The Ruby Locket

The Ruby Locket

Gina was at a loose end, at fifteen years of age the fact that her best friend Lara had gone off for a drive with her boyfriend instead of walking with her as planned, was annoying in the extreme and so, totally bored, she walked off down the lane to the river, kicking pebbles as she went. She loved the untouched wildness of the river’s banks and the wide areas that carried the winter floods.

She slumped onto her favourite rock just listening to the river while dragonflies and butterflies darted around the Honeysuckle. As she sat she began to feel drowsy.

Gina stared without focus at the sheer rock face of the opposite bank. The deep cracks and fissures becoming blurred as her mind drifted on, wavering between sleep and consciousness.

’Gina, Gina, Gina, come to me.’ She continued her sightless stare as the sound continued to stroke and caress her dulled mind. Now, as she let her eyes stare unfocussed on the cliff face opposite, it began to come into clear, three dimensional focus. She could quite clearly see into a void in the sheer rock…A giant anaglyph!

‘Must be going mad’, Gina thought. A bolt of fear shot through her. As she stared, she became conscious that the sound of the river and the breeze playing in the trees had changed, now they were roaring loudly. She felt she was falling into a gigantic whirlpool of sound. It hypnotized her drawing her forward to the void with the irresistible power of a magnet attracting a nail.

Her eyes stared into the void on the other bank through the raging sound of the river. She rose from the rock as if sleep walking and was drawn irrevocably towards the opposite bank. She walked step by step towards the iridescent images in the void. Slowly walking over the slippery stones, she crossed to the other side.

Somehow, she was being drawn to the opposite bank with a power she could not resist. As she neared it Gina felt the power that was compelling her begin to change. Somehow it was becoming stronger and stronger with each step she took, drawing her irrevocably forward with a power she could not resist.

Yet somehow, as she got closer, she began to feel it change in nature. It was just as powerful, yet now she began to feel such warmth, such pure love radiating out towards her, consuming her whole being with an overwhelming desire to possess it, so much so that she felt she must open her arms wide to receive it and experience all of it and with that…she took that last step into the void!

Suddenly, as if waking from a dream, she became aware of where she was! She could still see the river outside, but inside it was just bright white light!

‘Gina, Gina, do not be afraid, no harm will come to you and you can leave whenever you wish, but I hope you will first listen to what I have to tell you.’

‘Who are you and what do you want?’ Rather than say the words, she just thought them. The reply was immediate. ‘I am the spirit of Atusa and I have been imprisoned here for more than 3000 of your years. I lived in what was Persia and served Queen Amestris, bearer of the locket that contained the mystical ruby, the most powerful gem in the universe and it was desired by Queen Amestris’ cousin Desistrata, because she knew that once she possessed the Mystical Ruby Locket, she could steal the Queen’s husband with whom she was secretly in love.

Desistrata arranged for Amestris and all her Hand Maidens to bathe in the sea on a magical night when there was a red moon in order to gain the blessing of Poseidon, god of the sea. Amestris never took the Mystical Ruby Locket off and even bathed with it around her neck, but devious Desistrata convinced her that the salt water would damage it’s special powers and told her that she would look after it whilst Amestris bathed.

Trusting Amestris gave it to her, but as soon as Desistrata put it on, she began to use it’s power to make the waves mountainously high and so all were drowned, I alone escaped and ran away stopping at a cave to search of my friend Artos the bear who hated Desistrata. She had persuaded the Queen to use the Ruby Locket to change Artos into a bear because he had found out about Desisrata’s plans to steal the Queen’s husband.

As soon as I told Artos what had happened, he rushed down to the sea and waited for Desistrata to come out and then he killed her with just one blow. I was behind him and as soon as Desistrata fell into the waves I took the Mystical Ruby locket from her neck and putting it on I changed Artos back to a man.’

‘How awful, but what has all this to do with me?’ ‘I am now a spirit and have no form, but I do know where the Locket is because I hid it away, waiting for you to come.’

‘Waiting for me to come?’ Asked a surprised Gina…How do you know who I am, and why now?’

‘Your family line goes back to the time of Amestris. You are the blood of her sister Eterra and so you are special to us. Everything has to come together at a special point in time and that special time is almost here…the Festival of Nevamma!

So, what’s all this about and why have you bought me here?’

‘Every year for almost 3000 years ,the ceremony could not be completed because the Ruby Locket could not be found, but I alone know where it is hidden and now you are finally here, I will help you find it and give it to it’s rightful owner!

‘So where is this locket and where do I find the rightful owner?’ ‘The Locket is hidden in a cave not far from here where the river bends sharply. Just go north from here and you will come to the entrance. My journey to find the rightful owner ended here but before I could find her I was pursued by Satan and found the cave just in time and managed to hide the Locket in a crack in the rock before I was imprisoned here…You will find the crack on the left just inside the entrance.’

‘Go now, I am getting weaker.’ ‘Yes, but who is the rightful owner and where will I find them?’ ‘The owner is an old woman called Anghaard, she lives alone in a cottage deep inside Ellingham woods, everyone thinks she is a witch which is why nobody dare go near. There are three words you must use when you knock on her door, these are Ingolder, Lapsatum and Herbitter, say them loudly and confidently and Anghaard will open the door to you and as she does, show her the locket. Make haste for tonight is the night of the troubled moon and so it is tonight before midnight that you must give the Locket to Anghaard, but beware my child others are watching.’

The entrance to the void briefly glowed silver and opened, Gina took one step outside and looked back…at a solid sandstone cliff!

Her thoughts were scrambled…had she dreamed it, was this what insanity felt like? Dismissing these thoughts she began to recall stories from her childhood of an old witch who lived alone in the woods and the rumour that she ate lost children! This made sure that not even the bravest of boys dared go near!

Gina began to walk down the river bank to the cave and sure enough, there it was! The entrance was so small that she had to stoop to scramble inside. Once inside, as she let her eyes become accustomed to the darkness, bats fluttered past so close to her face that she screamed!

She took a deep breath and scanned the wall on the left. Sure enough there was the crack…but where was the Locket? She ran her hand down from the top of the crack and as she did so she felt what seemed to be hard cloth material covered in moss. Picking at it she withdrew the cloth and began to unwrap it. It had become stuck together by the penetrating damp over the millennia it had been hidden there.

With one last tug it came apart, the Locket opened and suddenly the cave was illuminated by a pulsating red glow. There inside lay the Ruby, the most beautiful Ruby that Gina had ever seen. Holding the Locket in her hands she felt a strange vibrating pulse that came from the Ruby and she was so enthralled by this that she almost forgot the final part of her mission!

Ducking out of the cave she carefully wrapped the Locket up again and stepping into bright sunlight she began the short walk to Ellingham woods. As she neared the woods she became aware of a presence following her, but spinning round…there was nothing!

She hurried on deep into the woods and suddenly there was the old cottage! It looked exactly the way the village stories described it… moss covered and dark!

As she reached the front door the presence she had felt suddenly appeared. It stood in front of her, a dark threatening skeleton like figure, the skin stretched over its hooded face was blackened and cracked, its eyes blazed red and reaching out a clawed hand it ordered, ‘Give me the Locket, for it is mine!’ Gina stood back in shock but suddenly remembering the three words she must use to rouse the witch, she shouted at the top of her voice ‘ Ingolder, Lapsatum, Herbitter.’

The evil apparition tugged at her sleeve shouting in it’s strange lisping voice, ‘Give it to me, give it to me, for it is mine!’ Gina responded by shouting Ingolder, Lapsatum Herbitter even more loudly and the door suddenly sprang open and there stood the witch!

Gina did not know which was the more terrifying, the gnarled ugly old witch or the apparition, but desperate to run away she held up the open Locket and suddenly all was bathed in a strong red light. The old witch reached out a gnarled hand and grabbed the Locket.

What happened next shocked Gina to the core. As soon as the witch put the necklace around her neck she was transformed from the ugly wrinkled old hag into a beautiful woman with blazing blue eyes, whose golden hair cascaded around her face and down on to the glittering golden robe she wore!

Turning to the apparition she shouted, ‘Diabalos begone!’ In an instant, the creature became a throbbing swarm of black insects and suddenly disappeared.

The witch turned to Gina and said ‘I have waited for this moment for thousands of years. Atusa had almost reached me before he was discovered by Diabalos, forcing him to hide the Locket until the time was right. When Satan demanded he reveal it’s hiding place he refused and so Diabalos instantly transformed Atusa into an energy field without form and locked her inside the cliff face where you found her.’

Gina gaped, open mouthed almost pinching herself to see if this was real! The apparition then gave Gina a beautiful beaming smile and gently lay her hand on Gina’s head. ‘Do not be afraid my child, as a reward for helping good over evil, your life shall be filled with love, and happiness ever after.’

With that the beautiful apparition disappeared in an instant leaving Gina alone and filled with an all consuming feeling of warmth and happiness.

Turning to go, she thought what a story she would tell Lisa… but then, on reflection, she decided to keep it to herself!