The Bracelet

The Bracelet

She enters an antique shop in the village. Lauren steps up to a glass countertop and at once is attracted to an incredible, ornate bracelet. She instinctively puts her hand to the glass and it turns into a liquid pond.

She snatches her hand back in shock and is immediately overcome with lightheadedness, so much so she feels she will pass out. Lauren grasps onto the counter’s wood border to steady herself from the swaying as a sales lady moves toward her in concern. Lauren cannot talk, her throat is constricted.

BT had entered the store without her noticing and is looking at lovely sweaters for his mam. He hears the clerk’s distress, turns in time to see Lauren sway and gets to her in time to embrace her. She manages to put her face up to him and raggedly whispers. “Please get that bracelet for me. I will be outside for some air.”

Lauren catches her breath, finds in fact her feet do work and gets outside. A stone, short wall invites her to sit. The lovely scene and briny sea air calms her. In moments, BT approaches her with the small package and sits next to her. He knows she is better by her radiant smile but is still quite anxious. "What happened in there?” He pleads.

“I was so taken aback, sucker punched actually with seeing that!” Pointing to the package. “But I just knew I had to have it. Something warned me that I couldn’t, can’t touch it though. It’s all very weird. Thank you for purchasing it!” She says shyly.

She turns to him, changing her expression to worry. BT’s eyes are slightly glazed over and he is shaking. He holds his head and spouts. “That’s weird, I’m feeling a bit dizzy too.”

Lauren holds onto him for support but is instantly mesmerized by the most majestic and magnificent creature of beauty she has ever seen. The woman with a brilliance of long, flowing crimson, corkscrew curls, strolls toward them as if she is floating. “Wait…” Lauren tries to reason. “Her hair can’t possibly be glowing, can it? I have never seen such, well, I guess a vision.” She gapes and BT does too.

“BT O’Reilly, hello! It’s wonderful to see you again!” The stranger approaches them with blatant disregard in ignoring Lauren. While flirting enticingly, she bends in close to BT’s ear and seductively forewarns him. “You will not forget me, because we are preordained by appointment. This is our touch through time, our ripple in the universe. Until we meet again!” She moves to his cheek to plant a loud kiss, then stands upright in an elegant stance. She looks at him squarely with a bewitching laugh and leaves.

The two are left mouths still open and haunted. Lauren snaps out of it first and shakes her lover frantically. “BT. BT, come to. Are you in shock? You look like you’re in shock. OK, put your head down.” She forces his head down with such force, it causes the package to fall. “Breathe now. Breathe O’Reilly, breathe.” She yells the command causing people to turn and stare.

He pushes his head up. Glancing around in surprise and questions. “What happened? Hey folks, I’m alright, thanks for checking in!” Waving at the gathering crowd to divert their attention and his own confusion. He turns to Lauren’s frightened face. “Lauren, are you alright? What the hell happened?” He holds her, she embraces him, they stay put for many moments. Waiting for their heartbeats to slow down.

Her head is burrowed in his arm. “I’ve never seen or encountered anything like her before.” Lauren pulls her head free to look into his eyes. “Who is she? She sure knows you! Have you two been together? Or should I even ask, have you fallen for her? What IS really happening?” Examining him.

“NO. Lauren, God no. I don’t know her. Please you have got to believe me.” Begging her.

“OK, alright.”

“Yeah. Well, damn. I don’t know. That package!” He looks down to retrieve it.

“NOOO. Don’t touch it.” She yells.

“Aye, right you are. Alright. Let’s stay put here. She. I’ve met her several times at parties. She always acts like I know her. But I don’t. We’ve danced a few times because she would always…wait, she’d cut in with whomever I was dancing with. Rather rudely, at that. Come to think of it, now. I’ve noticed her quite a bit, even Joe asked me about her…”

“What? Why?” Lauren franticly cuts him off.

“He, I dunno. I told him to let it go, I’m over the past. He said he noticed how she’s been at events, pictures of her. But this, nothing like this has happened. I really don’t know who she is. Oh sweet Lauren, are you alright? Now you’re looking pale.”

“I suppose not so much. Quite shocking. She is so beautiful. But not in a…well, a nice way? I don’t know. This is all a lot. And Joe, was he warning you? Does this mean she has followed you here?” Then she mutters, under her breath. “Sometimes we have to be played in order to see the truth.

“You left your phone at the hotel? I need to call mom. We need to ask her to bring Venita. I’m having some creepy feelings. There’s more here than meets the eye. Especially that package.” She points to it with a brunt finger.

“You talked of her. It’s a good story what, with you and your mom. But to bring her here? Are you thinking there’s, errr, should I even mention magic? You said she said Michael was finished here.”

“Yes, but she warned me of another situation. OHHH…” Lauren stands and starts to pace. “Another situation. It’s about you, now! Wow! Alright, here we go again! Only this time we will have help. She promised!” Lauren states more assured with this new insight. “Now, Venita’s cryptic message is making sense!”

“Oookaaay, if you say so. I’m not sure what to believe or think, Lauren. But I trust you. and we’re in this together. Do you think we should get home sooner than later? Aye, I mean the island…Inis Mór I mean?”

“Yes, I know what you meant! The folks are planning to be here not for many days yet. Maybe they can speed up their timeline. We’ll ask and get them to bring Venita here. Wait till you meet her, she really is wonderful. And I know she’ll know what to do! And Joe, we need him here too. Oh good. We have a plan!” Answering his quizzical look. “I don’t know what it is, but there’s something brewing, for sure!” She smiles, feeling somewhat more at ease.

“Say, what do you suppose we do with that?” He queries, pointing down at the box.

“Right.” She sits back down, puzzled. “I never touched it and I got dizzy. Did you? Touch it, I mean.”

“Not really. The lady in the store pulled the tray out, I pointed to it, she took it, wrapped it, then put it in that little box. I brought it to you, then started to get dizzy.”

“And that’s only touching the cardboard box. Powerful…I was attracted to it like Snow White’s apple. You think there’s magic involved? A spell? I’ve heard that they can be good and bad. Because I went for it as soon as I saw it, but when the glass countertop turned into ripples of what seemed like water, I shot back..Then the dizzy started.

“I’m going back in. Maybe I can find a box or chest. Metal? Silver! Like with vampires, you think that would work?” She chuckles at her joke, attempting to be confident.

“Maybe?” BT scratches his head. “Say, will you get that sweater for my mam? It’s of lavender, blues and a wee bit o’green!”

Lauren stands and grins down at him. “Your Irish is coming through more and more! I love it!” She smacks a kiss on his forehead, puts her hands to his cheeks and announces. “We’ve got this! No matter what. We will figure this out! We have asked for peace before. It hadn’t been an easy quest for us then and might just be another difficulty here again, yet I am asking for peace all the same!” She turns to the shop.

…….

“That bitch…stupid little pathetic bitch. Oh she is going to pay. And so will he. I am sick and tired of getting thwarted. This will not happen again. The stakes are bigger now and they will pay. I will have him. She is nothing. And if I can’t, then no one will.”

She had disguised her seething anger with a sickening sweetness to him, completely ignoring the other woman. She designed the most excellent and intricate bracelet herself. The phenomenal brilliance of old gold and silver metals were in Celtic knots. Her conception to make a new piece from her recollections, made with incredible workmanship that linked and interwove a display representing an ancient timelessness.

And she paid a fortune for it, the old, melding into new. She planted the mysterious bracelet with a spell that only Lauren and BT would be affected. The touch would push that woman out of the picture. And with his touch, he would immediately remember and be enthralled with her.

“But the bitch didn’t touch it. My beautiful spell backfired. How? Yet, he was affected. He did remember, I could see it in his eyes. He remembered me!”

…….

This is a piece written for the contest. It will now be an excerpt from the sequel to “here & there”, my spicy romance mystery novel!