The Charm Bracelet

It was almost midnight. Elena strolled down a little alley, searching for a source of inspiration for music in near darkness. The grimy alley was an unlikely place for inspirations of any sort, but Elena was desperate. For three months, she had not been able to create music, and nothing she did could summon it back. It was as if her talent was draining right after she graduated from college. Classical music was the passion of her life, and a music career was everything she had been looking forward to. Now, Elena was not sure if she should pursue her dream anymore. The thought of losing her talent was deeply unsettling, and she looked around the desert street more intently to distract herself.

It was then that she saw it. A strand of soft yellowish light was leaking from a pair of windows at the end of the alley. Prompted by a surge of curiosity, Elena walked toward the light.
         
The pair of windows belonged to Alice’s Curiosity Shop, a little red brick house standing at an inconspicuous corner. The shop was almost as deadly quiet as the street, but Elena thought she could hear a breath of life inside. She gave the wooden door a gentle push. The door was heavy, but it opened easily. A bell rang as she entered.
         
The inside of the shop was handsomely decorated. The fireplace by the door and the fine ornaments on the wall all looked out of place in this shabby street. An exotic woman was standing behind the counter. She looked rather like a Gipsy, her beautiful features wrapped in a veil of mystery. A man in Arabic clothing was standing by the counter. He was speaking to the woman in a low voice.
         
‘…and all I have to do is water it twice a day?’ the man inquired, his deep brown eyes full of doubt as he regarded a plant on the counter. It was like a mini-size maple tree, except that its leafs were navy-blue.

‘Yes,’ answered the woman in a smile. ‘Water is all you have to feed to it.’ Then, as if she had missed a point, she added, ‘the plant will attend to its other needs all by itself.’
         
Elena caught a trace of humor in her last sentence, but did not quite get the joke. Still looking rather doubtful, the man left with the blue plant. He was so absorbed by it that he did not seem to notice anything else on his way out. The bell rang again as he closed the door.

‘Welcome to the shop. I’m Alice,’ the exotic woman turned to Elena, a charming smile hung on her face. ‘You’ll find what you’ve been looking for.’

As Alice spoke, a purple cat jumped onto the counter and stared at Elena in perfect stillness. Elena moved uncomfortably as she looked into its deep black eyes. They were almost chilly. Yet the cat looked pleased in some way. She pulled her eyes away from the penetrating gaze with an effort and turned to the objects displayed on the shelves.

Instantly, Elena was captivated by a silver charm bracelet gleaming next to a crimson dragon teapot. The bracelet literally had music on it. In the middle of the circlet was a treble clef. Elena loved the bracelet. She adored charms with musical notes in general, but this bracelet was something special. The treble clef was carved in the way she usually wrote it. Elena picked up the delicate bracelet carefully and took a deep breath. It felt as if the bracelet was designed especially for her.

‘You have good taste. This is a lovely bracelet, once belonged to Clara Schumann.’

‘Oh,’ Elena was impressed. She could see the bracelet was much older than she was, but she had not expected that. A charm bracelet that was once worn by the great pianist, a musician she admired. She wanted the bracelet even more, and her heart sank a little. ‘It must cost gold then.’

‘Yes, it is valuable. Would you like to have it?’

‘Do I…? Oh, I don’t think I can afford it,’ Elena laughed nervously and hurriedly put the silver bracelet back to its spot. ‘It’s really beautiful though. And worn by Clara Schumann! How did you find it?’

‘I have my ways,’ Alice said with a cryptic smile and stroked her cat gently. The cat moved a fracture, as if bridling with pride. ’I think this bracelet suits you. You should have it.’

‘What…? No, I really don’t have anything of value to pay you back.’

‘Yes you do.’ Alice inclined her head slightly as she looked at Elena. Eerily, her cat copied and did the same. ‘Just wear it. That would be how you pay me back.’ There was that smile again. Alice seemed to be amused by her own words often.

As Elena struggled in silence, Alice wrapped up the silver bracelet promptly. This was obviously too generous an offer, and it just didn’t seem right to accept such a gift from a strange shop owner. Elena was about to refuse it, and then she caught the cat’s eyes. At once, the voice of her conscious was muffled and she could feel her desire burning more clearly. She craved it. It was all she wanted. And have it, she would.

‘There you go. Wear it well,’ smiled Alice, her eyes glistening.

As Elena was about to express her gratitude, she noticed something different with Alice. She looked less like a Gipsy and her features were more Arabic-like. The sparks in her eyes lit up her face and made her look more arcane than ever.

Suddenly finding the shop creepy, Elena mumbled her thanks and walked out of the Curiosity Shop. The bell rang, and the wooden door closed again. Behind the counter, Alice murmured to herself.

‘I shall not see you again, Elena. Not in person, that is.’

*                     *                     *

Still thinking everything was a dream, Elena sat down on the sofa and put the ribbon box on the table. She had not taken her eyes away from it all the way back home, and her heart thumped excitedly every time she imaged putting the charm bracelet on. You’ll find what you’ve been looking for. She wondered if the bracelet would really bring her that.

She unwrapped the papers with unsteady hands and opened the box. The treble clef was gleaming, just as it had been back at the Curiosity Shop. Unable to resist any longer, she picked up the silver bracelet and put it on her left wrist.

It felt cold on her skin, but after a moment, a warm current flowed through her body. It went all the way up to her heart, and warmed that, too. Elena stood up, walked across the room and sat down in front of her piano.

Music. She could feel it. It was urging her to bring it to life.

Elena’s fingers flowed smoothly on the keyboard. It was a short piece, slow and beautiful. She lingered on the last note, feeling transcended. She had missed this feeling, and she wanted to hold on to it. As much as she did not want to admit to herself, she could feel the charm bracelet must have something to do with her returning talent. Elena examined the bracelet carefully. It was as transfixing as ever, but something had changed. On the right side of the treble clef, a small eighth note was now carved on the bracelet. Elena widened her eyes and her heart thumped hard. Looking up, she sought her memory fervently. She was sure it hadn’t been there before.

Then, in the dark smooth surface of the piano, she caught her own reflection. Goosebumps swept through Elena and her heart thumped almost painfully.

A strand of her hair had turned white.

Feeling a surge of horror, she removed the bracelet. She would return the gift first thing in the morning. Assuring herself with the decision, she went to bed, trying to seek refuge in her sleep.

*                     *                     *

The alley was as lifeless in the shower of sunlight as it had been in darkness, but Elena found it more chilly than the previous night. She walked toward the shop in wide strides, anxious to get rid of the bracelet.

But as she arrived at end of the alley, there was no Curiosity Shop. No trace of red bricks or wooden door. Nothing. Elena was perplexed, unable to think or react.

Then, she spotted the purple cat. It was standing in the shadow, still as a statue, staring at Elena silently. Its eyes bore the same coldness, but they were now deep brown instead of black. The shade of colour reminded Elena of the Arabic man from the previous night.

A sudden shiver crept down Elena's spine as something unpleasant dawned on her. She threw the bracelet on the floor and ran away as fast as her trembling legs could. She didn’t look back until she was in the main street again. Still horrified, she mixed into the crowd and let the human company calm her down. She held herself tightly with her arms, trying to keep herself whole and in one piece. Nothing could ever drag her back to that alley again. She touched her left wrist unconsciously as she recalled the chilly gaze. She hoped that her gesture of returning the bracelet would help her in some way.



Back at the little corner of the alley, the silver bracelet was gleaming beautifully in the shadow. The treble clef was shining alone, with no musical note accompanying it. The purple cat picked up the charm bracelet and jumped onto the wall. It walked away in slow, rhythmic footsteps and disappeared from sight.