mer and her

five. her.

I paced Pap's front lawn, torn between attempting a second search and admitting that I'd lost the necklace. It wasn't like I'd been swimming and it fell off. I'd had it next to me when I fell asleep. Surely, the necklace hadn't sprouted legs and decided to go for a swim. Something else must have happened. I needed Pap's help.

I found him sitting on his favorite chair in front of the television.

"Hey," I said, my voice weak.

Pap raised his head and squinted at me. "Did you have a picnic with the fish?"

My clothes gave me away; they still hadn't dried from searching the water. I rubbed my throat, where the cluster of pearls had been when I'd left the house.

"What happened, Hazel?"

"After eating, the necklace felt tight, so I removed it. I fell asleep, and when I woke up it was missing."

I told him about my search in the lake, and how I thought I'd seen the necklace at the bottom. That it was gone. I wasn't sure whether to mention the human hands and the elbow with tiny fins. I was still questioning that part, myself.

"I'm sorry," I said, lowering my head.

Pap rubbed the back of his neck, and then frowned. "Follow me upstairs. Maybe you'd like something else from the collection."

I couldn't believe it. He was offering to give me more of Grandma's jewelry after I'd so carelessly lost my birthday gift.

"I'd love to see them," I said, "but I couldn't take another after losing that beautiful necklace."

"Accidents happen, Hazelnut. What am I going to do with a bunch of women's jewelry anyway?"

I shook my head and followed him upstairs to a guestroom Grandma had used as a sewing room when she had no visitors at the lake.

Pap led me to a jewelry chest that was as tall as I was. The top drawer made a creaking noise as he pulled it open.

He laid item after item onto the quilt-covered bed. There must have been fifty pieces, if you counted the missing necklace. Each was crafted of braided silver and accented with a cluster of freshwater pearls.

"Do you see anything you like?"

I bit my lip. A bracelet caught my eye.

***

The next day, I practically skipped to the lake, swinging my tote bag along my side. On my opposite arm, Grandma's bracelet was wrapped around my wrist.

Part of me feared losing another item from her collection. Though, the more I'd thought about it overnight, the more I suspected someone had intentionally stolen the necklace. That person must have been at the lake and found me asleep.

After lunch, I planned to remove the jewelry like last time—except with precautions in place. My eyes would be shut, but I intended to stay awake.

When I reached my usual spot near the ficus tree, I sat in the warm grass and pulled a sandwich from my tote. I unwrapped its packaging idly, taking time to study the area surrounding me and the lake. I bit into the sandwich and chewed, savoring the flavors of sourdough bread and tangy crab salad.

Sounds, images, and questions invaded my head. The voice from my dream. How dare you. The cluster of pearls glowing at the bottom of the lake. Human-like hands scooping the necklace away. An elbow with two tiny fins. Were all these strange things somehow related? If so, what did it mean?

Where was the necklace now? Who had it? And why did they take it from me? I hoped I was about to find out.

After washing down the rest of my sandwich with a gulp of lemonade, I repacked the tote, fitting each of the items neatly inside.

My heart beat faster the more I tried to act relaxed and casual, like any other day chilling by the lake.

I unclasped the bracelet from my wrist and stretched out my arms before settling onto the grass. Instead of setting the bracelet next to the tote, I pressed my pinkie finger through one of its braided loops.

Crackling whispered from above. A ficus leaf landed next to the bracelet.

I yawned, and then closed my eyes and waited.