no answer. Charles told Susan to take Wilma and go out on deck. He would follow in a few moments. What Susan saw scared her to death, she saw another ship on the side of the Empress of Ireland. She could even see the name of the ship the Storstand. Susan was unsure of where to go or what to do. A steward saw their plight:

“Mam, you both have life vests the best thing at the moment is to jump into the water,

the ship is going sink according to our Captain. Best to try to get as far away as you can

before she capsizes.”

He left Susan standing there, she waited for Charles for seemed a terribly long time, and he had not come up from their cabin suite. Susan could wait no longer, she took Wilma’s hand as the ship began to turn violently on her side. They barely managed to get their heads above water as the ship was now on her side. Susan tugged on the pink coat, bringing Wilma to the surface with her. Wilma began to scream with fear. Susan pulled her along, heading toward a shoreline that appeared to be just on the horizon, it wasn’t they were about two miles from shore. Susan pulled with all that was in her, her strength ebbing.

Susan knew she would not survive, so she told Wilma to take the locket she had been given. Wilma began to scream in terror, she saw a lifeboat in the distance, that was rapidly closing the gap between it and Wilma. There were only two women, the rest were men, and they pulled her into the boat. Wilma felt as if she were floating as she lost consciousness. She regained consciousness aboard the ship Storstand, the ship that hit the Empress of Ireland. Wilma was frightened, she had no idea where her parents were, and who was going to take care of her? Where would she go?

Wilma was taken to the hospital in Rimouski where she made a full recovery, but her adventures were not through. She went to live with her grandmother after the collision. Her grandmother welcomed her. Wilma asked her if she knew anything about what happened to her mother and father. The old woman, her voice faltering began:

“Wilma, the report stated your father died on board the Empress of Ireland, and your mother,

my daughter, drowned. You survived Wilma, and life will go on, you will marry, and have

children. Most importantly you will not always remember the terrible night The Empress

of Ireland sank. You were one of the lucky children who survived, your mother saw to that.

There were over one thousand people who died that night Wilma. We will never speak

about this again. I love you darling Wilma, my own dear grandchild.”

Years later Wilma took a trip to where the Empress sank, in her hand she held the gold locket her mother had placed in her hand before she went under for the last time. Wilma stood on the beach, tears filling her eyes as she remembered all that had happened to her that night. She thought of her mother and father, the last night they were together as a family. She had come full circle.