2. Laurence

Laurence

32 Moyer Avenue

Silent Falls

 They had always been a happy family, the Laurence’s, and well known by the other families in Silent Falls, having lived there for ten years now since the birth of their youngest child Megan. Now, while celebrating her birthday, full of smiles, they were all happy.

Matthew and Susan watched proudly as the baby they’d brought home from hospital opened her presents surrounded by other children from the village in their back garden. They were so lucky it was a nice day. Megan loved the garden and would have hated to celebrate her birthday inside while it rained. Their sons, Callum and Aidan stood nearby holding their presents while waiting their turn to give them to her. It was likely to be the last time that Callum would be there to celebrate her birthday, as he would soon be eighteen and leaving school, and intended to join the army. Aidan stood beside him. At the age of thirteen, he was almost the same height, and almost as handsome too, resembling the same dark hair and bright blue eyes. He looked up to Callum, always wishing to be as smart and as athletic.  Everyone was sure he would be, one day.

Now he stood beside him, looking at his gift that looked so much larger than the one he’d spent so long saving up for. Megan was oblivious to them as she opened numerous toys, clothes and other things and thanked the people who gave them to her. However, as she opened the last few gifts and her spectators began to wander off to the swing set and snacks, she became aware of them and they moved forward, Callum first handing over his box.

She knew it would be something great. Callum was the best at picking presents for her. Carefully, she tore off the wrapping paper and saw the green silk dress folded neatly. She lifted it out of it’s wrapping and saw the sparkled netting over the skirt and puffed sleeves.

“It’s beautiful,” she said without taking her eyes from it, trying to imagine how pretty she could be in it.

“That’s not all,” said Callum grinning as he handed her a smaller package that no one had noticed. Megan unwrapped it to see a pair of sparkled green pumps to match her dress. The children that had wandered away now came back to see this wonderful gift.

“Thank you Callum,” she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. “I love you.”

He smiled again, not the least embarrassed at giving his sister a hug in public. Aidan moved towards her and handed her the small box, feeling a little embarrassed himself at having to follow that.

She unwrapped it and her face lit up as she saw the small tear shaped pendant, with three green stones in a line down the middle, hanging from a fine gold chain.

“Thank you,” she said smiling. She’d never owned anything like it before, and didn’t know anyone who had. It looked really special. “Can you put it on me?”

Aidan nodded, his face a little red with embarrassment as all the children watched. Megan held back her blonde hair as he placed the chain around her neck and fastened it. All of her friends came round to see it. He went and sat with his mum and dad.

“That’s beautiful,” Susan told him. “Really nice.”

“Yeah son,” agreed Mathew. “Where on earth did you buy something like that?”

“I got it from a jewellers in town. Apparently it’s one of a kind.”

“Look at Callum,” laughed Susan. They weren’t listening to him anymore. “He’s so great with her.”

And yes, Aidan knew he was, as he watched him running round the garden throwing Megan’s new ball around with her and her friends, telling them all the rules of the game. They were all listening intensely, absorbing every word as they passed the ball back and forth between them.

“She’ll really miss him when he leaves,” Matthew sighed.

Just then, the sky turned grey and the rain began to pour down upon them. Every one began gathering up the gifts and rushed into the house. Callum lifted Megan up into his arms and ran inside with her as the few adults there carried all they could and ushered the children inside as quickly as possible.

“It always rains on my birthday. It rained last year too,” Megan moaned once every one was safe and dry.

“I know kiddo,” said Callum. “But we didn’t let it ruin your day last year did we? So why should it ruin today? How’s about we put on a film for you and your friends and I go and get you all some burgers?”

“Ice cream too?”

“Of course! Can’t let you go without that can we?”

The children all cheered.

“You’re the best, Callum!”

“No, you’re the best!”

“Did she like it?” asked Kayla.

“What?” It was Monday, two days after the party. They were in the school canteen, but they had a History test in the next class and Aidan was studying his book while nibbling his sandwich.

“The necklace you bought Megan? Did she like it?”

“Yeah, she really did,” he answered honestly. “She really did.”

Kayla lived next door, and they’d known each other for what seemed like forever. He’d told her that he wanted to buy Megan something special for her birthday, but didn’t have as much money as he’d wanted to spend. So she took him to a jewellers in town that sold ‘one of a kinds’. All of his items were individuals that you couldn’t get elsewhere, and that weren’t too high priced either. The owner showed him lockets and rings, but once he saw the necklace in the cabinet, it stood out. It seemed just right.

“So what’s wrong? If she liked the necklace so much, what’s wrong with you today?”

“Nothing, I just need to pass this test.”

“What did he buy her?”

“Who?”

“Who?” she laughed. “As if you don’t know. Callum. What did he buy her?”

“A dress,” he replied, not taking his eyes off his book. “And matching shoes.”

“If only my brothers were so good at buying presents. They buy you a top, and it’s like yeah nice top but what am I supposed to wear it with?”

Aidan looked up at her and sighed. Matching shoes, he thought, that’s what girls really want.

“Sorry, but she’ll outgrow the dress and shoes. The necklace she can keep forever. And, it’s a part of history.”

“What?”

“Look.” She grabbed the book out of his hand.

“Kayla!”

“I’m showing you something,” she said, flicking through the pages. “And you’ve been studying for a week. Take a break. Eat your sandwich. You don’t have to beat Callum at everything.”

“I’m not trying to beat him.”

“Sure you’re not. I’ll bet Callum got an A for History last year.”

“Callum got an A for everything.”

“Yeah, but you’re good at other things, like football, music, and art.”

“But so is he. Better.”

“Oh, just stop-ah! Here it is.” She slid the open book over to him. It was open at the page headed Maria Emeralds. Aidan knew this part inside out. She was a woman who lived in the 1900s who practiced witchcraft to help people but who was found out and accused of using it for wrong, and therefore, burned at the stake. He knew this. He didn’t want to see anymore of this page.

“What am I looking at? I know this part.”

Kayla sighed and pointed to the picture. Round the young woman’s neck hung Megan’s necklace.

“Is it the same one?”

“It had better be. One of a kind remember? I knew I’d seen it somewhere before. Show Megan that. Show Callum too.”

           

He showed her that night, as soon as he came home.

“I’ve seen her before.”

“Yeah, this is my History book. It’s always lying about.”

“No,” Megan argued. “Not the picture, the woman.”

“You can’t have. She’s been dead for hundreds of years. Must’ve been someone who looked like her.”

“No. It was her. I seen her yesterday in the park, and today in the school playground.”

“How do you know it was her?”

“I just do.”

“Aidan,” said Callum as he entered the room. “She’s ten. Will you grow up and stop arguing with her?”

“But I did see her, Callum!”

“I know you did.”

“This necklace used to be hers. Hundreds of years ago.”

“Really? Wow, let me see that necklace.”

Megan grabbed the book and took it over to the couch where Callum now sat and showed it to him.

“That’s amazing. Maybe it’s only special people that get to have a necklace like that. You must be really special.”

“Yeah, great,” Aidan mumbled as he wandered to his room.

“I should’ve bought her a box of chocolates,” he moaned to Kayla the next day after telling her what had happened. They were in English, but the teacher was off sick so they were told just to read.

“Well, maybe you should have.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? You were the one who suggested jewellery, who took me to that shop!”

“Yeah, I know but….I have to show you something.” She reached into her bag and brought out a sheet of paper. “I decided to research the necklace last night. I think you should read this.”

He looked at the sheet of paper. There was an enlarged picture of Megan’s necklace and it read:

The Emeralds Teardrop

The Emeralds teardrop was said to have been in the Emeralds family for several generations. It was known to have had the power to prevent good witches doing bad as it trapped the temptations in it’s stones, and was presented to the oldest daughter of the family on her twenty-first birthday, when they were said to become in possession of the magic. She would never have been allowed to touch it before then as their bodies were not strong enough and the evil would transfer into her body.

According to the myth, if a child wore the necklace, the spirit of the last owner would follow them as a warning to remove it. However, if the necklace was not removed before the fifth day, the child would become evil and turn on their loved ones.

It was last seen on Maria Emeralds on the day she died.

“Is this real?”

“I don’t know.” It was then that Aidan noticed how pale Kayla was. She’d been up all night, worrying. “But if Megan’s saying she’s seen this woman…..well you should maybe take it off her.”

“It’s the fourth day. I have to get it as soon as possible.”

Megan loved her necklace. Everyone was always admiring it. It was like it was the first thing people saw when they looked at her. And now that it was special, that she knew a good witch had once owned it, she loved it even more.

She knew the good witch wasn’t dead though. She’d seen her again just this morning when she was coming into school. And it wasn’t just someone who looked like her, like Aidan thought. It was the real witch. She knew because when she saw her, she felt a tingle where the tear sat. It was magic she thought, but she didn’t know how. She would find out eventually.

Aidan and Kayla got detention that day for talking in class.

“But sir,” he begged the head teacher. “I really need to go home. I’ll do detention tomorrow. It’s just I need to look after my sister.”

“No he doesn’t.” Callum’s voice came from the doorway. “You’re not watching Megan tonight. You can’t use her as an excuse to get you out of trouble.”

“Telling lies, are we?” the head teacher asked, frowning down at him.

“Fine, I’ll do detention, but Callum, you need to do something for me.”

“I don’t have to do anything,” he said smugly. He was loving this.

“Take that necklace off Megan.”

“What? You’re twisted. Really. Did you rent it or something? I was wondering where you got the money for something like that.”

“Look!” Aidan shouted. “This is serious. Take that off her! I’ll explain later.”

“Whatever,” Callum laughed as he walked away.

“Don’t worry,” Kayla whispered. “You’ll be home by five. It’s still the fourth day.”

He wasn’t home by five. The bus was late, then when it eventually did come, it got stuck in the rush hour traffic. It was quarter to six by the time he got home, and the house was in darkness. He got to the front door. It was locked. His hands were shaking as he fumbled in his bag looking for his key. What if something had happened? Eventually, he found it. Quickly he opened the door and rushed into the dark empty house.

“Megan!” he called. “Mum, Dad? Callum?”

No answer. He ran into the living room, where a note lay on the table. He read it.

Aidan,

            Dad got tickets to see a show so going into town for some dinner then to the theatre. Be back late. Money in cutlery drawer for dinner.

                                                                                                Callum

PS. I took Megan’s necklace off. Told her I’d buy her a nicer one.

He let out a sigh of relief. Callum could buy her the most expensive necklace in the world. As long as it wasn’t that one.

The truth was, that Callum hadn’t taken Megan’s necklace off. He had tried. He wanted her to know that Aidan wasn’t capable of doing something as simple as buying a nice birthday present. He did tell her he would take her to a jewellers and she could have any necklace she wanted, no matter how much it cost. But she wouldn’t have it. She wanted this one because it was magic, and she’d seen the witch. Aidan’s fault, filling her head with that stuff. It was probably a cheap imitation. He’d written that in the note to shut him up. He’d be asleep by the time they got home, and he’d leave early for school tomorrow to buy her a nicer necklace. Once she saw it, she’d take Aidan’s off. And he’d never need to know.

For now, Megan was sat across from him in the restaurant looking beautiful in the dress and shoes that he had bought her, with the necklace around her neck. What he didn’t know was that Megan could see the witch right outside and the teardrop was tingling an awful lot.

           

It was just after midnight when Aidan was awoken by the laughing. It was Megan, probably laughing at the show they’d seen, but he couldn’t hear any other voices. And the laughter was getting louder, almost hysterical.

He got out of bed and opened the bedroom door. That was when he saw Callum, sprawled on the floor covered in blood. A pair of scissors stuck in his chest from which blood still ran. His glazed eyes were looking up in terror. He was dead. And he could still hear Megan laughing downstairs while her beloved brother was dead.

He stepped over the body and slowly began to walk downstairs. He entered the living room where his parents lay dead, in a puddle of blood, at either side of Megan. She stood proudly between the bodies wearing her new dress that was now covered in blood, holding a kitchen knife high as she continued to laugh.

Megan’s eleventh birthday was very different from her tenth. She and Aidan now lived with Kayla’s family next door. But they didn’t have big parties, just a family meal with a special dessert and a few small presents. No one knew who had killed their parents apart from Megan, Aidan and Kayla, but she still wore the necklace.

“No point in taking it off her now,” Aidan told Kayla. “The myth said she’d kill her loved ones. She’s done that now.”

“But what about you? How do you know she won’t kill you?”

“Because she doesn’t love me.”