Second Chances

Alexandra Spark impatiently jammed her house key into the doorknob of her apartment, desperate to get away from her hectic day and the world.

She flung the door open, stepped inside, and threw her purse onto a table in the entryway. The keys landed somewhere in the vicinity but she didn’t care. She fumbled with the light switch inside the dark apartment and headed straight for the kitchen. She needed a glass of wine to calm her nerves after another hectic day at her loathsome job. A little wine would ease the tension.

Moments later she snuggled up on the couch, wine glass in her hand. She momentarily closed her eyes enjoying the silence around her. When she opened them, Alex noticed a strange-looking box sitting on the coffee table in front of her. The box was made of wood and covered with red velvet. Its edges had intricate carved wooden swirls on each side.

She placed her glass on the table next to it unable to take her eyes off of the velvet box. Where did it come from? And who left it here? How did it get into her apartment?

Alex reached out to touch the soft velvet running her fingers over every wooden swirl along with its corners. Should she open it? Her curiosity, impossible to contain, forced her to slowly open the lid. Inside, on a velvet pillow lay a gold ring with a blue sapphire. The brilliance from the gold lit up the entire box.

She couldn’t believe what she saw. Where the hell did this come from? She touched the ring with her left hand and gently picked it up. Alex held it in the palm of her hand and stared at it for the longest time. She glanced at her wine glass to make sure it wasn’t the wine that provoked this strange hallucination but no such luck. The wine glass was still full.

She decided there was nothing left to do but try it on. The blue sapphire ring slid onto her ring finger as if it were made for her. A perfect fit.

Again, she examined the box. There was no note, nothing indicating who left it there. She certainly didn’t have a boyfriend. No real friends at all. Her parents passed away a few years ago. Aside from not knowing who left the ring for her, most of all, it gave her the creeps to think someone might have been in her apartment without her consent.

The ring still on her finger, she reached for her wine glass, mesmerized with her new treasure when suddenly, her head started to hurt. A dull ache throbbed in her temple. The pain migrated to her frontal lobe and the room started to spin. She closed her eyes. Nausea swept through her until she fainted and lay unconscious on the living room floor. Alex, a known loner, had no one to turn to for help. No one knew she was alive.

When Alex regained consciousness, she felt disoriented at first. Her vision, somewhat blurry, took a few moments to adjust. She lay on a bed in what appeared to be a hospital room.

“Where am I,” She asked out loud.

A young woman about her age with shoulder-length brown hair came to her bedside. She smiled kindly at Alex and replied.

“Hello, Alexandra. We’ve waited a long time for you to wake up. The woman patted her arm. “Rest assured you're safe. My name is Tala. We’ll explain everything to you soon.”

Tala left her side and exited the room.

Alex glanced around the room. What is this place? She wondered. Panic started to rise in her throat. She wanted to scream. Where am I? Her eyes scanned the neatly organized hospital room. When she looked out a large window, she thought it must be nighttime. The stars were so brilliant. She’d never seen so many before.

The door to her room slid open and an older gentleman, probably a doctor, entered the room with Tala. He wasn’t wearing a white coat like regular doctors. He was tall and slender, clean-shaven with sandy brown hair and brown eyes. His face looked kind. He couldn’t have been more than fifty-years old.

“What am I doing here? Alex demanded. Her voice became angry

The man smiled at her. “Alex, look at your hand. Do you remember what happened?”

She glanced at her hand. The sapphire ring shine brightly in the dimly lit room.

“The ring.” She replied. Somewhat confused she went on with her story. “I came home from work, and I found a box sitting on my living room table. This ring was inside it.” She held her hand out for them to see. “It was so beautiful, I tried it on and then I remember starting to feel sick.”

The man looked at Tala who jotted something down on a clipboard. He turned to Tala.

“Tala, did you get all that?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Fine then.” He flashed another smile. “Alex, my name is Dr. Jeffrey Jones. You’ve met my assistant Tala. We’re monitoring you because you had an aneurism.”

Alex stared at him in disbelief. “A what? I’ve never been sick a day in my life!”

Without changing his expression, Dr. Jones said, “Alex. You died yesterday in your apartment. The ring brought you to us as planned.”

Alex sat up in a rage. “What in the hell are you talking about!” She pulled at the wires attached to her chest and yanked out the IV. “Get me out of here!”

Dr. Jones tried to calm her down. Tala rushed to fill a syringe. “Alex, please don’t be afraid, we’ll tell you everything when you’re ready to listen.”

At that moment Tala returned. She held Alex’s shoulder and placed a round object, much like a small flashlight on her arm. The sleeping sedative worked immediately. Alex relaxed and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Dr. Jones turned to Tala. “She’s confused and scared.” Tala nodded her head in agreement.

“So was I”

“Let’s hope tomorrow she’s better and able to talk. We need to tell her the truth.”

Tala looked at him inquisitively, “Do you think she’ll believe where she is?”

“For her sake, I hope so. This is her chance for a new life.” He referred to her chart again.

“It says here she was adopted?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“She has no idea where she comes from.” Dr. Jones sighed placing Alex’s chart at the foot of the bed.

“Just as well. Whether or not she accepts where she is now is another story.”

He left the room without another word.

Tala stood next to Alex’s bedside gazing at the sapphire ring on her finger. She held up her own hand. She wore the same ring. Tala died twenty years ago.

She brushed a strand of blond hair from Alex’s face. Tala had so much to tell her……

Where do you think this story is going? Put your ideas in the comment box below. Can’t wait to hear what you come up with!