The Locket
Drum English|29 June 2017

Asanda believes in finders keepers. But where would that belief, and the little white lies that follow, lead her?

Asanda Zani
The Locket

WHAT time does your lunch break end?”

Anathi was lea­ning over, trying to get my attention, but I wasn’t really listening.

My focus was on something else – a shiny gold locket lying on the floor. I lifted my hand towards my lips, as if to hush her, and then she saw it too.

I shot her a warning glance, “Stand on guard,” it said. Anathi knew me well enough to understand exactly what I meant.

Even so, I looked around before bending down and quickly snatching it up. I felt paranoid that the locket’s owner was somewhere out there, watching me.

Now what was I going to do? If I opened it and there was a picture inside, would I make it my mission to find the owner and return it? Would I throw the picture away and claim the locket as my own? Would I put it back where I found it, or hand it into someone?

I opened the locket. A rose petal. What a let­down! No picture, just a ragged­ looking bit of flower.

“Take it!”

I’d forgotten Anathi was standing there. “I’m doing that, aren’t I?” I snapped back, still nervous. “And throw that dead flower away, it’s ugly.”

But I didn’t want to. I couldn’t explain why. I liked to think it was dying, not dead, which somehow meant I wasn’t meant to throw it away.

Someone had placed a rose petal in their locket, and I imagined it was part of a beautiful love story. I’m a sucker for love, so I decided to keep it.

“Now,” I said, returning to the present.

“Huh?” Anathi sounded confused.

“My lunch break ends now,” I explained, as I walked back to the shop where I worked during the university holidays.

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