Page 36 of The Seven Rings
“Pretty sure this is Russian. Ah…” She attempted to pronounce the name on the hinged red tin. “Zvetouchny. Probably butchered that. But there’s English, too. ‘Packed by the Consolidated Tea Company in New York.’”
She gave it a light shake. “Something’s in it that’s definitely not tea.”
When she pried up the lid, she found the tin filled with marbles.
“They look old.” Owen poked a finger in to roll them around. “The tin and the marbles.”
When he glanced over at Trey, Trey just lifted his shoulders. “Don’t look at me. I don’t know anything about marbles, less about old Russian tea.”
“Well, the tin’s very cool, and the marbles are pretty.”
Sonya started to close the lid again when Cleo wandered in.
“And here she comes, practically an early bird.”
“All y’all were buzzing my subconscious. I might as well have set an alarm.”
Cleo had also dressed for the task in little denim shorts, a pink tee, and pink sneakers.
“Whatcha got there? Oh, look at those!”
“Know anything about marbles?” Trey asked her.
“Not so much, but I know rocks and crystals, and some of these are agate, some aventurine, carnelian. There’s some with mica flakes—see how they glitter? Oh, look here! This one’s got a lion inside, and here’s one with a bear in it.
“I’ll take these down,” Cleo decided. “See if I can look them up. We should put them in a glass jar. They’re too pretty, too full of energy—I swear, it’s popping off them—to stay closed away. And the tin’s a little treasure in itself.”
“All yours,” Sonya told her. “I’ve got a few things in that box goingdown. We haven’t found much yet. We’re doing this area first, then I figured—”
“Do it all organized? How about I bring the chaos, and maybe the luck?” Head angled, Cleo circled a finger in the air, then pointed. “I’m going that way.”
After setting the tin of marbles in the box, Cleo wove through and picked her spot.
Well used to Cleo’s methods, Sonya continued on. She hunted through the drawers of a small dresser she thought must belong in a nursery or toddler’s room, and thought she might use it when she had children.
“These must be diaper pins.” She held up a pair of large safety pins. “And some sort of a…” She shook the tiny silver dumbbell. “Baby rattle.”
Clover joined in with Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
“‘Ooo Baby Baby.’” Grinning, Trey took the rattle and gave it a shake of his own. “In the box, right?”
“Absolutely.”
“While y’all are playing, I think I brought that luck. Unless you hate this desk, Son.”
Straightening up, Sonya worked her way over to Cleo. “I do not hate this desk.”
“Tulipwood,” Owen supplied. “Art Deco-y, I’d say. You got a nice tooled leather top.”
“Sturdy, but not chunky.” Sonya ran a hand over it. “We wouldn’t want chunky. It’ll fit, won’t it? It’s big enough but not overwhelming. We’ll find a chair and use this as the core piece of the guest office.”
Trey moved in, tested by lifting one end. “Easier on the back than a lot of the others, so I love it.”
“Cleo and I can take the drawers to make it even lighter.” Sonya gave the middle drawer a tug. “This one’s locked.”
Cleo opened the drawer on one side, and Owen the other. Both were empty.
Trey sat on the floor, managed to angle himself under the desk.
