Short Stories

The Girl and the Gems

It was a warm summer morning when Irene strolled down to the shore of the ocean. The sky was a beautiful blend of pinks, purples, and light blues. The ocean, a shade of navy blue similar to the color of the skirt of Irene's dress, kept the sailing boats afloat with her gentle waves. Rosewood trees surrounded Irene with their white bark and light green leaves. She felt safe when near these trees. But her favorite part about them is their scientific name: Dalbergia sissoo. Irene's mind was not on the trees today, however. She gasped when she saw the astonishing number of ships sailing on the horizon.

Irene sat on a pile of rocks near the warm water. Although her mother would be upset with her if she got her white blouse wet or dirty, Irene didn't seem to care. She felt a comfort her mother could never offer when sitting on the rocks near the ocean.

After some time, Irene decided its best she head home before her mother shouts at her. She stood up and rubbed the back of her legs where the rocks made indentations on her body. She turned to face the ocean one last time, taking in the beauty. The sky was now a bright blue and the sun was shining proudly on the water, creating a glare that blinded Irene. Most of the boats were now at the docks, doing their business. The trees cast a shadow over Irene as she went to head home.

A glare on the row of trees that separated Irene's home from the ocean caught her eye immediately. It was unlike any glare she had ever seen. Irene searched for the source and found it in the water near the rocks she had been sitting on. She picked up the strange purple object and examined it.

The object looked like a glassy rock. It just barely fit into Irene's hand perfectly. She held it up to the sun and discovered it was transparent. She turned it over in her hand and watched in awe as it changed from purple to light pink. Irene had never seen anything like this before. She looked around quickly to see if she could find anymore but unfortunately had no luck. Irene ran home as quickly as she could to show her mother her discovery.

"Mother! Mother!" Irene shouted as she raced inside her house.

"Irene, what on earth are you running and shotgun for?" Her mother replied, walking into the kitchen. Irene quickly pulled out the glass rock and showed her mother.

"Mother! I found a glass rock! Look, it's purple from the angle and pink from this one!"

Irene's mother gently took the rock from her daughter's hand and examined it closely.

"Oh, dear, Irene. I believe this is a crystal! It's absolutely beautiful. How about we wait until your father comes home so he can see if we're right? Then maybe he could be kind enough to turn it into some jewelry for us," Irene's mother suggested. Irene jumped in excitement.

Although her father is a jeweler, Irene has never owned a piece of jewelry herself. Her mother and older sister both own a few pieces, but Irene was always told she was too young. The next few hours felt like weeks for Irene as she waited patiently for her father's return from work.

When Irene's father walked through the door, Irene bounced around in a wild frenzy. Her mother shouted at her to calm down but she couldn't contain her excitement.

"Oh, hello, Irene, You've never been this happy to see me walk through the door before. What changes that?" Irene's father questioned. He pulled her in for a hug and kissed the top of her head gently.

"Father! You'll never guess what I found today!" Irene shouted. She pulled the crystal from out of the pocket of her coat and set it carefully into her father's dirty hands, "I was playing down by the ocean again today and saw this glare on the trees. When I traced it back to the source, I found this. Isn't it lovely?!"

"Oh, dear. Oh, dear! Irene! You're such a doll! I believe this is a crystal called Kunzite. I've heard about it from other jewelers but I haven't personally seen it myself. I'll make sure to make all three of my girls some jewelry with it." Irene and her mother shouted in glee.

The next day, Irene had walked down to the ocean front as she did the previous morning to search for more of the crystal. Her father seemed so happy to have some. Irene wanted to see her father happy again. After hours of searching, Irene was disappointed to return home empty-handed.

Her father was home early today. Irene was confused to see the frown on her father's face. Her mother wore sadness in her eyes.

"Father, what are you doing home so early?" Irene questioned her father.

"The most horrible thing happened today! Our jewelry store has been robbed and they stole all of the Kunzite! That gem is worth so much money!" Her father cried. Her mother put her hand on his shoulder.

"I tried looking for more of it today but I couldn't find any. I promise to continue looking!"

"No, Irene. If a greedy man finds you out there, they may hurt you. I can handle losing money and gems. I can't handle losing my child." Irene decided she would look anyway. She couldn't stand seeing her family so upset.

But weeks passed by and Irene still had not found any more of the Kunzite. Irene was very disappointed in herself. She wanted to make her family happy again but she failed.