Heart-Shaped Locket

Zeek’s mother, Kanya, helped her with the final touches. She was a beautiful bride and the whole town was gathered for Zeek’s big day; the whole town’s big day. It had been a quarter of a century since the Great Rebuild began immediately after the fallout. “Solar flare” they attributed it to, at least officially. Although this day was a much-needed break from working the fields for everyone in the town, it was equally a solemn reminder of the world’s predicament. For Zeek, it was her birthday, her wedding day, and all eyes of the town were on her. She turned twenty one years old, the age when all girls were to be married; the age most girls reached peak fertility if they were lucky enough to be fertile at all.

Zeek lived in one of many cultivation districts. During the Great Rebuild, the government created these districts to replenish the country’s food supplies. Not only was fertility impacted, but much of the world’s plants and animals were now extinct. Each cultivation district was supplied with biologists to study and advise on plants and cultivation, but nearly everyone else in the cultivation districts labored. Lands were barren, water scarce, and the population dwindling on the verge of extinction as well.

However, today was a day for celebration. Zeek had been paired with Quinton whose family was prominent in their district’s politics. Quinton’s mother had just been re-elected as the district’s mayor. “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” Zeek’s mother, Kanya, recited at a near whisper. Seeing the confusion on Zeek’s face, she explained the tradition’s roots from before the fallout. As she did, she secured a small heart-shaped locket around Zeek’s neck.

“Did father give this to you?” Zeek asked surprisingly since she had never seen her mother wear it. Her father had passed when she was just five years old.

“No.” she replied. “Zeek, you know I loved your father very much. But just as you are paired to marry Quinton, so too was I paired to marry your father.” She paused. “Back then, before all this . . . .” She forced herself to continue. “Marriage wasn’t a duty we owed to the government. We could do as we pleased for the most part. We could marry, not marry, but when we did it was for love instead of duty.” Zeek looked down at the necklace. “That locket was given to me by someone else I loved the day I married your father. Her name was Bea. Zeek, you mustn’t tell anyone this because talk of love and times before the fallout are forbidden, as you know. But please take this and keep it with you. I hope you can find love in your marriage.”

Zeek had so many questions but she knew her mother and knew it best not to pry. That evening after the ceremony she changed her clothes and took off the necklace. She opened it up to a heart-shaped insert with the phrase, “Aeternum.” As she tried to close it, a part of the insert that was protruding snagged the locket’s clasp. She took it out to trim it for a better fit when, behind the insert, was an inscription of coordinates. She had learned about coordinates in school but had no idea where this one would lead to or why. She replaced the insert just as Quinton arrived to their new government-issued home.

The next morning Zeek woke up early and made her way to the town’s library to identify where the coordinates lead. It was easy for her to identify the place with the maps there and she estimated it was just outside the district’s parameter, maybe by a couple miles. She took the map back with her as she tucked it inside her bag. She was not permitted to work the week of her wedding because the government encouraged newly-wed couples to get to know each other before getting back into the fields. She told Quinton she would be spending that evening at her mother’s place gathering a few personal belongings. She needn’t bother her mother with the coordinates though because she knew going outside the district was forbidden. Nevertheless, Zeek knew from school that the district didn’t surveil the parameter because it was so desolate and dangerous outside that no one would want to go there. She made her way to the coordinates. It took her a bit longer to get there than she expected and was disappointed when she arrived to nothingness but rubble and rock formations. She climbed on a rock and sat down to guzzle her water. Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a dark void about the size of a person. She wondered over and squeezed inside, turning on her flashlight. She wondered the dark cave for just a few moments as it was a small space. In the back, darkest corner she saw a wooden box! As she got closer, she saw that, painted on the top, was “Aeternum."She opened the box and found a notebook and several sealed packages.

Zeek opened the notebook and found each page had a different letter taped to it. They were all dated July 14 but each with a different year. These were letters addressed to her mother and they were from Bea! As Zeek read the letters she was stunned. Bea recited her love for Kanya but also reveled some information that surprised Zeek. Bea wrote about how after the sun flares and those unwilling to marry per the government’s orders were exiled. She wrote of an oasis of an island near the coast off their district where plants grew again! The letters promised Kanya a better, brighter future next to Bea. The letters continued, each one a plea for Kanya to make the journey. Year after year Bea made the journey to this location in hopes that Kanya would find her letters and join her. Maps and plans were laid out and even a hidden row boat’s location was identified. Then, Zeek flipped to the back of the notebook. The final letter was dated two years ago. She read this one carefully. Bea told Kanya that she had just been diagnosed with cancer and this would be her final letter. She told Kanya the packages were for her. Zeek opened a package to find perfectly preserved seeds, all of which she had never seen before.

Zeek gathered everything from the box and made her way back to the district. It was getting late and she didn’t know what those dangers lurked outside the parameter. When she got close enough to see the district’s lights in the distance, she stopped and took out Bea’s map. She eyed the row boat’s location and calculated she could make it there and to the island with the amount of water she had. She pondered her predicament as she didn’t want to devastate her mother with the news of Bea’s passing and remembered her mother’s words about love and duty. She folded the map and kept walking as she contemplated whether she would return or set out on a new path. She gently grabbed the heart-shaped necklace around her neck as she trotted toward her decision.