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The Locket

It was late when our car finally pulled into a parking spot at the oceanfront hotel Holiday Inn. Mom turned from the steering wheel and smiled at my sister Annabelle and me in the backseat.

"Well, girls," she said. "We're finally in Ocean City! What shall we do first?"

"Sleep," Daddy mumbled. We had all gotten up early and packed. We were ready to roll when Annabelle insisted on doing a makeover for me, so I wouldn't look like I was related to her. As soon as she was done, I rubbed all the makeup off my skin and fixed my hair back into a ponytail, so I looked like myself again. All of this caused us to leave later than we planned.

"The beach!" I said excitedly. "Can we go to the beach?"

"Not now, Lynne!" Annabelle snapped. "We have to go to the boardwalk. All the cute boys hang out there."

I rolled my eyes at my sister. Ever since Annabelle's been fourteen, her only interests are boys, the mall, makeup, and making sure I don't look related to her.

"Hey, I got an idea!" I piped up. "How about Daddy going to the hotel room, Annabelle going to the boardwalk, and Mom and I heading for the beach?"

"No, Lynne," Mom said. "I think Daddy should rest but if the three of us go out, we have to stick together."

"Then where will we go?" I asked.

"I'm sorry you won't get to go to the ocean, Lynne," Annabelle said airily. "But meeting boys is more important than watching waves."

"Yeah right," I snapped back.

Annabelle glared at me. Mom cut off her next retort before she could speak it.

"Girls!" she scolded. "That's quite enough." Turning to my sister she said, "I think we should go to the beach, Annabelle. That's why we came."

Leaving Annabelle mumbling something about me always getting my way, Mom Daddy and I checked into our room and put our luggage inside. Then, while Daddy started his nap, Mom and I went back outside to get Annabelle. We practically had to drag her out of the car.

When we got to the ocean, I couldn't believe my eyes. The color of the water matched the color of the night sky but you could hear the waves crashing onto the sand. Kicking our shoes off, Mom and I ran to the water and played in the waves with their feet. Annabelle plopped down on the sand, complaining as usual.

After about five minutes, Annabelle walked up to us.

"Excuse me, Mother," she said in a voice that made it clear she was not addressing me, "but I think these immature games should stop now. I am totally bored."

"Annabelle, just because you don't like the things that Lynne likes doesn't give you the right to complain when we are doing them." Annabelle's face got red and I smirked, saying without words, that she was the immature one. Mom noticed my smirk 'cuz I was the next to get corrected. I walked to the hotel room in silence, angrily thinking upon my sister. She's always so contentious.

The next day I woke up bright and early. Mom smiled at me.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head!" That's how Mom is in the morning. "Time for a fun morning on the boardwalk!"

'It took her long enough," Annabelle grumbled. She was dressed in her favorite outfit and ready to go.

"Do you want to come to the boardwalk with us, Tom?" Mom asked Daddy.

"No thanks." Daddy was still in bed. I was worried about him. I wanted him to relax, 'cuz he had a stressful life back home, but all he was doing was sleeping.

Fifteen minutes later Mom, Annabelle and I were cruising down the boardwalk, looking at the names of shops: Bob's Ice Cream, Best Prices, June's Treasures of Jewelry. June's Treasure's of Jewelry sounded interesting to me. I looked into the shop and saw something glimmer from inside.

"Mom, let's go into June's Treasure's of Jewelry please." I said. Inside the store, I found the shimmering object that drew me. It was a locket. The golden locket looked old and was inscribed with "LEA". WOW! Lynne Elizabeth Andrews, my initials! I felt attracted to the locket, as if I couldn't leave it. I felt as if the locket were drawing me into some strange world…

"LYNNE!" Startled, I whirled around and came face to face with Annabelle.

"Lynne, Mother and I have been waiting now for five minutes! We want to go."

Mom smiled at me from across the store. "You seem to be in love with that locket, Lynne. How about I buy it for you?"

"Would you? Oh thank you, Mom!"

While Mom paid for the locket, the cashier smiled down at me. "I'm June," she said. "That locket used to belong to my great-great grandmother, Lorraine Esadora Anthony."

"Oh," I said, embarrassed. "If I knew the locket was part of your family…"

June laughed, tossing her black curls behind her. "Oh everything in this shop used to belong to one of my relatives. It gives me joy to see my family treasures being reused."

"Lynne!" Annabelle called from outside.

Ignoring my sister I turned back to June. "I really like the locket. I'll take good care of it."

Mom smiled at me. "Let's go, Lynne." When I walked outside, Annabelle mumbled something about wasting time. I sighed, hoping my sister wouldn't ruin the rest of the trip.

When we got back to the hotel room, we changed into swimsuits, and got our towels, umbrella, beach chairs, and book Mom was reading. Annabelle brought her "to impress a boy" props. Even Daddy was going to the beach.
After we set up our chairs and umbrella, Daddy collapsed and fell asleep again. Mom reclined in a chair, reading, and Annabelle found a cute lifeguard whom she studied for the afternoon. Putting on the locket I ran to the water's edge, ready to dive in and take a swim.

Suddenly a faint voice called "Lynne!" I stopped short. Minutes later, the voice came again. "Lynne Elizabeth Andrews!" Then I noticed the locket was glowing. With my full attention on the locket I listened to the voice.

"Lynne Elizabeth Andrews! I am the locket that used to belong to Lorraine Esadora Anthony! I am a magical locket! If there is anything you wish to disappear, I will grant it! Whatever disappears will then go inside of this locket and be worn at your neck forevermore! Remember that! Your wish is my command!"

CRASH! A huge wave knocked me to my knees. Convinced that I only imagined the voice in the locket I ran into the ocean to play.

That night, Annabelle and I got into a terrible fight. It started when Annabelle, already grumpy, lay down on her pillow. "Ouch!" she cried, picking it up. Underneath she found the romance novel she was reading. I couldn't help snickering. My sister glared at me. "I bet you put that book there!"

"Annabelle!" Mom scolded. "No yelling! There are people in other rooms, trying to sleep!"

The arguing didn't end and finally Daddy emerged from bed, yelling, "Lynne and Annabelle Andrews, if I hear another peep from either of you, you will be grounded for the rest of this trip, do you understand?"

"Yes Daddy," we said quietly.

Ashamed that I had made Daddy so mad yet angry at my sister I whispered, "I wish you would disappear, Annabelle." I took off the locket and put it on the dresser, barely noticing it was glowing. Then I fell asleep.

At midnight, something woke me. It was the locket! "You wished for Annabelle Maria Andrews to disappear! Your wish is my command!" For a second I just sat in bed, very tired and very confused. Then it hit me. I had wished for Annabelle to disappear! If I didn't do something right now, no one would ever see Annabelle again! She would be trapped in the locket forever!

"No!" I screamed, jumping up into a standing position. "I didn't mean what I said! I was just mad!"

Ignoring me, the locket glowed. The light touched Annabelle's face.

"No!" I shouted again. "I don't want Annabelle to disappear!"

Ignoring me still, the locket glowed its brightest. Annabelle began to shimmer.

Suddenly I got an idea! "I wish the locket would disappear!" I screamed.

BLAST! An explosion came from the dresser. I looked to where the locket was and it was gone!

"Lynne!" startled, I turned around. Annabelle was sitting up in bed, glaring at me. "You woke me up! Honestly, Lynne, it's so… so.. immature to wake me up in the middle of the night!"

I smiled. Good 'ole Annabelle. Instead of acting smart, I ran over and hugged her.

I didn't sleep much that night. I was reliving everything about the locket. Then I found myself thinking about June. The locket was a part of her family, but surely she'd understand why I had to get rid of it. I decided to make it up to her, to buy something else from her shop, something that didn't have anything to do with my life.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" Mom said cheerfully. "You know, Lynne, I had this strange dream, that you were yelling at your new locket, telling it not to make Annabelle disappear. Isn't that weird? By the way, where is that locket?"

Smiling over at Annabelle, I said, "I don't know, Mom. It just kinda disappeared."

Published in Amazon Adventure and Other Stories for Children by Children.


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