Lost and Found

Dear Journal,

It has been many clicks of the light switch. So many, that I have lost count. The switching of the big light is how I know that a day has passed: the light will switch on, and the shuffle of feet, both with shoes on and shoes off, begins. This "dance", I call it, lasts for some time. I see the feet. I can hear the footsteps. I can also hear the television being turned on. I hear the door open and close. I almost can't remember the feel of the wind all around me. How I miss it so much. The is switched off. I no longer see the feet with or without shoes shuffling around. The sound of those very feet shuffling gets further and further away until I can no longer hear it. The television has now been turned off. The room is empty. The room is quiet. The day has come to an end. It has to have been months gone by since I have ended up here. I remember it like it was just yesterday: It was Shelly's birthday. John had surprised her with reservations at the La Che'. La Che' is the fanciest restaurant in town. You have to make a reservation a whole month in advance. John tried really hard. He loves Shelly so much. He planned everything down to the last detail. That's where I came in, since I am a 24 Karat gold and 1.5 karat diamond pendant. I have been in the family for many years. I was passed down 3 generations so far. Shelly is pregnant right now. If the baby is a girl, I will (if I am ever found, that is) go to her on her 16th birthday. Sandra's mom bought me in 1900 as a gift for Marlena's sweet 16. Marlena gifted me to Mildred when she turned 16, then Mildred gave me to Shelly and now I sit under the couch. "ACHOO!" The dust is building up. I kick myself for forgetting how many light switches there are left before dusting day. I pray often that the day comes soon. Anyway, Shelly and John go to dinner as planned. It all was very nice. John even had the pianist play Shelly's favorite song and say "happy birthday" to her. Shelly cried. I did too honestly. John has always been an absolute sweetheart. After dinner, we get in the car and go home. Everything is normal. Shelly and John go into the house. They decide to sit down on the couch for a bit and have a glass of wine. That's when it happened: the clasp on the chain Shelly put me on, broke! The lifeless chain and I fell to the floor with barely an audible thud. That one glass of wine became almost 4. John and Shelly are now intoxicated it seems. They head to their bedroom. I assumed they passed out because I didn't hear any noise or movement for quite some time. I didn't panic because I had landed in plain sight on the floor. I figured it was just a matter of time before one of them picked me up. I was wrong. The sweeping robot was left on overnight. Thank goodness it couldn't suck me up. As fate would have it, it pushed me under the couch and out of sight. That is where I was then, and where I still am today. I heard Shelly asking about me. She reached under the here more than once. Sadly, she did not reach far enough. I was quite literally at her fingertips. What is it that people say? "So close, yet so far away." I know it's something like that. Another switching off of the light. Another day lost in the space under the couch has come to an end. Something will happen. Shelly or John will find me soon. They simply MUST! Well, until next time my dear journal. I will end my entry here...