Decrease

Wednesday - September 15

Claire slowly begins to remove one item at a time from her priceless treasure chest. She finds a plastic red monkey from a game she and her parents played when she was a child. She holds the monkey as if she were ready to connect another monkey to it that hides in a barrel.

She then discovers a plastic sandwich bag that holds treasures from a day of hiking in the woods. The contents consist of dried, pressed flowers, dried leaves, a small pink pebble, a few bird feathers, and a plastic ring Claire had found. The ring was white, and had a red emblem, or seal, attached to the oval shape part. She closes her eyes and recalls the moment she found it.

"Mommy, come here! I found something!" says Claire, as she bends down, digging into the dirt with a broken stick, "Hurry, Mommy, hurry!"

Georgia Parks scurries to Claire's side asking, "What is it, Claire? What did you find?"

"It's hard... I'm getting it now. Help me, Mommy, please!" begs Claire, as she digs as hard as she can.

Georgia and Claire earnestly dig with the broken stick to finally uncover what a tall person could never have seen. After getting the treasure out of the dirt, Claire takes a bottle of water out of her knapsack, puts the treasure in her palm, and begins to wash away the dirt, which has attached itself like barnacles to a sunken ship. After giving the discovery a thorough cleaning, Claire holds it up to the Sun, shouting and jumping for joy, "Look, Mommy, a ring! I found a ring!"

Georgia takes Claire into her arms and hugs her tightly. Claire breaks away, and says, "Look how it fits, Mommy! May I keep it? Please, Mommy?"

Georgia smiles at Claire, and says, "Finders keepers, losers weepers." She takes a hold of Claire's finger, and kisses it gently. Claire holds her hand up toward the sky to admire her new found discovery.

"Claire, dear?" says Aunt Ruth, as she nudges Claire's arm. "Are you all right, dear?"

With her recollection interrupted, Claire says, "Yes, Aunt Ruth. I'm just remembering the day I found this ring. It was a beautiful day. No snow, no swarms of people; only me, Mom, and Dad hiking out in the woods and having so much fun. The Sun was bright and the air smelled so fresh; so fresh."

Pulling more articles out of the box, Claire picks up an object that she has recently seen. She holds it up into the sunlight when she hears Aunt Ruth gasp. Claire turns to her, and flashes the object in her face, demanding, "What is this, Aunt Ruth? I know you know. Tell me what this is." Aunt Ruth stares at Claire, turns around, and walks out of the bedroom towards the hall closet.

Frustrated with all that's happening, Claire marches after Aunt Ruth, yelling, "Tell me what this is! Tell me, damn it! I received an object just like this from UPS yesterday!" She grabs Aunt Ruth's arm, then shakes the object relentlessly in her face. Aunt Ruth raises her hand and yanks it out of Claire's.

"You watch your language with me, young lady!" snarls Aunt Ruth. Aunt Ruth goes to the hall closet, opens the door, reaches into her handbag, and pulls out the same object she and Henry had received on Tuesday. Turning to Claire, she asks, "Are you asking me about this object, Claire?"

Claire looks at the object and asks Aunt Ruth if she could have them. With her hands opened, Aunt Ruth places both objects into Claire's palms. Claire looks up at Aunt Ruth with vacant eyes, and asks, "What are these, Aunt Ruth? Why do you have one? Why was one sent to me yesterday? And why is there one in the box from the storage unit?"

Aunt Ruth places her small, paper thin hand onto Claire's cheek, answering, "The puzzle is nearly completed, my dear. Soon you will have the answers to all your questions."

Feeling like she's getting absolutely nowhere, Claire sighs, turns around, and goes to the kitchen. She lays the objects on the counter while she goes back into the bedroom. After a few seconds, she returned with the object delivered to her yesterday by UPS. With the three objects in one place, Claire wonders if there are any more of them. She looks at Aunt Ruth saying, "I don't know what this means, but I think you do. Aunt Ruth, you must tell me what this is. I need to know, and now. Please!"