The Missing Bracelet
"My bracelet is missing. Can you help me?" A young girl asked the man who sat at an old desk.
"Something's always missing." He muttered without looking up.
"I guess so. But it is an emerald bracelet. I need to find it before my mother wakes up." She said in an urgent voice.
He paused his work to look at the little girl. She was wringing her hands in tension. With a sigh, he replied. "Tell me about it."
"We stopped for a refill and when mom was filling the gas, I went to the loo. It was on my wrist when I came back but suddenly disappeared. I searched everywhere. It just vanished!" She answered and added. "I'm Sarah."
"Alright, Sarah. The thing is bound to be somewhere here. No other vehicle came in after yours and you must have noticed how deserted this place is. It is definitely not stolen. We will find it." The clerk said to her.
Sarah nodded. "I told my mother to take a break. She is napping in the car."
"Let's get going then." He replied and went with Sarah to search the place again. She was right. The bracelet was nowhere to be seen. The gas station itself was a small thing. There wasn't much area to search.
Sarah looked at him with tears in her eyes and he felt bad for her. She was a little girl, barely fourteen years old with huge brown eyes and two thick braids of dark blonde hair.
"Don't cry, kid. We'll find it." He told her. They spent the next fifteen minutes poking into holes and peeping into gaps.
"What are you doing, Sarah?" A female voice made them jump. They turned to look at a woman in her early forties with a simple face and no makeup.
"Umm… mom…" Sarah murmured.
"She lost her bracelet. We are searching for it." The clerk answered as Sarah glared at him. He thought the woman looked sensible and would understand.
"Sorry, mom. I promised I would be careful. I was, too. It just vanished from my wrist." Sarah spoke in a low voice that trembled at the end.
The woman sighed. "Now you understand why I don't let you wear it. It is too big for you. Is that why you wanted me to take a nap?"
Sarah nodded.
"Well, I needed the nap. Let's get going. We have to reach Spring Lake by evening." The woman said and turned towards the car.
"But mom…" Sarah began. She could not understand why her mother was not bothered about the bracelet.
"The bracelet? I have it with me, Sarah. It slipped from your wrist when you were walking towards the car. I saw and picked it up." She replied in a calm voice.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Sarah cried.
"To teach you a lesson, my dear. Now get into the car." The woman replied and turned towards the clerk who stood silently watching the scene. "Sorry for the trouble and thank you for trying to help my daughter."
The clerk nodded and smiled. "I realized you had it when we couldn't find it anywhere and you looked so composed. I'm sure she must have learned her lesson. Have a good day."
She thanked him again and drove away. The clerk went back to his old desk smiling. The woman reminded him of his mother.
"Something's always missing." He muttered without looking up.
"I guess so. But it is an emerald bracelet. I need to find it before my mother wakes up." She said in an urgent voice.
He paused his work to look at the little girl. She was wringing her hands in tension. With a sigh, he replied. "Tell me about it."
"We stopped for a refill and when mom was filling the gas, I went to the loo. It was on my wrist when I came back but suddenly disappeared. I searched everywhere. It just vanished!" She answered and added. "I'm Sarah."
"Alright, Sarah. The thing is bound to be somewhere here. No other vehicle came in after yours and you must have noticed how deserted this place is. It is definitely not stolen. We will find it." The clerk said to her.
Sarah nodded. "I told my mother to take a break. She is napping in the car."
"Let's get going then." He replied and went with Sarah to search the place again. She was right. The bracelet was nowhere to be seen. The gas station itself was a small thing. There wasn't much area to search.
Sarah looked at him with tears in her eyes and he felt bad for her. She was a little girl, barely fourteen years old with huge brown eyes and two thick braids of dark blonde hair.
"Don't cry, kid. We'll find it." He told her. They spent the next fifteen minutes poking into holes and peeping into gaps.
"What are you doing, Sarah?" A female voice made them jump. They turned to look at a woman in her early forties with a simple face and no makeup.
"Umm… mom…" Sarah murmured.
"She lost her bracelet. We are searching for it." The clerk answered as Sarah glared at him. He thought the woman looked sensible and would understand.
"Sorry, mom. I promised I would be careful. I was, too. It just vanished from my wrist." Sarah spoke in a low voice that trembled at the end.
The woman sighed. "Now you understand why I don't let you wear it. It is too big for you. Is that why you wanted me to take a nap?"
Sarah nodded.
"Well, I needed the nap. Let's get going. We have to reach Spring Lake by evening." The woman said and turned towards the car.
"But mom…" Sarah began. She could not understand why her mother was not bothered about the bracelet.
"The bracelet? I have it with me, Sarah. It slipped from your wrist when you were walking towards the car. I saw and picked it up." She replied in a calm voice.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Sarah cried.
"To teach you a lesson, my dear. Now get into the car." The woman replied and turned towards the clerk who stood silently watching the scene. "Sorry for the trouble and thank you for trying to help my daughter."
The clerk nodded and smiled. "I realized you had it when we couldn't find it anywhere and you looked so composed. I'm sure she must have learned her lesson. Have a good day."
She thanked him again and drove away. The clerk went back to his old desk smiling. The woman reminded him of his mother.
Image is taken from Pinterest
What an interesting lesson - I totally felt badly for the girl. I think we have all been in those shoes. you delivered her feeling of urgency and upset. I also liked her initiative, to try resolving her problem without alerting her mother.
ReplyDeleteSomething to think about. I felt a little disconnected to the gas station clerk. Some more body language & expressions for him may have helped me get from the beginning (where he seemed annoyed by the little girl) to the end (where he was nostalgic.)
Thank you.
DeleteI will definitely keep that in mind(the body language part).
Such a harsh lesson for the poor child to learn. It reminded me of losing a set of gold earrings when I was very young.
ReplyDeleteI had some trouble establishing the voices of your characters, and was a little unsure why Sarah introduced herself to the gas station attendant -- even though he hadn't asked and didn't reciprocate. His reasons for helping her were also unclear. Given that he was so disinterested in the first paragraph, it felt a little out of character for him to suddenly be so enthusiastic and reassuring about searching for the bracelet.
I wanted him to be one of those who are bored of their job but need it. Also any new adventure, even an inconsequential thing would interest them.
DeleteAlso I wanted to show that being disinterested doesn't mean he is a jerk. Sarah's anxiety moves him a little & he feels bad for her.
Sarah being anxious to get his help would want to be polite to him, so I thought it would be appropriate if she'd give her name as introduction.
Maybe I should have used a few more details. Thank you. :)
Oh poor Sarah! It must have been a tough situation. I liked how thought of an interesting way to incorporate a parenting lesson into the scene.
ReplyDeleteThank you. :)
DeleteI feel bad for Sarah! I liked how you described her state of mind.
ReplyDeleteI did have some trouble following the dialogues spoken by different characters.
Thank you. :)
DeleteI will keep that in mind next time.