Lost and Found

“Put that back, Jen! You don’t know where it’s been. Or worse, who had it before you. I’ll bet there’s a reason someone threw it away.” Shelly wasn’t the kind of woman to mince words. If anything, her introverted self spoke volumes. Her friends knew her quiet demeanor meant if she had something to say, she meant each and every word. Sweat dripped from her forehead, their pace fast enough to break a sweat but not hard enough to make each woman pant for breath.

“Come over here and make me, Shell!” Jen also didn’t talk much because she didn’t have to. She was pretty in a plain, soft way. Her clothes and style screamed money despite not having much. Picking out outfits brought her joy, so she made wise, fashionable choices, spending as little as possible.

On the other hand, jewelry was an expensive commodity Jen couldn’t afford. And the pieces she wore often were either gifts or handed down to her from one relative or another. The necklace now in her hand was ornate, covered in varying stones on a thick gold rope. Reds, greens, and a few blue stones would have glittered in the bright sunlight were it not for the thin layer of mud and dirt. The two women running on the paved trail also passed it by until they were coming back. That’s when Jen stopped to get a closer look.

They were running at an average pace, so their breathing wasn’t as labored as Kris coming up behind the two of them. Grateful that her friends stopped, Kris took advantage of their short break, drinking her electrolyte drink. Jen and Shelly were runners on their high school track team, making the cross-country running team in college. Both women were fit, averaging thirty miles a week. Kris barely made eight, a fact that frustrated her. Thankfully for Kris, they often returned for her, letting her catch up and take breaks periodically after running ahead of her by three miles. Today, Kris showed her friends how strong she was getting, managing to run all of the first four miles without stopping until now. “What did you find,” Kris asked, pausing between each word.

“Jen. Please. For the love of all that’s holy, put it back where you found it. You don’t know where it came from. You’ve watched Harry Potter. For all we know, it could be a cursed object!” The last few words hissed from Shelly’s mouth.

“There is no such thing as cursed objects,” Jen shot back. “And even if there was, do you really think someone would take the time to curse a necklace? Come back to reality, Shelly.” She rolled her eyes. “No one curses objects in 2022.”

“Well, stay the heck away from me. I’m not touching it.” Shelly held her hands in front of her, backing away from Jen. “I’ll see you back at the car.” Before running off, she turned around and looked at Jen and Kris. “You guys remember the Brady Bunch and when they went to Hawaii?”

Jen rolled her eyes again, shaking her head yes. Kris’s face turned white. “You mean when Bobby found the cursed idol on the beach? Yeah. I remember.” Kris ran over to Shelly. “Wait for me, Shell. Don’t leave me alone!” Kris grabbed ahold of Shelly’s arm.

 Jen held the necklace out at arm’s length like a snake. “Bwig bwad necklace is going to get you both!” Jen cackled, dangling the gold chain, the tone sending chills through Kris’s spine. A cold look shot from Jen’s eyes, a look that wasn’t hers. Someone else was looking at Shelly and Kris. Then Jen blinked. That’s when Kris noticed it; her eyes. They changed color! From their usual pale blue to a hazelish brown color and her stare. It was like looking into the eyes of a serial killer. Not taking any chances, Kris took off faster than she’d ever run before. It looked like she was shot out of a gun. Shelly took off after her, doing everything she could to keep up.

Eighteen minutes and two miles later, Kris arrived at the parking lot where her car was parked. Her lungs burned. Her legs ached, painful spasms throbbing in her calves. Even though she hurt, she made it. Stopping her watch, she looked behind her. Shelly was a few minutes behind her. Kris beat Shelly and Jen back to the cars, which was a first. But she wasn’t celebrating. Still breathing hard, Kris looked at Shelly, asking between breaths, “You think Jen is cursed now?”

Shelly looked at Kris, two fingers touching her neck to check her pulse. Her heart rate was more elevated than usual. Instead of a nice easy run, both women sprinted two miles. “What the heck got into you back there?” Shelly asked. “We were doing just fine until you decided to break into a sprint!”

Kris was gulping the liquid from her water bottle, a small one clipped into a waist pouch. “If I get scared, I run as fast as possible.”  

“Not me,” Shelly said, shaking her head. Shelly’s coworker, Angela, was the last person to scare Shelly. Angela found out the hard way that Shelly would fight if frightened. Shelly attacked Angela. Not like a few punches, no. She didn’t stop swinging until Angela had hit the ground and passed out from a severe blow to the head. It wasn’t from Shelly’s punches but rather from Angela’s fall. Four of Shelly’s colleagues pulled her off Angela, called EMS, and made both women take three paid days off. Human Resources called the incident an accident, and Angela didn’t press charges, knowing full well it was her fault Shelly attacked her. Teri, the HR director, might have had something to do with that or else it was Dan, the CFO, who convinced her to drop any lawsuit. Angela was transferred to another department in TekTronics, far from the bookeeping department. “I fight.”

“Yeah? Why didn’t you this time?” Kris asked. Shelly started stretching, reaching for the sky, then bending over to touch her toes. Kris pulled her toes up to her rear, alternating between her left and right foot. Both Kris and Shelly looked back down the trail before Shelly answered.

“It wasn’t that kind of scary.”