Bane's Talisman

I find myself clutching my mother’s long lost relic. I grasp my heart as tightly as humanly possible and immediately am overcome with happiness. There is no worry here; no pain or suffering. The only judgment is my own. I can smile and laugh and enjoy my mother’s presence. Today is a beautiful day. The birds are singing carols, the air is crisp and clean, and the sun breathes new life on me. Today is a perfect day for a walk in the park to celebrate the joys of life. Our dog, Hutch is with us. He is a remarkably sweet Sheltie worth more than gold. We begin to play fetch. I enjoy throwing the frisbee, but his brown, fraying tennis ball is his favorite. We spend hours, the 3 of us, enjoying every last moment together. Eventually we make our way back home. My favorite meal is on the dining table, ready for me to dig in. How I have missed my mom’s famous lasagna. She would only make it for special occasions. We stayed up late playing games and telling stories, until eventually my heavy eyes gave in and I fell asleep.

And then I wake up. We’re surrounded. Armed men are all around us, inching closer. The sky is blacker than the night sky. The rain is getting louder. My mother’s body is laying lifeless next to me. I am clutching her heart shaped locket in my hands, the one I was never allowed to touch. It has always been mystical to me. Nothing was more important to her than her locket. A dark presence approaches me and yanks on it. I refuse to let go and I am dragged a few feet along with my inherited relic, until it snaps. The locket flies off into the distance. The sky immediately clears up. The rain stops. The only thing I feel is the cool, wet blood seeping from my mother’s body.

“What is happening?” I mutter to myself.

“We have the necklace”, one of the men reported on the radio.

“The witch has been taken down!”, another heavily armed guard exclaims.

I was just a boy when I lost my mother. I never understood why we were always on the run. That is until I came across a book. A journal, a diary of events that led to that fateful night. Everything I questioned makes sense now.

“. . . not a day goes by that I do not think of him. . . The Governor himself killed my beloved searching for this amulet. Matt’s dying words to me were to keep his holy relic safe and away from the hands of those who would abuse it. I did not know what the amulet was, the power it held. The longer I held onto it, the more it strengthened me. . . The Governor began having his men come for me, tearing apart my home in search of my Matthew’s amulet. I began to fight back. I was able to resist his bloodthirsty killers. Every time they came searching, they left more terrified than the last. I lost myself. The power consumed me and I became the very thing my husband feared most. . .”

Her addiction to the locket always befuddled me. Strange things started to happen once she started to wear it. We were on the run for years-- hiding with acquaintances, avoiding friends. She eventually started fighting back. She became feared, became wanted by the government and by the people. We were unable to have a normal family. No more Hutch. No more lasagna. No more smiles. All we could afford was running and hiding.

My only fear now is what will happen once the Governor learns to use the locket. How many other families will have to go into hiding? How many others will have to suffer? I know what this amulet can do; am I the only one who can get it back? The world was already beginning to spiral out of control. I have to everything in my power to restore balance to the world. I have to restore the amulet with its original owner. I just hope Matt left some clues before his passing. It is now my duty to understand this locket-- this amulet. I have to get it back. I must protect this city.