Catch a Pearl

A short, surreal tale which each reader can identify with uniquely.

Catch a Pearl

(Revised version)

An old mansion peeks out from behind the trees of the forest. There is a sign on the gate that reads, keep out, and I’m intrigued. I look around, and see that no one is there to stop me. Slowly, I open the gate and walk to the front door. As if someone is expecting me, the front door swings wide open allowing me to see an old, forbidden staircase. I hear the murmur of voices, so I press my head to the wall to listen. None of the voices make any sense.

A black bag full of pearls falls down the stairway. The round, ivory balls of beauty shine at the opening of the bag as if to burst to life. I eagerly await for them to roll onto the floor. One shriveled, black pearl rolls from the bag. As I reach out my hand, it rolls away.

As if glad to rid itself of an ugly pearl, the black bag bounces about happily. Momentarily, a ray of sunshine glimpses upon the bag, and it seems to burst with life. Just as silently, the ivory balls roll onto the stairwell and disappear behind a door.

Intrigued, I open the door where the pearls disappeared, anticipating a room full of ivory balls, or people to compensate for the voices I heard earlier. All I see, is a large, stone kitchen. Old curtains blow in the breeze of each window.

When I proceed to move the curtain from the first window, I see two stairwells. One leads downstairs into a dark dungean, and the other goes upward to a bright light.

I climb through the window and step onto the stairwell that leads upward. From a wide crack in the wall, I see a small room off to the side. It has a popcorn machine and table with dice. My hands ache to roll the dice, so I step inside the room, grasp the dice and roll. When the dice lands, there are golden pearls lying on the table. As I stand in awe, the shriveled, black pearl comes tumbling down. I scramble to catch it, and just when I think, it's in my hand, it vanishes.

I climb back into the kitchen. A black curtain blows in the window on my right side, and a red curtain blows in the window on my left side.

I am compelled to go to the dark and mysterious, flowing curtain, so I step through the window with the black material. As I climb through it, a dark and forbidding staircase appears before me. Quivering, I slowly climb down the stairs and carefully open the door at the bottom. I see a giant room which is empty and stark.

Puddles of water are scattered across the floor, and the ceiling is cracked with water leaking through it. A dismal, eerie silence fills the air. Uneasily, I walk through the room, studying each puddle. The water looks gray and tired, and the room feels cold. My eyes are drawn to a dark puddle across the room. Intrigued, I stare at the water. There isn’t a ripple to break the surface. Suddenly, the shriveled, black pearl leaps from the water and a loud bang comes from behind a door. Frightened, I jump back.

The black pearl rolls in front of me, and I run after it, reaching, grasping, but it leaps out of sight with a bang. Shaking and shivering, I leave the room.

I stand in the middle of the kitchen, dismantled and panting. My heart is racing, and I’m bug eyed. The shriveled, black pearl bounces into the middle of the kitchen. For a moment, it becomes round, ivory and glowing. Just as quickly, it's black and shriveled again.

Boldly, I stand up and chase after the cursed pearl, but it leaps through the window with the blue curtain. A forboding silence echoes in the kitchen, as I look around.

A forbidding black shadow proceeds toward a red curtain. Hesitantly, I look at it. A glimpse of the black pearl, peeks from behind the blue curtain and lures me to climb through this window. On the other side, I walk up the stairwell and open a door. As I peek inside, I see a dim light on a nightstand next to a bed. The bed is covered with soft blankets and pillows, while the dresser has a vanity mirror with a string of soft, blue sentimental pearls and a bottle of Lilly of the Valley perfume. A melancholy feeling sweeps over me.

From the corner of the room, I see two open doorways. One leads into a narrow hallway with many doors, and one has a steep and winding stairwell. I go to the one with the stairwell. At the top, I see a small balcony with a swing in the middle. I sit on the swing, and with a little push of my foot, it swings high into the air.

I lose my grasp of the swing, and I go flying into the air. “Oh my god, help!” I scream.

As I go tumbling down, I see an ocean of water beneath me. My mind clears, and I realize, I’m floating and have not reached the bottom.

Before my eyes, I see a string of colorful pearls floating about, and my body floats after them. As I longingly reach out my hand, the colorful, round balls disappear, and the shriveled black pearl appears.

I pick up the old, dry and tired looking pearl. A solitary tear slides down my cheek and drops onto the ugly thing. It immediately changes from a shriveled, dark jewel to a nourished, pink and blushing one. I place it with the rest of the colorful pearls.

The pink pearl rises up tall like a powerful queen, and all the others follow it. Together, they sail upward to the tower of the mansion and float through a window, forever out of sight.

Written by

Regina

Author's Note

Let me know how this tale strikes you.