The Amulet and the Doll

Chapter 2 Jasper

Walking through the dark night, Jasper was confused. He could feel the summer heat still sticky on his skin and smell the flowers. Every turn they made he heard the noises of frogs and crickts chirping. He wasn't sure what his master needed him for at such a late hour, but had learned early on never to ask.

When they came upon the witch's cottage, Jasper became nervous.

"What are we doing here, Master Owen?" asked Jasper.

"I have a little job for you, boy," replied Owen. "I need you to go in and steal Rebecca's amulet. It has a purple heart jewel in the center."

Terror rose in the pit of Jasper's stomach and his hands began to sweat. He id not want to do this. He knew it was wrong.

Owen must have seen the fear written on his face, because he leaned down to Jasper's face, grabbed his chin and lifted his face up and growled, "If you do not do this for me, I will have your family killed."

Jasper gulped and nodded his head. Taking a deep breath, he steeled his nerves and sunk into the darkness.

Crawling on his hands and knees, he made his way to the front door. With shaking hands, he reached out for the door handle and pulled, but it was locked.

Quickly he looked around for an alternative entry point and noticed a window that was slightly cracked open, just a few feet away.

Jasper crawled under the window as quietly as he could. Slowly, he opened the window. When it was wide enough for him, he pulled himself up and shimmied throught, and lightly dropped to the floor.

He waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark and scanned the room. Something shiny glinted in the back by the fireplace. 

Softly, he tiptoed and made his way tot eh back of the room. He sighed in relief as he grabbed the beautiful necklace and hurriedly left the same way he had come in. He was careful to place the window as close to the same position as he could remember when he arrived.

Dashing across the dark yard, Jasper nearly crashed into Owen.

Out of breath, Jasper hands over the necklace to his master and asks "Why do you need this necklace? You have lots of money and fancy jewels in your Jewel Room. Why did you need this one?"

"It has great protection magic in the jewel. It will keep me safe from my enemies forever!" replied the tyrant. "If you wish to keep your family safe, you will tell no one of what has happened tonight. If I find out anyone knows I have the amulet I will have your family put to death for treason.

Jasper's face lost all it's blood and he started to feel light headed. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was suddenly dry. "I promise I won't tell anyone," he wheezes out.