The Jewelry Box

Griselda’s tiny reflections gazed back at her from the mosaic crystallized jewelry box that she carried gently. A great deal of time has passed since the box was in her hands. Griselda remembered how fond of it she was from the moment her mother introduced it to her. Her eyes swelled as she hugged the box remembering the last time it was in her grips.

Griselda’s mother, Elvina, spent years passing down her grandmother’s traditions. Elvina’s grandmother possessed striking abilities only but whispers of her were shared amongst the family. Elvina found out quickly that her grandmother was not invited inside her home and she was rarely granted permission to visit. Though that did not stop her from sneaking out of her academy to visit her grandmother’s cottage.

The cottage was small, quaint, made of burnt clay bricks buried beneath wisteria and creepers. It was located about four hours from the city. Elvina would take the bus located on the corner of the central farmer’s market. It dropped her off about a half mile from the cottage. She would walk the rest of the way to wander through the weeds where the butterflies roamed. Elvina felt at home when she walked through the foliage; she could not fathom why her mother did not enjoy coming here.

The cottage was isolated almost as though there were warning signs displayed with words like Do Not Enter, however, Elvina never did spot any. The cottage was often dim; her grandmother preferred to keep the fireplace burning, which would cast shadows that glimmered amongst the cupboards. Those cupboards were filled with tinctures, teas, and talismans. They were organized and labeled; potions and jars stowed with significance. Her grandmother would seek Elvina’s advice in selecting different items to pull, oftentimes not specifying what was needed but rather what Elvina thought should be pulled for their spell. Her grandmother would prop what seemed like a tremendous book on top of the kitchen counter. Elvina viewed the book with great wonder and when she opened it the symbols and sigils would almost glow.

Her grandmother would always say “this book is infused with cosmic codes you know”. Elvina would nod her head in agreement. Her grandmother instructed that this book would be in Elvina’s possession once she was well seasoned. Her grandmother despised the word “old” or “older”, she never did believe in any sort of expiration.

However, Elvina’s visits to her grandmother’s cottage eventually expired. Elvina would see her grandmother for the last time in the city while Elvina and her mother shopped at the market. Her grandmother grasped Elvina’s arm unnoticeably as her mother precisely picked produce for supper. Elvina was astonished at the sight of her grandmother for she seldom left her cottage. Her grandmother’s face was veiled by a large, velvet, black hat, and a long, gloomy, floral cloth dress clung to her legs. When Elvina looked at her grandmother that day, she saw her distinctly—clearly, as if it were the first time she laid eyes on her. She thought about how she never really stared at her grandmother’s face so closely in the sun. She had always assumed her grandmother's eyes were black but underneath the golden hour, her grandmother looked youthful and her eyes gray like a fog feathered around ruins of a forgotten city.

“Elvina, this will be the last day you see me. Please do not feel sorrow as we shall meet again amongst the magic. You should be well into your powers by then and your daughter will be the next keeper in line.”

“Daughter?” Elvina repeated questionably, she was thirteen and hadn’t wondered much about having a child. “Keeper?” Elvina could feel the questions brewing but her grandmother swiftly interrupted.

“There will be a box, a jewelry box that you will receive. It will be delivered to you with instructions and an incantation on the bottom. This jewelry box is very special to me and I need you to keep it close, no matter who asks for it.”

“Is it expensive?”

“It holds great value.”

Elvina kept her word and guarded the jewelry box from the moment she found it tucked underneath her pillow. She left it locked like the engraved instructions detailed. Even when she felt most eager to open it, Elvina never did. Over the years she would receive letters but she wasn’t entirely sure who sent them. The last letter she received disclosed that she would be the heir of her grandmother's cottage.

Elvina was smudging her home when Grisdela came downstairs.

“I couldn’t sleep much last night, Mother. I kept hearing whispers again.”

“There are no whispers, my love. Our home is protected, no one can come in without our permission.”

“That’s the thing Mama, the whispers weren’t inside. It sounded like– like they were outside the window sill. I’m certain something was trying to figure out a way to get in. I could hear the latch clicking back and forth.”

Elvina grabbed the book, it didn't look or feel as tremendous as it did when she was a small girl. She flipped to a Protection Spell and asked Grisleda to gather some herbs from the cupboards.

Elvina reached for the cauldron in the cabinet beneath the sink, “Griselda, do you know what the name ‘Elvina’ means?”

Her daughter began pouring a vial of mugwort into the pot. “I’m not sure, Mama.”

“It means friend of Elves.Your Great-Grandmother named me.”

“So we are friends with Elves, Mama?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say friends, but rather, acquaintances. Let’s just say the Witches and the Elves have a treaty.”

“A treaty?”

“An agreement—an understanding.”

“What do you agree upon?”

“We both have a mutual adversary, an opponent who won’t let us be ourselves, they seek to steal our magic.”

“Who mama?”

“The Fairies.”

“Fairies? But aren’t they lightworkers?”

“They can be. But they can also be tricksters, a deal with a Fairy may lead to a lot more being taken than given.”

“Like my magic?”

Elvina nodded, “You will understand better as you grow into your powers, but just remember you cannot lose that jewelry box, nor can you ever open it.”

“Is the treaty in there?”

“In a way, yes.”

That night, Griselda trembled in her sheets, her blanket wrapping her like a cocoon until she pushed her arms and legs free. Her thoughts fluttered like a moth near candlelight. What could possibly be kept in that small beautiful jewelry box? How did they manage to fit all that understanding inside such a tiny box?

Griselda heard tapping along her windowsill, a tapping that she had heard for weeks. She almost thought she could hear whispers–little voices swimming at her sill. Griselda climbed off her bed and walked to her window. She didn’t see anything– there was nothing or no one there. She lifted the window to let the warm night air in but as soon as she did a gust of wind knocked into her face pushing her to the floor.

“Mama?!” She yelled.

Griselda heard a thump and turned to see where it had come from. The jewelry box had hit the floor and was lying there opened and no longer locked. Griselda’s door was pried open slightly and she could hear the screams of her mother.

“Griselda! Grab the book!”