The Pendant

It was only 5 minutes for the last bell. Mr. Peterson was conducting his history lesson on how Columbus got into America and all those except for those seated in the first two rows were actually living in several centuries ago – probably visualizing Columbus invasion in their minds. Visualization of invasion was so intense that Andy lost his balance and actually fell on Melissa’s shoulder.

The instant slap given by Mellissa brought Andy to the present date and to the history lesson.

“What’s going on?” Mr. Anderson’s thunderous voice immediately put Andy on his feet. Before Mr. Peterson said anything, the bell rang and the classes got evacuated and corridors were filled with the students running towards the gate. But not Mellissa and Andy. Mellissa had a desperate look.

“Ok, I just fell asleep and happen to fall on you. What’s so much there to fuss?” Andy exclaimed with one foot moved towards the door.

“It’s this. The pendant. It’s broken”

“So what, you can buy another. There is plenty of such in the boutiques.” said Andy muttering ‘as if it cost millions…’

“It’s not like that”. Melissa, about to add something more, just pursed her lips and simply left. Andy observed a dark but polished stone on the floor, picked it up, put it in his wallet, shrugged his shoulder and followed her out of the class room and went his own way.

Mellissa didn’t turn up to college for next couple of days. The class had a new joke on Mellissa going around the world in 80 days searching for a new pendant. Joke was mostly directed at Andy who laughed it off but cared enough to start taking notes properly – at least that would help Mellissa.

Mellissa was the Pythagoras, the Dictionary and Encyclopedia in the class. Not only she generously helped others but also volunteered to do assignments for Andy and some other friends. Knowing that Mellissa’s family do not have much bread on their table, Andy was generous enough to pay a small rate for those assignments in return for her effort. This co-existence was an understanding between them rather than an agreement. Andy had a hard time doing his own assignments during Mellissa’s absence. While taking notes for Mellissa, Andy begin to realize that doing someone else’s assignments need much concern than brain itself. However, Andy strangely felt that he is getting more capable of mathematics, spellings and memorizing lessons than before. But he kept saying to himself, ‘Once Mellissa come, I become nothing’.

After about a week, Mellissa turned up at the class once again. The desperate look she had on the last day was still in her eyes. She silently went ahead with her studies and withdrew to a corner during lunch time. She didn’t even jump up to answer the questions asked by the teachers nor even asked others if they need help. For several days she left immediately after the classes without waiting to ask whether Andy needs help with assignments.

“What’s wrong with her?” was the question the class mates had. They arrived at all the speculations possible ranging from she still couldn’t find a good pendant, mad with Andy, she is seeing a new boyfriend, or dumped by her lover, etc.

One day out of curiosity, Andy decided to follow her after school.

It was the usual history lesson and Andy somehow kept the head levelled up not wanting to miss the sight of Mellissa for she could vanish immediately after the bell rang. Soon as the bell rang Mellissa got into girls’ washrooms. Andy waited for a while at the entranceway, not seeing her coming back left home thinking he missed her sight. This repeated for several days with only a change of the waiting point like canteen, library, badminton court, etc. On the day he was made to wait by the staff room seeing her going inside, he was confronted by the class teacher who said, she didn’t come in to the staff room but saw her going home through the path at the back gate of the school, riding a bicycle.

‘Since when she started riding bicycles?’ Andy always knew that though she is smart in the classroom, she couldn’t even cross the wooden bridge over the school pond without going to fall. Realizing that Mellissa is actually avoiding her and there should be something more than he could imagine, Andy decided to be rather smart.

The next day he pretended to leave school early and got his elder brother’s help to get permission to leave the school. Outside, they changed their attire, dressed in to some plumbers working on a repair in a house closer to the back gate of the school, and were watching for her.

Mellissa came as usual got into the bicycle and was riding home. Brothers pretending to have finished their work and returning home, were on the same path following her. Mellissa turned to a different lane than the one Andy used to know, and arrived at an old cottage entrance covered with ivies. This time, Mellissa was not smart enough to avoid them as she didn’t recognize the plumbers.

Andy decided to do the eavesdropping and his brother would peep from the window and Andy went towards the main door. Seeing that it is ajar which lead to a corridor, he simply proceeded.

The corridor was a narrow passage which led Andy to a wooden door. As he stood, ready to listen what’s going on, the door opened. Mellissa was seated with some old women dressed in robes who seemed to be reciting some books. Andy didn’t realize whether Mellissa didn’t see him or if she is pretending to not having seen him. He only remembered that he tips toed to the room, seating on the ground trying not to disturb them. The next moment he was lying on his bed, with his brother and parents seated beside him. Seeing that he gained consciousness the family were pleased. When parents left the room, brother told him that he only saw an empty room as he peeped in the room and not seeing or hearing from Andy for about an hour, he also went in only to see Andy in a state of unconsciousness, but not hurt and lying on the floor all alone.

Despite all the warnings from the family not to follow or even bother about Mellissa, Andy still remained by the rear gate to see which direction, Mellissa was going. This time it was Mellissa who confronted Andy. Mellissa signaled Andy to follow her. They walked about half an hour silently until Mellissa slowed down. Andy, not knowing what to ask remained silent still.

“Give me my stone!” It was not the usual friendly voice but a demanding thunder.

“What stone?”

“One that was in my amulet. The one that you were keeping all this while”

“Ah, this one?” taking the stone he kept in his pocket all these days out of his wallet, “I just picked it up because it looked different. Was it yours then?” Mellissa just grabbed it from him, opened the locket in her amulet, put it in, and closed it tight.

“What’s this obsession with a stone? What has been wrong with you anyway?”

“Stone! This is just a stone for you, but for me it is my world”

“Whatever you say, say it in a way that makes sense”

About an hour later, Andy was going home reflecting on all what Mellissa said not knowing whether to believe it or not. Mellissa’s ancestry from mother’s line have come from Tibetan mountains and were rich with traditional knowledge of all the indigenous medicines, secret formulas and spiritual practices. The pendant was a specific gift given by her grandma on her puberty. The ladies in that small cottage were Mellissa’s grandma and some of her followers, trying hard to retain and give this traditional knowledge to their younger generation, while pretending to live a simple solitary life in the eyes of the neighbors. The stone has been made with specific rituals and chanting of spells which energizes the auras of the one who is wearing. If used properly, the one wearing it get telepathic ability and specific memory which made her the brightest of the class.

Andy suddenly realized his increased ability of memorizing the lessons after picking up the stone. Having vaguely heard of traditional practices such as Feng-Shui, Yoga, Vedas, available in different regions of Asia, Andy went home thinking of all the traditional knowledge the world must have been ignoring. Having promised Mellissa that he wouldn’t tell this to anybody, Andy just muttered to him ‘even if I tell this, no one’s ever going to believe. They may also harass those old ladies and Mellissa too. So, best way is to act dumb. Mellissa is a cute girl after all. I would say I followed her because I'm in love with her’.

Before long he actually did.