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.Nothing caught her eye.But there had to be something.She sat down beside the stream and stared into the water.The crystals sticking up from the sand glimmered in the water.Her eyes moved, noting the different shapes and sizes of the crystals and the way they were scattered along the bottom of the stream.Suddenly her eyes jerked back to a spot she’d just moved over.What was that? It was dark and not at all like the other crystals.Ellie jumped up, tossed her phone and keys on the ground, and stepped into the stream.At that point it was shallow, so she was little more than knee deep at the center point.She knelt down, heedless of the cold water that rose about her as she reached down toward the bottom.It felt like the edge of something— a corner.She plunged in both hands, leaning forward and soaking the front of her body as her fingers dug at the sand and dirt around the object.It took a couple of minutes, but she was able to free it.A small box that looked like it had been carved from onyx or some other dark stone.She waded back to the shore and sat down.The top of the box had an ornate design engraved into it.She didn’t recognize the pattern, but could discern that it was woven around the letter W.How did it open? There were no hinges.She turned it over and around.There was an almost imperceptible line, a space where the bottom and top half met.Try as she might, she couldn’t pull the two halves apart.She sat there for a good half hour trying before she gave up.She gathered up her keys and phone and headed back toward the house.Maybe she could use a knife and pry the top up.Just as she reached the edge of the backyard, she heard the sound of a vehicle.Her heart gave a funny lurch and her stomach knotted.Ellie hurried to the back of the house, eased to the other side and then down the opposite side of the house so she could peer around the corner at the driveway.Cam’s truck stopped, turned off and after a moment, he got out.He started for the door and she called out to him.“Cam?” She rounded the corner and started toward him.“Ellie? What the hell.You’re wet.Are you—““I’m fine.I found something Cam.I found a painting in town at—““Lily told me.” He interrupted.“Oh, okay, so I shot it and added the image to the map and it led to a dead end.Not to the house but somewhere else so I—““Borrowed Lily’s truck and came here by yourself.Nice, Ellie.After being attacked and beat all to hell, you leave and come here by yourself.”Ellie stepped back, surprised by the tone of his voice and the anger on his face.“I told Lily I—““That you had an errand to run.You lied.This? This isn’t an errand.It’s coming back to a place where you were almost killed.”“I’m sorry.I just needed—““You could have waited.” His voice had grown increasingly louder and angrier.“You could have called me and told me and I’d have brought you when I got off work.You could have asked Lily or Clint to come with you.You could have told the fucking truth!”“I’m sorry.” She reached out to touch him but he jerked away.“Cam, I’m sorry.I… you’re right.I wasn’t thinking.I… I just had to do this.”“Why?”“Why? How can you ask that? You know why.And I found something, Cam.Look.”She held out the box.He gave her a hateful look then glanced down at the box and before his eyes could move back to hers, he looked down again.“That’s not something you find just lying around the woods.”“I know.And I didn’t.It was in the stream.Right where the map led.”“That doesn’t change the fact that—““I know!” Ellie yelled and at the surprised look from Cam, softened her voice.“Look, I know and I’m sorry, but— but let’s set that aside for a moment please?”“Fine,” he said in a somewhat begrudging tone.“So, let’s see this box? Have you opened it?”She handed it to him.“I tried but I couldn’t.Maybe you can open it.”The box looked a lot smaller in his big hands.He gripped it top and bottom and pulled.Nothing happened.Cam turned it over and looked at every side.“Hey, look here.On the bottom.There’s a hole.”Ellie looked at it.Sure enough in one of the bottom corners was a small hole.“What do you think it is?”“A keyhole?”Ellie pulled out her phone and turned on the flashlight on it.She pointed the light at the hole.“I can’t see anything that looks like a place to insert a key.”“Well maybe we just need something small to stick in there and press.Maybe it’s a latch or something inside that releases.”“I don’t think I have anything.Unless there’s something in Lily’s truck.”“Check the glove compartment.I’ll check my truck.” Cam handed her the box and went to his truck.Ellie set the box on the hood of the truck and searched the cab.She didn’t find anything.“Nothing, you?” She asked as Cam walked back over to her.“A toothpick?” He held out his hand.Ellie shrugged.“Worth a try.”She picked up the box and turned it over.Cam inserted the toothpick and pressed.Nothing happened.Just then, a big grasshopper landed on Ellie’s chest.“Oh ugh, get it off!” She turned her head to one side with a grimace.“Get it off!”Cam flicked the bug away with a thump of his finger and then she felt a tug on her necklace.“Ellie.What about this?”“My necklace?”“The bell.It’s about the same size.”“Here.” She handed him the box then reached behind her neck to unclasp the necklace.She gripped the top of the tiny bell and guided it to the hole.A yelp of surprise accompanied the sudden jump she made when the bell suddenly sucked right down into the hole along with a half of inch of chain.She hung onto the chain and looked up at Cam.“That was a little freaky.What now?”He shrugged.“Try pulling it out.”She did and felt the chain stick.She tugged a little harder and not only did the chain release, but they both heard a soft click.Clint turned the box right side up and lifted off the top.Ellie gasped as the contents were revealed.Inside was a bed of material that looked like velvet, but felt spongy.And embedded in a tiny depression was the jewel from the painting.She touched it and it flared with a tiny light.“Did you see that?” She looked up at Cam.“Yeah.”“This was in the painting I got from Mr.Jones at the antique store.It was tied to the horse’s mane.”“But what is it?”“I don’t know.” She lifted the tiny gem from the depression and held it up her thumb and index finger.“It looks like water or something with some kind of blue… I don’t even know what to call that.”“Stuff?”She smiled at him.“Good a word as any.But still… what is it”Cam was staring at the gem and continued to for a long time.Finally, his eyes moved to hers.“Your necklace.It looks like it would fit into the bell.”Ellie looked at him in surprise then positioned the narrow point of the teardrop shaped gem at the opening of the bell.She squeaked in shock when the two abruptly locked together.“Now that was freaky.” Cam said.“No kidding.”“Now what?”She shrugged.“Now I put it back on.Here, help me.”As she held the gem in her hand, he fastened the chain around her neck.She looked down at the gem.It was dancing with little sparks of light.“Look, isn’t that odd.Wonder what makes it do that?”As she looked up at Cam, she released the gem.The moment it touched her skin, a current ran through her.It was so strong, her arms flew out wide, her head threw back, and her entire body vibrated.She couldn’t control her own body.Couldn’t speak, move, or even see what was around her.She was immobile in an endless sea of aqua light that pulsed around her
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