The Locket

Jessie stood, tired and dirty, waiting in line for a chance at some clean water. Although she was barely twenty years old, her face and skin had the look of someone three times her age, and she had long ago shaved off her hair for the sake of practicality. She was small and frail, and looked like she could pass out at any moment, but that was no different than all of the others standing in line with her. For as long as she could remember, water was the most precious and rare of all resources. It was almost impossible to find fresh, clean water anymore. Wars were fought over it, and once those wars had decimated most of the planet, individuals began fighting over it. Fights were becoming less common, and this was how most people tried to obtain it; enormous lines that could sometimes be a mile long and would take hours and hours to get through. People brought whatever they could think of that might be valuable enough to trade for even the smallest amount. Almost everyone brought food to trade, since it was the only thing that virtually anyone with any small amount of skill was able to grow for themselves.

This was the first time Jessie had ever had to stand in the water line, but her mother was not feeling well enough to venture out of the small shack where they lived along with her father. Jessie had actually volunteered to go, and despite her mother’s protests, her father had agreed to let her. Usually she stayed and helped her father with whatever chores needed doing around their small farm. She now had a much greater appreciation of what her mother went through to bring fresh water back to the house every few days. Jessie had only been in the line a couple of hours, and she already had no desire to ever do this again. Not that she would ever have a choice. If you wanted water, you came to the castle.

Of course, there was no actual castle. It was simply a huge section of land that had towering walls built all the way around it. People had started calling it the castle, and the name stuck. The walls were made of the most random of materials, ranging from rocks and dirt to metal and concrete. Whatever had been available at the time had been used for construction, and even though the walls weren’t the most stylish thing ever built, they were certainly strong. No one Jessie knew had ever seen inside those giant walls, although it wasn’t from lack of trying. Every so often a group of disgruntled farmers, tired of living like rabble, would attempt to storm the castle. It never ended well. Whoever it was on the other side of those walls, there were a lot of them, and they had access to weapons. There were rumors that the castle walls were built around a former military base, though there was no specific source for these rumors. Another rumor said there was a lake full of water inside those walls and that’s where the castle’s seemingly unlimited supply came from.

Jessie had no particular interest in finding out the truth. She would never see the other side of those walls, so she saw no point in wasting too much though on it. She did, however, occasionally wonder what happened to all the food and other items that were traded to the castle. With the amount of food they took in, there must be stockpiles of it just going to waste.

Jessie was close to the front of the line now. The time spent waiting in the hot sun was starting to feel worth it, as she could now almost taste the cool water she would soon have in her possession. She looked behind her and couldn’t even see the end of the line. While her gaze surveyed the people, she took notice of the other items people were bringing to trade. She had no previous experience to compare to, but based off her mother’s accounts, she thought it was odd how very few people had food. As she took a second look, she realized she was in fact the only one nearby who had baskets full of vegetables. Most people seemed to have wood and scrap metals. Jessie took that as a good sign. The castle would surely be on the lookout for some good vegetables.

As the man in front of Jessie concluded his business and moved aside, Jessie stepped up to the trade table and set her baskets on top. There was a woman sitting at the table, keeping track of the trades in a notebook, and a group of guards with guns standing behind her guarding the water. The woman looked at the vegetables and then looked at Jessie.

“We don’t need any vegetables right now,” the woman said.

“What?” Jessie was stunned at the comment. “What do you mean?”

“Is that not self-explanatory?” the woman asked. “We don’t need any vegetables right now. We need building materials. Find something else to trade, or don’t waste my time.”

“But… but I don’t have anything else!” said Jessie. “We always trade vegetables!”

“Well then maybe that’s why we have so many, and we don’t need anymore. Now step aside,” the woman said as she motioned for Jessie to move out of the way.

“But we need water!” Jessie exclaimed.

“Not my problem.” The woman waved her hand and one of the armed men standing behind her moved forward.

“Take your vegetables and go. Now!” the man yelled.

Jessie stood in shock at what was happening. She looked at the woman, then at the guard, and then back at the woman, eyes pleading for some sort of compassion. She found none. When Jessie remained motionless, the guard became more agitated and stepped closer. He shoved her baskets right off the table and grabbed her arm.

“I’ll show you what we do with troublemakers,” the guard said as he began to drag her away.

Jessie struggled against the guard’s grip, but she was no match for his strength. She fell to the ground as the guard violently pulled her. A small, almost imperceptible flash of sunlight reflected off of something near Jessie’s chest. The gleam did not go unnoticed, and the woman at the table stood suddenly.

“Wait!” she commanded the guard. “Bring her back over here.”

The guard lifted Jessie out of the dirt and hauled her back to the table. The woman leaned forward and reached towards Jessie’s chest.

“Now what is this?” the woman asked, as she lifted a small heart-shaped locket in her hand.

“It’s mine!” Jessie snapped.

“I’m always on the lookout for new jewelry,” the woman said. “Is this real silver? I’ll give you a week’s supply of water for it.”

“No! It was my mother’s and it’s not for trade!” Jessie replied.

“You were just crying that you’re desperate for water, and now I offer you an incredible trade that you’re going to refuse?” the woman asked incredulously.

“It’s been in my family for generations, and I was told that if I always keep it with me, it will bring good luck,” explained Jessie. “I’ll never trade it!”

“Never?” asked the woman.

“Never,” replied Jessie.

The woman grabbed the locket and gave it a quick pull that broke the chain around Jessie’s neck.

“Hey!” yelled Jessie.

“I guess there goes your good luck,” the woman said calmly as she examined the locket more closely. She waved her hand again and the guard started dragging Jessie away. “Now you can show her what happens to troublemakers.”

Jessie screamed and kicked as she was dragged away by the guard.

“I suggest you all pay attention,” the woman said loudly to the line of onlookers.

Jessie’s screams faded away as she was taken farther out of sight. The woman sat down at her table again and motioned the next person to step forward. The trading continued without any further disruptions, and no one in the lineup even seemed to notice when the guard came back alone. The woman at the table gave a quick glance over her shoulder as the guard took his usual spot, standing behind her. The only sign that Jessie had ever been there that day was the silver heart-shaped locket that hung around the woman’s neck.