The Sapphire Ring Of Destiny

Chapter 8: Eclipse of joy

Sophie sat amidst her parents at the dining table with a gloomy face as she stirred and stared at her food. She hadn’t taken a spoon of the mushroom soup and her parents were observant of this.

‘Sophie, you aren’t eating. Is everything okay?’ Melissa asked her daughter.
‘I’m not really hungry, mum.’ Sophie replied.
‘My angel, are you okay? Or you don’t like the soup? They are some tasty, crunchy, fried shrimps in the kitchen if you can’t manage the soup.’ Anthony offered to his daughter. It was until he turned his gaze to his wife that he noticed she took issue to his last statement which had unintentionally given insulting comments to Melissa’s mushroom soup.

‘Hey, I like the soup. I’m just trying to address our daughter’s lack of interest in her food. Don’t believe me? See then.’ Anthony said as he took a spoon into his mouth and forced out a smile of satisfaction while Melissa grinned.

‘You don’t have to pretend to like the soup, Tony.’ Melissa said to her husband
‘But it is not a pretence. I like the soup,’ Anthony replied immediately in defense ‘Or at least, I don’t hate its taste.’ Anthony declared after going through some honest thought. He hated mushrooms but didn’t hate mushroom soup so long as he wasn’t present during the preparation.

‘I’m fine dad, I’m just not hungry.’ Sophie cut in.
‘Alright, if you say so, go have some rest. You must be really tired, maybe you might grow hungry after that.’ Anthony said to his daughter.

‘Um, dad...’ Sophie called
‘Yes, my angel.’ Anthony answered expecting a request from her.
‘Do you remember the granny to whom I gave some amount of the money meant for foodstuffs when I was about nine?’
‘Oh, yes I do. And though you were scolded then, we just want you to know that we’re proud of what you did, but why do you ask?’

‘I need to see her. I just want to visit her and see how she is doing.’ Sophie replied.
‘Honey, you can’t see her.’ Sophie’s mother declared after exchanging glances with Anthony.

‘But mum I’m old enough. I’m twelve and no longer a baby.’ Sophie replied agitatedly. Anthony cleared his throat and Melissa nodded a signal of approval.

‘Sophie, my angel, we didn’t say you shall not see her or that you are disallowed from seeing her. We are saying you cannot see her because she is gone.’
‘Why did she leave? I mean, where did she go to?’ Sophie asked innocently.

‘No one knows why or where for sure, but we believe she went to heaven and is now at peace.’ Melissa lied emotionally.
‘She is dead!’ Sophie screamed in shock.

Lying in her bed, several thoughts spun in her head. The weakest of them; next day at school was the class-captain election final— it was no longer that big a deal; another weak thought was Constance announcement to Frederick, that she had a crush on him; also was Constance belief that she liked Edward as well— well, she did but just as good friends; and as for her wanting them both to herself, she felt that was simply ridiculous and outrageous and a subtle frustration on Constance’s own part for being unable to communicate her feelings for Edward.

These thoughts worried Sophie only a little, but the stronger ones which came next gave her a slight headache, a troubled mind and a guilty heart.

The recent heartbreaking news that the granny was dead came first and she still didn’t know anything about the ring— good luck with that, this first thought said.

Constance was right, another reckoned.  If she hadn’t hidden the knowledge of the ring from her friends and family she would have known it wasn’t an ordinary ring and maybe could have figured out its powers and abilities. But now the granny is no longer alive to tell her and she was running out of time. Indeed, it was greed. Greed is the cause of all her recent misfortunes yet Constance failed to recognise that she didn’t even tell her parents. I could tell them now and perhaps they could help me come up with a solution, Sophie thought but then she pictured the look of disappointment and the anger on the faces of her parents just like then, when she had given away their money for shopping to a stranger or just like the way Constance had looked at her for keeping the ring a secret.

Sophie worried that their relationship was jeopardized, and it was on this thought that she finally succumbed to the grip of sleep.

Sophie woke up the next morning but didn’t forget the terrible dream she had last night. It was the same as the nightmare she had three nights ago. A woman and her daughter took over their town and school, making everyone their puppets, except this time the face of the daughter was now clear and visible. And its sight brought fear and horror upon Sophie— it was the face of Constance