Amber’s Locket
By Addison Harmin
Hidden at the very edge of Arches National Park, Utah, lay a little stucco house. It was an orange pink in color. It had a small, wooden chimney sticking out of the top, puffing out smoke in the winter Sego lilies bloomed in the summer breeze just outside the windows, which reflected the setting sun beyond the horizon. A handmade, door guarded the entrance to the house.
A little girl came bursting out from inside. “Mommy! Mommy! Hurry up! We’re going to miss it!” she cried anxiously.
“Coming sweetie! Just let me get something” Mellow voice murmured from behind the girl. The young girl rolled her eyes but smiled.
She had sky blue eyes and wild and curly red hair that when down to the middle of her back. It wiped wildly in the wind like fire. She wore a dirty, flower print dress, but no shoes. Her rosy cheeks where sprinkled with freckles and rose up high as she smiled. Her name was Amber. This was a special day for her, for it was her birthday.
She ran down a grassy hill away from her home. Almost tripping over a rock, she came upon a magnificent sight. A breathtaking rock arch stood across the dry dirt. It was a bright, burnt orange, and the thousand of years of erosion had given it a majestic form. It looked out towards a green river valley, guarded by a distant mountain range. Amber’s eyes widened as she gazed up. A weathered latter led to the arche’s top.
This was a special place for her. Every day, she and her mother would climb up the ladder and watch the warm sun give way to the night as it slowly fell behind the horizon.
“Hurry Mom!” the girl shouted again to the growing shadows behind her. She quickly turned around as she saw a familiar face rise up from the grass. It was her mother. She was much taller than Amber, with a sturdy stance. Her caramel hair blew in front of her kind face as she looked down on her daughter with soft, hazel eyes.
“I’m coming!” Amber’s mother called back. Amber helped her mother down the hill, noticing the small box in her hand.
“What’s that?” She asked, pointing to the box.
“It’s a surprise. You’ll see in a minute.” Her mother said with a slight giggle. With a quick grab of her hand, Amber pulled her mother towards the latter on the arch. Amber’s mother gently helped lift Amber to the top, following behind. She laid down a bristly, but warm blanket on the rock’s rough surface. The two sat down, hypnotized by the sunsets luminate glow.
Half the sun had been eaten up by the distant mountains, but it was still spreading its orange and pink wings. Clouds swirled and danced, changing shapes every minute or so and looked down on Amber and her mother. Finches chirped in nearby trees, crickets chirped their iconic song, and moths and mosquitoes began to take flight. To Amber, this was a scene from a fairytale book. She could just picture Snow White being woken up by Prince Charming, or Aurora singing with her animal friends. With one last wave of purple and fuchsia, the sun disappeared behind the horizon and night filled the valley.
Amber’s mother let out a satisfied sigh. She gazed at her daughter who was still fascinated about what she just saw, but she quickly snapped out of it.
“Is it time for my present, Mommy?” Amber asked impatiently, bouncing up and down.
“Oh. Yes. Of course.” Amber’s mother pulled out a small box from behind her. “Promise you’ll take good care of it?” She said smiling.
“Yes of course! What is it? What is it?” Shouted Amber. Amber’s mother slowly pulled opened the lid of the cardboard box, revealing something shiny inside. Amber’s blue eyes opened wide with curiosity as she pulled out a small metal heart with a glimmering chain. “Um. What is it?”
“It’s a silver locket.” Amber’s mother laughed. “It was given to me by my mother and now I’m giving it to you.” She flicked the necklace open. There laid a small picture of Amber and her mother. On the other half had an engraving in the silver. Be Yourself. Live Your Life. Have Fun. Love Someone New. Even Though It’s Hard, You’ll Make It Through. Love, Mom. Amber read as she felt the engraving with her fingers.
“Oh Mommy I love it!” Thank you so much!” Amber shouted. She wrapped her arms around her mother.
“Your welcome. Happy birthday sweety.” Amber’s mother hugged her daughter back.
That was the last happy memory for Amber of her mother. Not too long after Amber’s eleventh birthday, her mother got dreadfully sick. Her mother couldn’t afford to get help from the doctor, so she spent her last day’s in her bed.
“Come here Amber.” Amber’s mother said, voice faint. Amber came closer to her mother’s side, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I’m not going to lie to you, darling. Soon you’ll have to live on without me.”
“M-Mommy. No! Please d-don’t go. I-I can get h-help. I…” Amber’s mother interrupted her desperate words, her pale eyes fading.
“Just listen child. You can’t choose who lives or dies. When it happens it happens.” She coughed hoarsely, a trickle of blood running down the corner of her mouth. “J-just live your life… to the fullest… and never forget… I’ll always be… watching over you. I… I love you so much… and… I could never...be... more proud.” Her eyes closed and her body went limp.
“Mommy! Mommy!” Amber shouted grievingly. “Mommy! Wake up! No! No!” Amber shouted to the sky and fell onto her mother’s chest and cried. She cried for hours, long into the night. She would never see her mother again.
Amber shot up out of her sleep. She was breathing hard, her eyes darting around the dark room. Sweat ran down her brow. Another nightmare she thought, even though she new it wasn’t. It had been five years since her mother died. The memory was too painful to think about, but she dreamed about her eleventh birthday almost every night.
Amber sighed and ran her finger through her wild, red hair. Looking out the window beside her bed, she knew that dawn would soon come. She slowly sat up, put on a pair of jeans, and crept to the kitchen. The wooden floor creaked beneath her. With a yawn, she dug through the cooler to find some cranberry juice, her favorite, and some homemade yogurt. Though she wasn’t hungry, ate anyway. She had to leave soon.
Today was Monday. School started at eight, and it was at least a hour bike ride to town. With one more spoonful of yogurt, Amber grabbed a coat and her backpack and headed out the door. As she slipped her arms through the coat, she hopped on her old, red bicycle and rode off. She traveled over rolling hills and around catus till she found Highway 191. Half way down the highway, she glanced at her watch and realized she left a little too late. Mrs. Rennings is going to be so mad. This is my third strike being late. She thought when she pulled up to Thompson High School.
The fact that no one was in the halls confirmed her tardiness. She came up to a tall door with Mrs. Rennings written on it. Maybe she won’t be in there. She pulled her tangled hair in front of her face and crept into the classroom. She glanced up to see multiple students either sleeping, gossiping, or focused on their work. Then she nervously stared at Mrs. Rennings desk. She let out a sigh of relief. She wasn’t there after all.
As she sat in her desk, she heard giggles coming from a group of girls sitting in a circle. The tallest one stood up with a mischievous smirk on her face.
She had bright blond hair tied up in a ponytail with pink scrunchy. She brown eyes sparkled, but were caked in mascara. She wore colorful clothes, but to Amber, they weren’t appropriate for school.
The girl walked up to Amber, her group of friends following behind.
“Hey Amber.” The girl laughed.
“What do you want Kimberly.” Said Amber, not happy about Kimberly’s presence.
“That’ a pretty little necklace you have there. Would you mind if I had a look at it.” She pointed to the locket around Amber's’ neck. She wore it everyday.
“Yes I would mind. Now please go away. I’m trying to study.” Amber said as she rubbed the locket with her thumb. Kimberly’s eyes grew angry.
“If you don’t let me see it, I’ll tell Mrs. Rennings that you were late. You don’t want that do you?” Amber grew nervous. If she was late one more time, she would get a detention after school, which meant she would miss the sunset. She promised her mother she would never do that. Amber’s eyes grew wide.
“Please don’t! I can’t get a detention. I just can’t!” Amber shouted standing out of her desk to try and make herself look less helpless. She noticed the other students watching her. She could feel her eyes getting watery.
“Come on I just want to see it!” Kimberly grabbed Amber’s locket and broke the chan.
“No! Stop it! Gimme it back!” Amber shouted trying the grab the necklace, but Kimberly pushed her away. Amber fell to the floor and she watched helplessly as Kimberly opened the locket.
“Aww. Is this your mommy. You’re such a baby.” Kimberly laughed. “It sure is pretty though. I’m going to keep it from now on. A poor girl like you doesn't deserve nice things.” Tears were now streaming down Amber cheeks. She stood up and grabbed Kimberly by the shoulder. With one strong swing of her arm, she punched her in the face. Kimberly fell to the floor and Amber caught her necklace before it fell with her. Gasps filled the classroom. One girl sounded like she screamed. Kimberly’s friend helped her up. She held her bleeding nose.
“You son of a…” Kimerly was interrupted by the classroom door flying open. A huge woman stormed in.
“What's going on here!” She yelled. Mrs. Renning’s voice shook Amber to the core. The teacher stared at the fight scene and gasped. “Amber! I knew you were a rotten kid. You're coming with me young lady. Someone take Kimberley to the nurse.”
She grabbed Amber by the wrist and pulled to the principal’s office. “You have absolutely no idea how much trouble you’re in.” Mrs. Rennings rambled on about the situation Amber had just gotten herself in. What do I do? What do I do? Amber thought over and over. She thought she could try to escape and run, but Mrs. Renning’s strong arms would make that difficult. Amber watched the other kids in the halls watching her and whispering to each other. Amber’s face flushed with embarrassment and her heart raced.
Then Mrs. Rennings stopped. They had reached the office. She was talking to the office lady and her grip on Amber loosened. Now was her chance. She pulled her hand out of Mrs. Renning’s. Then she ran. She ran as fast as her long legs could. She made it out of the front door and found her bike. Amber could hear voices shouting behind her, but she didn’t care. She sped off away from the school and road all the way home. She tears flew behind her, disappearing in the blistering wind.
Finally, for what seemed like days, she made it back to her little stucco house. She had never been more happy to see it, even though it had lost its glow over the years. Still upset about what just happened, she headed towards the door, but she was started by what she found. The door was wide open. Did I leave it open when I left? I don’t remember.
She grabbed a large stick for a weapon and tiptoed inside. At the doorstep, muddy footprints trampled the floor. Amber fooled the trail that lead into her mother’s old room. Amber gulped. She hadn’t been in there for a long time.
On the walls were familiar pictures of her mother and paintings she had done when she was younger. A shelf of her mother’s favorite books stood by a small bed. The entire room seemed untouched. Then, staring at one of the paintings in the far right was a dark shadow. Amber completly froze. What do I do? What do I do? She thought again. Then she looked down at her stick.
She ran towards the figure and hit as hard as she could in the head. The figure fell to the ground with a large thud. Amber breathed hard a she turned over the unconscious intruder. Soon his face became clear. He looked about Amber's age and had shaggy, dark brown hair. A large bump was growing on the side if his head.
Suddenly his green eyes shot open. He sat up slowly, looking dazed.
“Ow my head. What happened?” The boy groaned. He looked up and saw Amber. When their eyes met, he let out a scream. “A ghost! It’s a ghost!” The boy clumsily ran out of the room. Startled, Amber ran after him. The boy tried to go out the door but Amber shut it in his face. The boy looked terrified. He now had a big, blue bruise on his face.
“Calm down. I’m not a ghost. Just tell me what you are going in my house!” Shouted Amber.
“I… uh… you're not a ghost?” the boy replied sheepishly.
“No. I’m not. Do I look like one?”
“No. Sorry. I thought this house was abandoned.”
“What? Abandoned?”
“Well I as hiking and I saw this… I mean your house. It looked abandoned. Since the door was open, I went inside to see if there was anything inside.” The boy looked down to the floor. Amber sighed. She put down the stick.
“It’s ok I guess. I’ve started to let this place go, and it’s my fault for leaving the door open. Oh, and sorry for hitting in the head.”
“You did what?” The boy felt the lump on his head and groaned in pain. “Why would you...”
“Just get out of here!” growled Amber as she pointed out the door. Without a word the boy left. With a sigh of relief, Amber was glad this day was starting to end. She looked out the window.Oh the sunset!
Amber ran outside to the arch and climbed to the top. There lay a pile of blankets she always left there. She curled up in their welcoming fuzziness. She watch the sun go down and slowly drifted off to sleep.
“Hey wake up! You alive up there?” Amber woke up to a familiar voice calling to her. “Wake up! I got something for you!” Amber stretched and looked down to where the voice was coming from. It was the boy.
“Hey there you are! Good morning!” The boy called again.
“I-it’s you! What are you doing here?” said Amber.
“I came back to thank you for not killing me yesterday.”
“What? Why would I kill you?” Amber climbed down the latter.
“You know with the stick. Oh, nevermind. Here. I picked these for you.” The boy handed Amber a handful of sego lillies.
“W-where did you get these?”
“Oh. There’s a big patch of them by my house. Why?”
“The-they were my mother’s favorite. Thank you… uh…”
“My name’s Jason.” He shook Amber’s hand.
“Nice to meet you, Jason. I’m Amber.” Jason looked at Amber’s flowing red hair. It was how she got her name.
“Excuse me children.” A deep, hoarse interrupted the two's conversation. Jason and Amber jumped and turned around to see a bulky man in a black suit. His eyes were covered by dark sunglasses. His thick mane was greased back. “I need to talk to the owner of this establishment.” He pointed to the stucco house.
“I’m the owner. What do you want!” Amber snapped. Jason glanced at her, confused.
“You’re the owner? Ha! Well when you’re parents get home, tell them to move out!”
“W-what are you talking about?” Amber got nervous.
“You don’t know? Well I have bought this land. That means I own everything you own unless you move.” Amber’s lip quivered. She clenched her fists.
“No. I have my mother’s deed. We, I mean I own this land!”
“Then where is your mother miss?”
“Sh-she’s d-dead.” Amber’s eyes got watery.
“Well then you technically don’t own this land anymore, do you?” said the man in black. Amber’s mouth dropped open.
“You can’t just take her home! It’s all she has!” Jason joined the conversation. Amber stared at him. How’d he know that? she thought.
“Well, either your mom comes back alive, or you move out. You have a week. Gooday.” And with that, the strange man left. Amber dropped to her knees.
“Amber! You ok?” Jason shouted. He crouched down and put her hand on her back but she pushed it off.
“You’re right. This house is all I have. What am I going to do?” She let out a sniffle.
“I’m sure you’ll think of something. Plus you have a friend like me to help.”
“A friend? I’ve never had a friend before.” Jason looked surprised at first but then smiled. He looked at his watch. “I got to go. My mom wanted me back by noon. I’ll be back tomorrow. Promise.”
“Bye.” Amber said under her breath as she watch Jason run down the road. Amber breathing was shaky and she couldn’t walk straight. Thought of losing her home, the last thing she had of her mother, terrified her.
She slowly walked to the back of her house. A garden full of all kind of plants filled the space. Even a small apple tree was growing in the corner. A small chicken coop spitted out feathers and a well was at the end. In the center was a stone carved in the shape of a cross. It was surrounded by various flowers and pictures. Her mother’s grave. Amber fell to her knees, and set in praying position. Please, mother. I know you’ve watched over me, but I really need your help. Some man is trying to take our house away and I can’t go through losing something precious to me again. She broke down crying, but quickly got herself together. She took her locket out of her pocket and fixed the chain.. She put it around her neck once more. Please mother.
The next morning, Amber awoke to a knock at her door.
“It’s Jason!” A voice came from behind the walls. Amber stumbled towards the door and creaked it open.
“Good morning Jason. How…” Jason pushed her inside before she could finish.
“Shhh.” He whispered. “I think that man we saw yesterday is spying on you.”
“What? Why would he…”
“I don’t know, but I don’t think he just wants your land. I saw him digging around on my way here.”
“Why would he want my land? It’s all I have.”
“Well something fishy is goin on here.” Jason pushed his shaggy hair out of his face and looked Amber seriously in the eye. Amber tucked her hair behind her ears.
“Well what can we do about it?” Amber looked to the floor. “We’re just kids. Why do you wanna help me anyway? We just met the other d…”
“We could spy on him!” Jason interrupted. “I did some…. uh.... research on that guy from yesterday and I know where his business is.”
“What? How did you… nevermind. Let’s go!” Amber grabbed Jason's arm and pulled him outside and onto her bike.
“Well you make your mind up fast.” laughed Jason as they pedaled off. “We need to go to Thompson.”
“Got it.” Amber felt like she had never gotten to town this fast before. Jason directed her to a huge, concrete building. They stopped at the front, just outside the door. “So how are we going to do this?” Amber asked.
“I have my ways. Just be really quiet.” Jason whispered, keeping his eyes fixed on the front doors. At the top was a sign that read Termex Inc. A picture of the same business man from the other day was also on it. Jason grabbed Amber’s hand and quickly pulled her inside.
They walked into a vast room with a tall ceiling. Large crowds of people walked to and from surrounding elevators. The two teens stood out like a sore thumb, but they acted fast to keep from being caught. Jason taught Amber how to use other people as shields from three security guards in front of a office door. A sign on the door read Mr. Silver. Jason pointed to the door.
“I think the guy from yesterday is in there.”
“Ok, but how will we get in there?” Amber asked, doubting his plan.
“We won’t.” Before Amber could reply, Jason grabbed her hand and pulled her behind a plant just outside Mr. Silver’s office. Jason broke a stick off the small tree and threw it past the security guards. When the three men turned their heads, Jason and Amber ran quickly to a room next door. Thankfully no was was inside. Jason locked the door behind him.
Inside the room was a large meeting table with several chairs. A projector screen was at one end of the table. Loud shouting came from the room next door. Mr. Silver thought Amber. Jason pressed his ear against the wall. “I can hear him!” he said, motioning Amber towards the wall. Amber leaning against the wall and listened carefully. The familiar voice of the business man blasted into her ear. He was one the phone.
“I don’t care!” the voice boomed, “I know it’s in that house! Yes… No no... The one with the arch… What’s it look like? Well, it’s silver. In the shape of a heart I think. It’s got some sort of engravings… Yes… But I don’t care about that! Inside it has a very precious gem. It’s worth a fortune… Yes… I will get it at all costs sir.” Then the talking stopped.
“See told you something… Hey Amber. You okay?” Jason asked as he noticed Amber. Her eyes were open wide and she was breathing heavily.
“He...He wants my locket!” She said nervously, clenching something in her hand.
“Wait. What?”
“My locket. My mother gave it to me. It’s looks exactly how he described it.” She opened her palm and showed Jason the silver heart. With a flick of her thumb the locket opened revealing the picture of Amber and her mother, along with the engraving.
“But that can’t be it. It doesn't have a gem.” said Jason, “Wait. What’s that?” He pointed to a small lump under the photo. Amber held her breath as she carefully picked the photo out, revealing a small, shimmering stone. It was set deep in the silver. Both the teen’s eyes opened wide.
“It’s… It’s a diamond!” they said at the same time.
“Who’s in there?” a voice came from outside.
“We gotta run!” Jason shouted and they both ran out of the room. They ran as fast as their legs could go. When jason finally reached the door, he heard a thud behind him. Amber just wasn’t fast enough and was pulled down by a guard. “Amber!” shouted Jason as he started to run towards her.
“Jason! No. Run while you still can! Protect my garden!” Screamed Amber as she was dragged off. Jason listened and ran to Amber’s bike and managed to escape.
He waited for what seemed like hours in an alleyway by the office building. Suddenly he saw a police car pull in and a red haired girl being put inside. Jason followed the police car to the sheriff's office. He waited for everyone to get inside before he did.
He quickly walked inside, seeing a fat policeman sitting at a desk.
“Help! Someone stole my bike!” Jason shouted. The policeman ran outside when someone happened to be riding a bike outside. As the policeman ran off. Good thing policeman are dumb in this town. Jason thought. He dug through some files and found Amber’s. He grew frantic as he read so was being put into foster care. He had to be quick and get her out of here. He found the policeman’s keys and opened the door leading into a pair of small jail cells. In the one in the end sat a girl with unforgettable curly, red hair. “Amber!”
“Jason! You came!” Amber shouted from behind the bars. Jason used the keys to unlock the cell door and it creaked open. Amber ran out and wrapped her arms around his neck. She gave him a peck on the cheek. “Thank you so much for everything.” Amber started to leave the police station. Jason turned bright red for a moment, but quickly snapped himself out of it and followed her.
“Wait. What if that guy is at your house?” Jason asked.
“Maybe we should call the police then.”
“Good idea.” Jason picked up the phone on the desk and made a quick call. They then hopped on Amber’s bike and rode home.
They stopped out front a quickly got inside.
“Do you think we’re safe?” Asked Amber. But before Jason could answer, a huge figure burst through the door.
“You girl. I know you have my necklace! Give it to me and no one gets hurt!” It was Mr. Silver. He pulled out a pocket knife, ready to strike.
“Never! It’s my mother's!” Shouted Amber, her voice shaking. Mr. Silver’s face grew crimson and he lunged forward. Both the teen screamed expecting the worst. Suddenly, a terrifying gunshot rang through the house. Mr. Silver screamed in pain and fell to the floor, holding his shoulder. Behind him stood a policewoman, holding a gun.
“You kids alright.” She asked ready to fight if she had to. Amber and Jason just nodded, still not sure about what just happened.
It turned out that Mr. Silver was a wanted gang member, searching for the diamond in Amber’s necklace. He ended up being arrested, and never bothered Amber again.
Meanwhile, Amber went back to school. She was top of her class and made many friends. Jason helped Amber fix up her house, and they became even closer.
Every night, the two would watch the sunset on the arch together. Amber would rest her head on Jason's shoulder as the explosions of color slowly disappeared behind the mountains. Amber finally felt like she had someone who cared for her again. Every night before she fell asleep she would read the engraving in her necklace. Be Yourself. Live Your Life. Have Fun. Love Someone New. Even Though It’s Hard, You’ll Make It Through. Love, Mom.
Those beady eyes of coal
