Page 10 of Always Be an Us

"These aren't Rainbow Pearls," I say, holding it up to the departing sun. "But they’re pretty regardless. Tate and I tried to make necklaces out of them but it didn’t work. We almost broke our fingers trying. So yeah, don’t do that."

The girl giggles and I tell her another story, pointing at the elevated rock on a hill in the distance. "There's a cave on there too. Tate and I went there looking for Rainbow Pearls once. We figured that a hundred years ago the stream may have reached all the way there. And that maybe one of the pearls got stuck in a cave. So we tried to climb up there and almost got stung by a bee. And then, as we were running away, we got chased by a bear."

"A bear?" Her eyes are wide.

"Yeah. Or at least we thought it was a bear at first. In hindsight, it might have been Old Man Shoreton again."

The girl laughs out loud this time.

I continue telling her stories as we search for the pearls. Ten minutes later, we call it quits and head back out of the woods.

"We can always search more tomorrow," I say as we walk. "But hey, you know who might know a thing or two about the pearls? My grandpa."

"Really?"

I nod.

"He’s super knowledgeable about all that. He used to work at the Pink Hotel, you know. Or the Grand Pearl Hotel as it’s more officially known. He was there when they stole the Pink Pearl."

"Shut up." Her mouth falls open. "No, he wasn't."

"Yes, he was. He swears he nearly caught one of the culprits when they were escaping too." I nearly laugh at the enthusiasm in her eyes. "Come on, he’ll tell you all about it. If you wanna talk to him that is. But I have to warn you that he does tend to go on and on."

She nods so hard I think her head is going to pop off and I laugh as we head back to the lake. It's good timing because Grandpa is just about to dock.

"Caught a pretty nice pike today," he's saying as he does. "Will roast it up with some potatoes later."

"Sounds good," I say. "I want you to meet someone."

He looks down at us, and then his eyes travel to the girl.

He peers at her. "Is my eyesight getting worse or did your friend Tate get shorter?"

"No this isn’t Tate, Grandpa. This is…" And then I realize I actually have no idea what her name is.

"Amelia," she says, staring at Grandpa in awe. "Is it true you were there when the Pink Pearl was stolen?"

"Sure was," Grandpa says, hopping nimbly off the boat with his fish in hand. He’s pretty spry for an eighty-year old man and he gestures with the air of a celebrity happy to be recognized. "And I remember every single detail like it was just yesterday. It was a stormy night...well not too stormy, but you know a drizzle of rain. The kind that makes it seem like it's going to storm real soon, but it's not quite there yet. We used to have those a lot during the summer of–"

"Grandpa," I say, and he nods.

"Sorry. I like to ramble. Anyway, like I said, it was a rainy night and there was a ball going on. And you should have seen it, the most ritzy thing I'd ever seen in my life. But then again, the Pink Hotel was known for hosting all kinds of rich folk and nobility. Heck, there was a duchess that stayed there from time to time. And of course, there was Madam Thornley."

"Who's Madam Thornley?"

"One of the guests who Grandpa knew," I explain. "She stayed in the hotel when Grandpa worked there, and her lover died the same night the Pink Pearl went missing. Madam Thornley also disappeared that night. But it’s said that she ran away because she was driven mad by the grief."

"Poor thing already had a delicate constitution," Grandpa says. "I think she lost her father not too long before that too and was in a fragile mental state. Heck even her fiance, when he got drunk, would lament about it, saying he was sure she was going mad. And then to lose the love of her life just months after…" He shakes his head. "It’s fitting that the Pink Pearl went missing at the same time as she did."

"What do you mean?""Well, little one, Rainbow Pearls are a symbol of love and the Pink Pearl is the rarest of them all. It’s said that the Pink Pearl represents the strongest love, a bond that lasts a lifetime. And that the couple who holds it will be together forever. So, when her love died and she disappeared, so did the symbol."

"So cool," Amelia says, then frowns. "Wait, you think Madam Thornley took the Pink Pearl when she left?"

Grandpa shrugs. "Well the cops never found her again, so who knows?"

"But according to what I read in my book, they said the Pink Pearl was stolen by three thieves?"

"Maybe." Grandpa puffs up. "They never found the thieves either. You know I almost caught one of the bastards as he was escaping? I was in the gardens when I saw a dark figure running off. I had him right here, in my sights." He points at his eyes. "But it was raining and everything was slippery so I fell and he got away." He sighs. "If only I’d had a shotgun on me."

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