"I can't believe I lost it." Kiran gawked with melancholy eyes at the algae-covered pond that sat hidden behind his late uncle's house. The sun swam down, causing beads of sweat to roll down Kiran's forehead. The sweat swept into his eyes as he frantically tried to wipe them away. The murky pond mocked him with a gentle ripple and the sunlight speckled over the green surface, making the sickly water appear almost magical.
"Are you gonna try to find it?" his little sister Madeline asked.
"In this disgusting pond?" Kiran scoffed as he motioned his hand to the water. "I'll never find it in there. It's probably buried under old mud and sludge by now."
"Maybe a fish ate it," Madeline said.
"I don't think anything is alive in there, Maddie."
"Dad is gonna be mad," she snickered.
Kiran dropped his head in his hands and groaned, "Please shut up, Maddie!"
Madeline skipped in front of her older brother and stood on her tip-toes by the edge of the old pond. She knelt down silently and skimmed her index finger over the layer of slime. The algae parted as her hand cut through it and she could see that the water was—for the most part—clear underneath.
"I bet you can find the locket," Madeline said with a smile. Her older brother shook his head.
"I don't know how."
"That was Uncle Valdy's locket," Madeline said. Kiran sat at the edge of the pond next to her. "I know. He left it to me when he died."
"It was Aunt Cathy's."
"Yes," Kiran sighed, "It was originally hers. A gift from Uncle. Then she died and he kept it with him until he died. That locket was left to me in the will and now it's gone."
"Why wasn't it left to me?" Madeline pouted.
"Because you got Aunt Cathy's jewelry box."
"I wouldn't have thrown the locket in the pond," Madeline giggled.
Kiran slammed a fist into the rocky dirt between him and his sister. "I didn't throw it! It was an accident!"
"Dad is still gonna be mad."
"I know."
Kiran heard the sound of a creaking door in the distance. When he looked in the direction of the metallic sound, he saw his father stepping onto the back porch of the house. His father, George, allowed the screen door to slam behind him as he walked down the porch steps. He had one hand in his pocket and the other hand was held up to block the blaring sun from his eyes. He squinted in the direction of his children and when he saw them by the pond, he began to make his way over, crossing the overgrown lawn that attracted mason bees and dragonflies with its tall wildflowers.
"Hey!" George shouted to them as he walked. "What are you kids up to?"
Kiran made note of the slight smile on his father's face and could only think about how he would destroy it if he told him that he lost Uncle Valdy's locket.
The boy whispered to his sister, "Don't you say nothing." Madeline stuck her tongue out at her brother who grew more nervous as their father stepped closer through the tall grass.
"Whew, first thing I need to do is rehire Mr. Zevin."
"The gardener?" Madeline asked.
George nodded. "Yes, this yard is a mess."
"I like the flowers," Madeline laughed.
"Oh you do?" George smiled. "How about you pick them all and clear up this yard? You can keep all of the flowers you picked!"
"That's way too many!" Madeline giggled as she skipped off to pick just a few.
Kiran was silent as he avoided eye contact with his father but it was of no use. George could tell that something was wrong.
"Are you okay, Kiran?" George asked.
Kiran looked down at his feet, kicking pebbles into the green water. "I'm okay."
George frowned. "Now Kiran, I know when you're trying not to tell me something. What's wrong? What happened?"
Kiran paused for a long time, the sweat on his forehead from the blaring sun continued to bead. He pulled up his shirt to wipe himself dry.
"Uncle Valdy's locket," the boy finally said.
"What about it?"
"It's in the water," Kiran mumbled.
George let out a sigh. "In the water you say?" He looked to the pond.
Kiran refused to make eye contact with his father. He continued to look down at his shoes and he noticed they were stained green from the grass. His white shoelaces were not as white as they used to be.
"It was an accident," Kiran said a bit louder.
George sighed again. He thought for a moment. "Maybe we can fish it out." He placed his hands on his hips while scanning the pond. Kiran looked up briefly and noticed that the sunlight was making his father squint.
"This pond is huge," Kiran said in defeat. "What if a fish ate it?"
George chuckled. " There are fish in the water but they're all smaller than that locket. It would take them a while to nibble the whole thing."
"Can we really get it back?" Kiran looked hopeful. George nodded.
"I think your uncle kept a net around here somewhere. We can try to scoop it out."
Kiran let out a sigh. He was feeling a bit better knowing that his father wasn't as mad as he thought he would be.
George walked up to Madeline and reached out his hand, urging her to hold it. She held a bundle of wildflowers in her other fist. He looked back at Kiran who returned to stare at the pond.
"Kiran," George said, "I'm going to take Maddie in and get lunch started. Do you want to look for the net? I think it may be in the storage room upstairs if you want to check there."
Kiran nodded. "Okay."
George took Madeline into the house and Kiran watched the screen door flutter shut. Kiran sighed again and began to inch his way to the back porch. While walking he noticed his father and sister's footsteps in the matted grass. The boy skipped on the steps of the porch and opened the screen door, going inside of the house and being met with a dark hallway. His sun-battered eyes needed time to adjust to the indoor lighting. After Kiran could see clearly again, he looked into the kitchen and saw his father making sandwiches for lunch while Maddie stood on a stool in front of the sink, washing dishes and then drying them with a handmade dishrag that their Aunt Cathy had made. Kiran remembered watching his aunt make that specific dishcloth. She let him pick the colors. Kiran felt a lump in his throat and turned back down the hall to the stairs. He held onto the banister and quietly climbed them, not wanting the boards to squeak. He knew that the stairs creaked loudly and hated the noise.
When Kiran got to the top of the stairs he scanned the photographs that decorated the wall. Photos of his Uncle Torvald and Aunt Cathy. They never had children of their own and Kiran always wondered why but in a way he was grateful because he knew that they loved him and his sister more than anything. Kiran and Madeline would always spend the summer at their house, especially after losing their mother in an accident. George never told Kiran what really happened and Madeline barely remembered her. Kiran felt odd that they were now living in the house. He felt as though they were intruding even though it did feel like a second home. He knew that his father was in the process of selling their first home, the one George bought with his wife, Kiran and Madeline's mother. After the accident, George would often avoid talking about Maria and Kiran realized that was one of the reasons why their original house was put up for sale, aside from George inheriting Torvald's house after his death. The boy knew that his father wanted to do everything he could to forget Maria and when George learned that he was inheriting his brother's small mansion, he didn't even need to think twice about moving in.
Kiran walked down the upstairs hallway to go to the storage room and froze for a moment when he realized he would have to pass by his uncle's study. It had been locked ever since they had moved in and Kiran didn't like the thought of it being empty. His uncle was always in his study and Kiran would remember sneaking in there while he was busy at work. Torvald would pretend to be upset with Kiran sneaking in but would then give him candy and let him look at the books in his large collection. Kiran stared at the brass doorknob, knowing that it was locked and that even if he did have a key to open it, there would be no one inside. He looked away and continued on to the storage room. After he searched the storage room, Kiran could not find the net that his father was talking about.
"It's not here," Kiran said, disappointed.
He closed the storage room door and heard his father call him from downstairs.
"Kiran! Lunch is ready!"
"Okay!" Kiran shouted back. "Be right there!"
Kiran turned from the storage room and his heart sank when he saw the door to the study cracked open. His legs wouldn't move and his eyes were stuck on the brass doorknob. Something was hanging from it and when Kiran squinted, he realized that it was the locket. The exact same locket that he had accidentally dropped in the algae-covered pond.
"What?" Kiran muttered. The locket swayed back and forth from the doorknob. He couldn't stop staring at the study door. Kiran knew that it was locked. When they first moved in, he tried to open it. That's when he first knew that it was sealed and that his father had hidden the key. But there the door was, cracked open, with the locket dangling from the doorknob, as if someone had opened the door, reached out, and placed the locket for Kiran to find.
He slowly stepped over to the door, fearing that it would swing open. He didn't want to see what was inside. He watched the locket swing and then lose momentum, becoming still. Kiran felt his heart in his throat as he reached for it. He held his breath as he removed it from the doorknob. The locket was once again in his hands but he noticed that it felt wet and had a bit of green residue on its surface. Kiran exhaled and looked up at the door. Something inside of him told him not to open it further. His heartbeat was in his ears and he managed to muster up the courage to speak.
"Thanks, Uncle Valdy."
Right as Kiran finished his sentence the door to the study slammed shut. Kiran raced down the hall and flew down the stairs as fast as he could. He clutched the locket tightly in his hands, feeling the algae residue press against his palms.