A Museum Docent

A Museum Docent

"Will you please hurry up we are getting late?" Clara was sitting on the bed watching her helplessly.
"Will you keep your mouth shut? That's all happening only because of you." She replied furiously.
"Oh, my sweet Evelyn If you choose history as your academic subject then you should go to the museum along with your classmates to learn more about ancient people and culture." She said while setting her long hair in the mirror.
Evelyn and Clara are school friends. Evelyn's mother is the principal of her school and she along with the school committee has decided that their school would visit a nearby museum. Evelyn hates these types of visits but Clara was very happy after the announcement.
"But why? Your mother has decided this." She tried to look innocent in front of her.
"As I don't know that you suggested this to mom." She said after throwing a pillow at Clara. Before she threw it back, Evelyn's father came into the room.
"Let's go, girls! Your Principle ma'am is ready."
"Yeah," Clara exclaimed with joy and after hitting her with a pillow quickly run out of the room.
"Clara!" She shouted.
After three hours they were in the 'The museum of ancients'.
The museum was very fascinating for Clara, it brightened her already bright face but the situation was different with Evelyn. With her high ponytail, she doesn't seem fine.
"Why you called this museum 'The museum of ancients'?" She asked one of the docents who guided people about the history of things placed in the museum.
"The ancient people made it." After saying this, Evelyn grabbed her hand and led her to the other part of the museum.
This hall of the museum was painted with a combination of rust, squash, and sandstone colors to give it a bit ancient look. There were manuscripts, codex, accessories, and many other old materials enclosed in glass boxes. This portion was explicitly created for those ancient communities about which museum heads had little information. They both were standing beside a glass box when Clara asked.
"What's wrong with you Evelyn?"
"I don't know but museums always give me strange feelings. Look at the people around us, they are enjoying things that belong to the dead. They were once alive and used these things. We also dye and other people will enjoy watching our dresses, and jewelry like this." She was gazing at the manuscript enclosed in a glass box placed on the wall when Clara pinched her hard on her arm.
"Ouch!"
"For God's sake Evelyn, museums are just to get knowledge and information about the old culture and things. So, if you again come up with something out of ordinary, I'll lock you in these glass boxes." She was frustrated. After that Evelyn walked toward that glass box and read that manuscript, Clara followed her.
"I never met you, yah but I saw you with me.
I saw you holding my hands on the top of the mountain,
I imagine you every night while watching the shining stars.
I never forgot your bright face that I once saw.
I still feel it..............
Yes, I just feel you dancing with me on the magical marbles, which take us into our world.
Yes, I just feel you with me............"
"Nice lines, isn't it?" Clara said.
"Yes but these are not in old English." She replied.
"Things in this portion belong to the ancient communities about which the museum's staff have very little knowledge. So no one knows exactly about them." Clara knew this part of the museum.
"It looks like this is a manuscript about a romantic story." Evelyn was commenting like an expert when a voice startled her.
"Or maybe about a tragic one?" She was an old lady of about sixty years with short blonde hair, wearing a brown reefer with knee boots.
They both turned and looked at her from head to toe. The lady was still staring at the manuscripts. Feeling both of them looking at her, she introduced herself.
"Oh hello, I'm Valentina one of the docent of this museum."
"Nice name, who named you?" Clara asked.
"I didn't like anyone's suggestions so I named myself." She laughed out loud after saying this. Both girls looked and each other with corner eyes, they had the same thoughts at that time.
"I'm Clara and she's my best friend Evelyn." She introduced herself along with her beautiful smile.
"Evelyn!' she leaned over and looked into her eyes. 'Your parents are religious right?"
"Yes, but how to do...."
"Look at your name! Evelyn is a name with Hebrew origins and is a diminutive of the name Eve. The name Eve came from the Hebrew word 'hawah', the meaning of Evelyn is 'living one'. Eve is known as being the first woman and the wife to Adam, in the Holy Bible." She said pause, they were looking at her with open mouths.
"Oh! I'm quite intelligent." She bragged.
"Ok then tell us something about this script," Evelyn said while tying her hands on her chest.
"Why not, it's my duty.
This manuscript belongs to the Staroes tribe."
"Staroes, I've never heard about it." She asked.
"Yes because not many people know about it. Staroes were supernatural human beings, they had magical power. Their greatest feature was that their age stopped growing at sixty years. This means they could live up to 500 years, but after sixty years, regardless of their age, apparently they were only sixty."
"That's amazing," Clara said in surprise.
Valentine continued.
"For many years no child was born in that tribe." As she continued to speak, it seemed to them that all this is happening in front of their eyes.
"They were worried that their generation would be diminished.
At that point, a baby girl was born to the chief of their tribe. When she was born, she had a very bright face like a shining star. They named her Nova, she was the last person born to Staroes. Days passed and that little girl grew up. She was loved by everyone but one day a Staro came running to the tribe's chief.
"Chief, chief.......Nova," he said with a heavy breath.
"What happened to her."
"I saw her with a human." He was trembling.
"You know what you are saying?" he stood up angrily.
"I'm not lying chief, they are both still at the riverbank." That was the time about which the chief had never thought of. He along with his people caught Nova and that boy. The boy was imprisoned.
"You can't do this to me." She cried.
"You are the last member of our tribe don't you know your importance, you should know that Staroes couldn't marry to human." He had announced his decision.
"I am your daughter, you should think about me first."
"First I'm the chieftain of this of this tribe than your father"
"Yes, I know this since my childhood." She was very emotional.
"No, my dear you are also important to me. You are as precious as a pearl." Chief said holding her hands.
"Yes, that's why you want to imprison me in a shell."
"That's enough, brutal....brutal." He roared.
"Yes, chief."
"Kill that prisoner boy." Chieftain ordered.
"No please." She cried but there was one to listen to her. Soon the boy was killed and Nova locked herself in that same prison for many years. After the death of her father, she was selected as the chief of their tribe. The first rule she made after becoming chieftain was that Staroes can marry human beings which made them extremely furious. They asked her to abolish this rule, but she disagreed. Everyone stood against Nova.
They surrounded her house and set it on fire. They could hear her screams. Smoke was everywhere. When the fire was extinguished, they entered the house but Nova wasn't there. They looked into her house completely but didn't find her dead body.
"But where did she go?" Clara asked.
"No one knows, some said was completely burnt which is why they didn't find her dead body. Some said she must have run away but no one ever found her." She answered.
"Oh! poor Nova." Clara said.
"But how come you know that much about her?" Evelyn asked inquisitively.
"Because I'm the docent of this museum, I must know." She said proudly and leaned against the manuscript.
"Can't you see the pain in these words?" As she bent Evelyn saw a tattoo of a star on her neck. She held her breath for a moment but before she asked something, some students called Valentina.
"Ma'am, will you please tell us something about the accessories over there?"
"Yes sure." She said with a smile and went toward them. When she was gone Evelyn said.
"Clara, don't you feel something strange about her?"
"Nope, why are you asking?" She was surprised by the sudden question.
"She has a star on her neck." She told her.
"She looks inspired by Nova's history maybe she made it because of this." Clara was a bit relaxed compared to her. Evelyn was still looking at the back of Valentina and then she said.
"Don't you know the museum's staff has a specific dress code?" As soon as she said this, Valentina turned and gave her a meaningful smile.

The End