The Queen's Crown

On that fateful night when the queen passed away, the entire town and house became turbulent, children and animals were kept together as a form of companionship, and parents had to take shelter with the other parents and pray that the turbulent night passed. Queen Victoria's death brought abroad darkness, cries and plagues to the land; people tell her stories as they should, her victories and her dedication to her subjects. Rumours also have it that the crown has a mind of its own; late Queen Victoria was chosen in a crowd during the moon fest as the new queen of Baltimore. She became royalty out of nowhere, her friends became her subjects, her parents idolised her, and she became the queen we all adored and will forever have locked in her heart. But alas, a new queen ought to have emerged a few months after the old queen's death; many call it a test of fate, while others see it as the gods being harsh on us, refusing to restore and bestow us to our new queen of Baltimore... " Sarah, Where are you?". I stood up from the shade at the market when I heard my mom's voice; despite the noise happening all around us, I could still pick out her voice. " Mom! Where I am" I waved vigorously at her from where I was standing. I had two stalls situated beside me; I had to stand farther away from them and continue waving my hand. She approached me and gave me a friendly pat on the back, taking me back to our stall at the market. We sell fresh fruits here, and people who come to get them always come back again for another batch of our fresh fruits and vegetables. " Mom, did something happen?". Worried, I ask her. She was starting to scare me, and if there's one thing I don't adhere to, it is to feel an uncomfortable stare and not know the reason behind it. Just as we were about to start conversing, an old lady approached our stall and picked up an apple from the basket in front of her. " How much Is it?". She looked at me. "Oh! $3". I grabbed a black nylon, wanting to wrap the apple for her. But something happened at that moment: the purse of the old lady fell to the floor, revealing an old yet intriguing gem. It was a bit black, but it had colourful gems around it; I picked the gem with a clear heart and gave it to her, the only lady turned, and when she saw me holding the gem, her countenance changed. " Dear, How do you feel?". She extended her hand to take the gem from me, but all of a sudden, her hands seized from reaching it. " Normal, I don't feel anything". I told her and once again tried to give her back the gem. However, she refused to take It from me, "Keep it". She said in an insistent tone. Mom, who had other things to do, didn't know what was happening; she paid for the Apple and left the gem with me. I hid the gem from Mom inside my apron and went back to do other things. Shortly after, another lady came, and she purchased another apple; hers was a little more plentiful than the old lady's; at least we had more than 3 dollars, and it was enough to prepare food for the evening and save the rest in our piggy bank. Seven thirty in the evening, everyone in the market was starting to pack up their stalls and leave. Mom and I had to follow suit; we went to get things to cook while I stayed behind and packed up the baskets of fruits and vegetables. We made it home by a few minutes past eight; our neighbour, Mrs Hope, and her daughters had already gone inside their house, leaving their dog outside to watch around their house. I carried the groceries inside the house and dropped the two bags on top of the kitchen table next to the half-empty crate of eggs. Mom brought the stainless pot and placed it on the fire; she asked me to pour two cups of water into the pot and close it with the cover of the pot. I did everything as instructed and afterwards grabbed my cell phone from on top of the kitchen counter and hurriedly went to my bedroom. I had an extra change from the store, and without hesitating, I placed the change with the others I'd saved inside the old piggy bank Dad gifted to me on my 18th birthday. This was the last gift he gave before his sudden and unbelievable death. Rumours have it that he was killed. However, I still haven't had the opportunity to look at it from a more perspective and less emotional point of view. After changing out of my outfit, I went downstairs and had dinner with my mother. She had just finished preparing something delicious for the both of us. Usually, we eat the leftovers tomorrow and start afresh with a new dish at the end of the day. " Thanks, Mom, dinner was delicious". I carried my plate from the table and into the kitchen. I placed it in the sink and left it without washing or cleaning it. " You're welcome, Go upstairs and have your rest.... Thank you for today". Mom let me go back to my room without having to wash the dirty plates and clean the table after her. She never let me do anything, but sometimes, she can take pleasure in making sure that I work as much as possible before going back to my room and resting for the night. As I neatly tucked the edges of my bed into the headboard, my left hand accidentally knocked off the gem that belonged to the old lady from the market hours ago. There was nothing worth enticing about the gem, but I was intrigued to know more, it almost felt like it was calling out to me. An unknown force that triggers another side I am yet to know about and explore...