The Black Onyx Stone

Chapter 1

          Mina stood with her arms crossed, staring at the rich burgundy colored walls  in the living room she shared with her boyfriend Lucas. Her feet were planted firmly on the plush rug as she listened to Lucas ramble on about her faults in the relationship. Lucas shot Mina a look of annoyance as he took notice of the nonchalance that exuded from her.

        “Why do you always act like you don't care about us Mina?” Lucas spat out, his voice raised an octave.“It’s so hard to get you to admit that you’re wrong. I feel like a goddamn lawyer who has to present my case to you, and I lose every time. I can tell you are a little depressed, but to ignore my feelings is complete bullshit. You stay at your job late all the time and when I call you don't pick up. Are you just doing this on purpose or something?"

        “ No, I mean, Yeah, I know Lucas, but you know how busy it gets at work.I just want to finish what I start you know?" Mina interjected.

        “Is it because you'd rather be there than here?"Lucas asked as Mina glowered at the floor.

        "Mina, you can ignore your own feelings, but I won't handle you ignoring mine. You may want to consider changing careers, or pick up a hobby, go find your passion. I don’t know I just don’t want us to be like this, or you for that matter. This isn’t what I signed up for,” Lucas shouted at her. It stung Mina a bit to hear Lucas spit such unkind words with such vigor.

  She knew that she had been distant, neglectful even, but she was unaware that she had been treating him as if he was as interchangeable as the supplies on her work desk.

         “Lucas, I’m sorry, I really am. I just have been stuck in this…in this rut. I just feel so lost.  Maybe there needs to be meaning and purpose in my life... And I know how ‘mother teresa’ cliche that sounds, really I do. But I guess I should be doing what my mother always thought I was capable of. She cared so much about other people, and here I am, so consumed with work and you and myself. I just want to do something actually matters in the world, or at least to me. And right now, I’m not even a little close to that. Sometimes, I feel like I’m on my own. I know that sounds harsh, but I can’t keep denying it, ignoring it. Maybe that’s the best thing for me right now. It was selfish of me to subject you to this for so long in the first place.” Mina said sympathetically.

        Lucas gave an exasperated sigh “So, That’s it? You’re saying that you need your space?” He asked rhetorically. “Fine, I’ll pack my things and stay at my brother’s until this phase blows over. Call me when you find your “purpose” Mina. Just so you know, I could have helped you, but you’re the one who’s kept me out. Remember that.”

        Lucas moved silently around the house while he gathered his things. He filled a gym bag with the essentials and left quietly out of the door. Mina sat down on the black leather sofa, and put her head in her hands. She replayed their conversation in her head until it made her woozy. She finally decided that a walk in the brisk autumn air would bring her back to normal. She rode the sleekly designed elevator from the fifth floor down to the lobby. She walked out of her building, which was situated, on 110th street & Lexington Avenue in NYC and hurried down the block towards the crosswalk. Being a native New Yorker, her patience dwindled as she paced back and forth while she waited for the light to change.

        After walking across four avenues, she arrived at the place that has been her solace for the past five years: Central Park. Her favorite oak tree which had an abundance of leaves, that had the letters 'J<3 R' on the left side of the trunk she assumed was carved by teenagers, had begun to change from effervescent greens to brilliant oranges and reds for the season. The other trees surrounding the entrance offered her peace in exchange for her company. The flowers planted along the path were varied and beautiful. Chrysanthemums, Straw Flowers and Bellflowers lined the path that led to the bridge. She strolled slowly through the park, both enjoying the scenery, and ignoring the lingering negativity of this morning’s event. She had grown fond of being in Central Park because it provided her with serenity and allowed her room to think freely.

           She stood directly in the middle of the Gothic style steel and cast iron bridge and people-watched for a while. She saw a few college kids throwing around a Frisbee, a mother grudgingly dragging her three-year old along the path, and an older woman sitting on a bench further north, feeding bread to the pigeons. As she watched, she suddenly felt compelled to take a different path. She began to walk over the bridge, and to the underpass. As she made a left and a sharp right, (which she had never done before) she saw a grand ivy-covered wall that appeared to attract the best light, which only enhanced and highlighted its splendor. Mina was stunned that she had found something majestic and antiquated in a city that was so fast-paced and modern. Mina felt as if gravity moved her forward. Though she would soon forget its existence upon her next discovery. Out of the corner of Mina’s eye she saw something coming from the ground, and heard the faint sound of water. Mina walked towards the sound, and discovered a well that was more astonishing than the wall.

         The well was also covered in ivory, and had a gold sheen that she assumed came from the sun’s rays. Mina ran her hands on the well, intrigued by its radiating light and its bold, strong material. Upon touching it, her hand felt something that wasn’t the same texture as the rest. She wrapped her fingers around the metal object, and realized that it was a ring.  It was a double-banded, emerald-cut, ring, with a stone that was a deep,dark shade of black. It was instantly mesmerizing.  It had remained unscathed by the water or harsh sunlight and appeared to have been from a different era in time. Mina held the ring in her hand, and felt the weight of it. It was light, but something about the ring, made her feel as though someone else was there with her.

        Two minutes had passed while Mina examined the ring, when unexpectedly, a cloudy haze appeared in the air, and the ring began to vibrate in her hand. Her heart faltered and her breathing staggered, when she realized what had come before her. Standing directly across from Mina was a woman. The woman had green eyes, fair skin and auburn hair that framed hastily around her face. She was motioning furiously for Mina to aid her; the look of fear in the woman’s eyes was unbearably inescapable.  When Mina gained control of herself again, she reached for the seemingly endangered woman, and abruptly, the haze dissipated and the woman along with it.