The Gold

by Krista Wagner

  Inside the house, the living room was all lit up from the flames dancing in the wood-burning stove. Jane was watching MTV at full volume from the living room. It was a new TV station that played music videos all day long. Her eyes shifted to acknowledge Amanda before turning back to the television and munching on chips.

  Amanda entered the kitchen, pulled a soda from the refrigerator, and set her things on the table. As she enjoyed the warmth of the fire, she smiled for the first time in a long time. Someone cared about her. Or something cared about her. She felt truly special. This couldn't be a dream. She sipped the soda as she thought about her conversation with the pebble.

  In her bedroom, Amanda finished all her homework so she could spend the rest of the night on the typewriter. She began: “It could only whisper, but its words were full of song and light. She took a step forward as the rain fell all around. She was no longer frightened by the possibility of a bear or a wolf surprising her. She was no longer frightened at all because. . .”

  The yellow curtains gently swayed from the breeze coming through the open window. Past the window, the moon glow left her wondering. Why wasn't she scared of the pebble anymore? When she had first heard it call to her, she screamed and ran away. The idea of an inanimate object speaking was a frightening thought. She found it interesting, though, that she wrote stories about animals talking, which was just as impossible. So, again, she asked herself the important question. Why was she no longer afraid? She typed: “Because she had found a friend.”

  "Amanda?" It was her dad at the door. He was back in town. "I got you something." He held up a new bright red backpack.

  "Daddy! Thank you!" She jumped up from her chair and squeezed him.

  He chuckled as she took the backpack. "I have to head out of town, but it should only be two or three days."

  Amanda tried not to show how disappointed she was. She threw him a smile, but he knew too well. He hugged her gently, promising he'd miss her the whole time.

  Chapter Six

  It was sunny the next day at school. The playground was busy with activity. Some kids played kickball while others hung around the lunch benches. Amanda found herself sitting alone against a tree. It was something she had done each day at school since the first day of school, but she still hadn't gotten used to it. She glanced at the sandwich in her hand. The peanut butter and jelly had melted together from the heat of the sun, and the bread tasted mushy as she shoved it into her mouth.

  "What are you doing way over here?" Gina was towering over her.

  "Nothing."

  "Where's Emily?"

  "Who?"

  Gina held up a Cabbage Patch doll. "Lila wanted to know if Emily wanted to play."

  Both girls laughed. "Why are you being so nice to me?" Amanda asked.

  "Why not?"

  "Shane always gets everyone to laugh at me."

  "Not everyone. Ignore Shane. He's just stupid."

  From the playground Connie was watching them with an unreadable face. Amanda pretended not to notice. "Well, recess is almost over. I'll see you in class." Gina smiled before taking off. Connie turned away as the bell rang. Amanda wondered why she had been standing there, watching her.

  Back in their classroom, Mr. Ammons's voice faded into the background as Amanda looked at Gina's doll, which she proudly sat on her desk. Emily was on the floor, underneath Amanda's seat, and she considered taking her out, but then she saw Shane smirking at her. She forgot about the doll and concentrated on what Mr. Ammons was saying, but it wasn't easy to forget how Shane continued looking at her like she was the biggest dummy in the world. Amanda was glad when the final bell rang.

  All the kids ran like crazy from their classrooms. Within minutes they were far enough away and Amanda walked by herself. She needed to see if the pebble was real or if it had been a dream. Slowly she stepped forward onto the path leading to the woods. When she reached the patch of grass, she stooped to find. . .nothing. But then—

  "Right here, by the stick." That was its voice! The Gold's voice. Not just gold, but the Gold, because it had become something more than just her imagination.

  Amanda squatted. "Is it OK if I pick you up?" She didn't know what might happen if she did. What if it dissolved or broke into a bunch of pieces?

  But the Gold said, "Sure." Her heart thumping with excitement, she reached out her hand to pick it up, gently placing it on her palm. It felt so cold and tiny against her skin.

  "My name's Amanda."

  "What a nice name." Amanda's heart trilled. It was real. She could feel the hardness of its metal against her skin. She even felt a puff of air as it breathed. The bright gold flecks bounced off its back like a mini waterfall.

  "Doesn't it get pretty dark and scary out here?"

  "Oh, it's not too bad," it said. "Usually."

  Amanda suddenly felt sad. She was glad it couldn't see the pained look on her face. "But it must be so awful to be out here all alone."

  "Not too bad. I have all the animals here with me. . ." Its voice trailed off and Amanda sensed it wasn't as happy as it tried to make her believe. The woods were no place for something like the Gold to be all alone. She couldn't leave it here.

  "Come home with me."

  It sounded surprised. "Really? You want me to go with you?"

  "You shouldn't be here all alone. Someone could hurt you. And even if they don't, you must be lonely."

  "I don't want to be a problem."

  Amanda scooped it into her hand, cradling it. "What are you? I mean, how are you like this?" She had so many questions she wanted to ask it, but she wasn't sure which ones to ask.

  The Gold seemed to be thinking. "I'm not sure." There was confusion in its voice, as though it had never pondered this before. She brought the Gold closer to her face, inspecting it. Its mouth was just a sliver, but it was dotted with gold flecks that glimmered whenever it spoke.

  When she got home, she walked past Jane, who was chatting on the phone and barely glanced at Amanda. When she was safely in her room, she set the Gold on her dresser. It glittered.

  "What does it mean, when you sparkle like that?"

  If it were possible, the Gold sounded a bit shy in its response as its watery voice replied, "I’m happy." Amanda was happy too, but there were still questions she had no answers for.

  "Did anyone else ever talk to you? Weren't there other people who heard you calling out?"

  "I guess so. I know I heard people passing by all the time. Maybe they couldn't hear me. Remember, you almost didn't hear me."

  That seemed probable. Or maybe they had heard the same intonation she'd heard, but dismissed it the way most anyone would do, figuring they'd imagined the noise. After all, who could believe such a thing? Yet, she did. So what did it all mean? Was she only imagining this? How would she ever know for sure, unless she told someone else?

  She watched the Gold and it now looked like a simple rock atop her dresser. Just an ordinary pebble. She touched it and it glittered again. She gasped. She was having trouble accepting this was happening. Could anyone ever get used to this?

  "What's wrong?" it asked.

  She covered her mouth. It wasn't just a part of her story. Should she tell Jane? What if she did and then the Gold became just a normal inanimate pebble? Her sister would have quite a story to tell Dad. Then what would happen to her? Would she have to change schools? Would they send her away? She was so scared, unsure. She didn't know what to do. But if she did tell someone, then she must be certain that what she saw and what she heard were real. So she asked another question.

  "How are you able to talk?" Then it did something funny. It seemed to blink, a quick bright flash like a light bulb snapping on. Since it could talk, it obviously could think too, and this sign must have meant it was doing some thinking, just like she saw in the cartoons. A few seconds rolled by before it responded and Amanda was sure she heard some concern in its voice.

  "I'm not sure."

  "Didn’t anyone ever see you?"
r />   Another pause. Then, "You did. I am so glad you found me."

  Amanda's heart leaped. It was happy she had discovered it! She knew it to be true once it agreed to come home with her, but actually hearing it made the reality of the situation even bigger. "But I almost stepped on you!" she exclaimed. It didn't seem bothered by it.

  "What do you look like?" She had almost forgotten it couldn't see.

  "I'm in the fifth grade. I am sorta short. I have green eyes and brown hair."

  "Amanda." Then it must have been really thinking again because it flickered. "You sound as pretty as your name." She smiled at this, but then realized it couldn't see her happiness.

  "Thank you." And then she asked the more obvious question. "Why does your voice sound like it’s in the water?" Before it could answer, Jane came to the doorway, blowing a bubble of gum.

  "Who are you talking to?" Jane would only laugh at her if she told her. Or maybe she'd pick up the Gold and throw it out the window. Amanda couldn't bear either possibility.

  "Nobody."

  "Figures," she snorted. She crossed her arms and smacked loudly on her gum. "Dad's going to be away a while longer, about a week, and dinner's almost ready." She left. Amanda leaned down to the Gold and smiled.

  The next day at school was crazier than usual. Most of Amanda's classmates were either throwing paper airplanes or discharging spitballs. Shane had a big group of followers entertained as he juggled the chalkboard erasers. The students were clapping and shouting, going on at full volume. She was surprised no other teacher came to see what was going on. Amanda stayed in her seat, contently sketching an image of the Gold.

  Mr. Ammons entered the room a moment later and stood quietly behind his desk, waiting for the students to notice him and quiet down. Gina gestured to Darla and Connie, who all stopped talking. Gradually, each member of the class settled down and found their seats. Shane's group had stopped screaming, but Shane was at the chalkboard, too preoccupied balancing the erasers. He eventually caught on to the silence, smirked, and put the erasers back in their place.

  "Sorry, Mr. Ammons." He bowed and got into his seat. Mr. Ammons scribbled something down on a piece of paper.

  "I'm very disappointed," he said, his gaze lingering on each student for a second or two before continuing on. "If this ever happens again—this disorder, this chaos—all of you will be sent to the principal's office." A deep silence passed over the room. The only sound came from the clicking second hand of the wall clock.

  Mr. Ammons turned to the board and pointed to words in French. They were learning a song. As he tapped each word, the entire class sang out of sync. Amanda softly mouthed the words, lost in her own world. How could she be expected to concentrate when all she could think about was how only a short while ago her world had drastically changed? She wondered what the Gold was doing right now. She had promised to return in the afternoon, warning it to stay inside her dresser drawer, which she had left cracked open for it to breathe. It had actually laughed when she explained her reasoning for doing that, convincing her it could breathe just fine inside the drawer.

  But as the day went by and lunch drew near, Amanda worried it was lonely all by itself. At least in the forest there were creatures it could talk to.

  Amanda had to buy lunch in the cafeteria since Jane hadn't gotten around to shopping for lunch items. She was thankful the line was short because her stomach was rumbling by the time she got to the register. Fortunately, the selections were some of her favorites. She chose a plate of mac ‘n’ cheese, a red apple, and a carton of chocolate milk. As she collected her change, she scanned the lunch tables. Everyone seemed to have found a spot, the usual groups sitting so close together it would take a powerful glue remover to separate them. In the far corner of the room, near the windows, were two vacant spots.

  She headed toward them and proceeded to sit down, but a girl scooted over to the edge, blocking her. The rest of the table stared at her, making her feel so uncomfortable and out of place that she eventually headed to the other end of the room in the hopes of finding an empty seat. But along the way, she tripped over something.

  The tray dropped from her hands and clattered to the floor. A stream of brown liquid flowed from her feet and the mac ‘n’ cheese splattered onto the tile. The red apple wobbled away, spinning fast, then gradually wobbling along until it nestled underneath a table. No one said anything at first. They were silently watching her.

  "Shane!" Everyone was frozen. Just the smallest bit of air escaped Amanda's lips as she watched Gina step up to Shane. She didn't have to say anything. Shane stooped, swept up the mess with his bare hands, picked up the tray, and slid it into the dirty dish basin. The entire room was hushed as he stepped up to the cafeteria worker and bought another lunch identical to Amanda's order. He returned to one of the benches, quietly set the food on the table nearest Amanda, and went back to his seat, his head down.

  Gina smiled at her before joining her clique. Amanda quietly sat down to eat, wondering at Gina's bravery. No one ever stood up to Shane. Most people thought he was funny. She was amazed that someone had made him make things right without saying a single word. Amanda spent the next half hour eating her lunch and thinking about Gina's courage. She could never be that daring.

  Amanda nearly skipped all the way home, anticipating seeing the Gold. At the end of Acacia Avenue, there was a small patch of purple flowers—impatiens—and another patch next to it of dandelions. She plucked a handful of the dandelions and continued down the path, whistling as she bounced along.

  Chapter Seven

  When Amanda returned home, she went straight to her room, anxious to check on the Gold. It was still in the dresser drawer and it was fine, just like it said it would be. An array of exciting emotions flooded through her then. She hurried to her small stereo, which sat near the typewriter, and switched on the popular radio station. The DJ was playing some of the top forty songs of the year. Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran, among others. The music sounded better than before, like someone had sprayed a magical potion into the melodies.

  "I brought some dandelions for you."

  The Gold sparkled as Amanda lay them next to it. She set down her backpack. Suddenly she heard a soft sneeze. A spray of plumed seeds floated in the air, the head of the weed nearly barren now.

  She slowly walked over to her dresser to examine the Gold closely. It couldn't be. A little nose had formed! "How did this happen? I can't believe it. You grew a nose!" And if she saw such things with her own eyes and still couldn't believe, then what would it take for her to believe?

  "I don't know. But the flowers smell so nice. Thank you, Amanda." This was so funny. It was talking to her like something ordinary had just taken place.

  "Are you hungry? I mean, can you eat?"

  The Gold laughed. Amanda had been laughed at and teased for so long that she wasn't surprised when it happened. But she quickly realized something was different when the Gold laughed. It wasn't laughing at her; it was laughing because of her. Because it admired her. She could hear kindness in its laugh. "Yes, I am starving."

  "OK. I'll be right back." She hurried out the door and quickly returned with a bowl of steaming soup and two spoons, which she set on the dresser. She picked up one of the spoons and started to dip it into the liquid. Its voice, usually watery, sounded like a loud echo inside a cave.

  "No! Stop!" She froze, the spoon an inch from her lips. Gold was flickering on the spoon, its miniature mouth opened wide.

  "Oh no! Are you OK...what do I call you?" She scooped it out of the spoon.

  "I don't have a name."

  "How sad."

  "Oh, it's no big deal. What do I look like to you?"

  "Oh, right. You don't know. Well, you are pretty tiny, like dust or something. But you are shiny too."

  "That sounds interesting."

  Since she was used to calling it the Gold in her head, she figured the name would suit it. "Gold?"

  "I couldn't have done be
tter myself. Thank you, Amanda." Amanda reached down to brush her fingers lightly against Gold, no longer the Gold. At her touch, it shined brighter than before.

  "Oh my goodness!" Goose bumps chilled her heart.

  "What is it?" It was concerned.

  "You...you have grown."

  "I have?"

  "I can see your ears now, Gold."

  "You can?"

  "They look like tiny little pearls." She smiled.

  "Wow!"

  She thought about something her dad once read to her. "Pearls of wisdom."

  "What's that?"

  "It means you are valuable." It glittered. Amanda suddenly grew quiet and she moved away from Gold.

  "Amanda?" She didn't answer for a while. The one person who made her feel valued was her dad, but he was often away on business. Usually what she felt these days was a burden to Jane or a joke to her classmates. But she was happy for Gold. It was worth something, at least to her.

  "I don't want to leave you here all alone again. Don't you get lonely?"

  "I'm used to being by myself. I'll be OK."

  Amanda started to sniffle.

  "What is it? Why do you cry?"

  "I've never gotten used to it."

  "To what?"

  "Being alone."

  "But don't you have friends at school?"

  "No. There's a mean boy, Shane, who always teases me."

  "Doesn't the teacher do anything?"

  "He never sees. I'm so scared. Shane gets meaner every time I see him. And there's Darla who is always watching me. I don't know what to do."

  "Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you."

  Amanda stopped sniffling. "Where did you hear that?"

  "The Bible."

  "How did you. . ." Amanda stood there frozen in awe. "It's not just a saying."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Your ears, your pearls. You really are wise."