DEEP IN THE VALLEY

CHAPTER THREE

THE GIFT

I walk home lost in a haze of spinning thoughts. I'm sure I saw the spoon stirring itself and the old man appeared out of the shed from nowhere. I was willing to believe that the spoon was a trick of the light in the old weird house but two strange events involving the old man in consecutive days is just too much of a coincidence.

When I get home I'm surprised to find my great aunts are sitting in the living room sipping tea. Catherine and Merga are my mother's elder sisters and I call them my 'great' aunts as they've always spoilt me rotten, especially when dad passed away.

They hop up and start fussing when they see how wet I am. 'Maureen bring a towel, your eldest is drowned and dripping on the rug' Auntie Catherine shouts into the kitchen and mum comes to look at me. She rummages in the washing machine for a clean towel and hands it to me.

'Why didn't you call? I'd have come to collect you', she says while looking at me and nodding her head. "Your drowned, what were you thinking?"

"Leave her alone Julie, she's fine" Merga comes to my defense. " Are you ok?" she asks with a genuine  concern while pulling the poncho over my head. 

"I just wanted to walk in the rain', I reply sinking into the warmth of the armchair by the fire. 

"Just like your grandmother, she was a great one for walking in the rain, said it used to clear her mind' Merga says.

'How very handy that you'd mention her grandmother Merga' Catherine says sarcastically as she opens her handbag on the table.

'The girl has every right to it, just as you had every right to it when your time had come', replies Merga now folding her arms in a staunch position.

'I know, I know. There' s no need to go on about it any more' Catherine says as she approaches me holding something in her hands.

Mother moves in front of me, gives me a weird smile and I sense that there is something big they want to tell me.

'OK, what's going on? Why are you all acting weird?' I ask."Is Winter OK?" I ask looking around for him. 

"He's fine, he's at scouts, it's nothing bad, just good. This is a big moment" my mother says and then deflects to Catherine who moves forward. 

Catherine coughs to clear her throat. 'It's tradition for the eldest girl on the mothers side of the family to receive something just before her sixteenth birthday' Catherine says, a big grin on her face.

'A car?' I ask and the room erupts with laughter.

'No, not a car I'm afraid but it's something that has been past through the family for as long as anyone can remember and I have to say that I'll be very sad to see it go as it's brought me much good luck. But your time has come so I'm giving it to you and I hope it continues to bring good luck to you' she says as she places a small red box on the table.

'She's not giving it to you out of the goodness of her heart, I've been nagging her for months so I have', says Aunt Merga as I look to my mother.

'Go on', she says with a smile.

'It's beautiful' I say and lift the gleaming box and turn it in my hands. 'It's stone' I say and look at them surprised. I wasn't expecting it to be stone. It cold to the touch but shiny like quartz with the most intricate design cut into the stone itself. The design is made up of jagged lines that form a beautiful wave that flows around the whole box, as if protecting it.

'Open it', says Auntie Catherine with a beaming grin.

I do, and sitting on a small ornate stand in the middle of the box is a simple black shiny disc attached to a black chain. Compared to the outside of the box it's very plain.

'I know it doesn't look like much but it goes with absolutely everything', says Auntie Catherine taking it out of the box and holding it up to the light. 'It's ever so light and although it looks cold it's actually quite warm', she says looking lovingly at the thing in her hands.

'Say the words Catherine and give it to the girl so we can have some food, I'm bloody starving', Merga says.

'Ok, Ok, stop rushing me', Auntie Catherine says and looks at me. 'It's tradition that you say these words when passing the necklace from one generation to the next' she holds the necklace over my head and clears her throat. 

'There you go' she says, places the necklace around my neck and a tear runs down her cheek.

'Is that it?' I ask.

'Yes, it's very easy to remember but very important to say. I don't know why, but when you give this to your eldest in years to come make sure to say it. What do you think? '

I walk over to the mirror and considering I don't usually wear any jewelry other than my dad's field watch I don't think it looks that bad. The simple black disc blends with the black and khaki of my clothes nicely. It looks elegant yet bad ass!

"It's nice, thanks" I say and give her a kiss.

"Be sure to look after it now and always keep it in a safe place. Now before I become even more sentimental about how time moves on and waits for no one,  lets eat before your fat Aunt Merga withers away!".

"Honestly", says Merga and I keep the necklace on and as we eat my mothers burnt carrot cake and as the women of my family chat amongst themselves about my cousins upcoming wedding my mind floats back to the old man, the spoon and the shed. If I'm crazy I won't be able to join the army and there is no way I'm going to let that happen. I need to investigate more but for now I make small talk with my aunts who always manage to cheer me up.

Mother collects Winter from scouts and after the great aunts have made sufficient fuss over him they make their excuses and leave. Both women give me big hugs as I see them to the door and Auntie Catherine plants a kiss on my cheek.

"Good lord you're boiling up', she says as she places her hand on my forehead. 'You need to take good care of yourself and that necklace or I'll not be happy".

I give her a big hug, thank her again and tell her that I'll take excellent care of it.