TellersQuest: 3. The Pendant

1. The Cup & Sword was nearly empty at that time. Their glasses lay empty on the table. Lyra glanced appraisingly at Keira. She looked OK.

2. "Better?" "Yes. That pendant must've been tied up with me in some weird way." Sally had given her it that afternoon: a gift to her lover.

3. "Where did it come from?" Lyra enquired. It'd been Sally's; a treasured possession as far back as she could remember. "No idea at all!"

4. Sally hadn't known her parents, but she didn't see herself as an orphan. She had lived with a family who treated her as one of their own.

5. "Was it valuable?" Lyra queried. "It was made of gold," Sally said, remembering a discussion with her adopted parents advising caution.

6. "They told me I had it when I arrived." Her real parents were rarely discussed: that subject of conversation had always remained a taboo.

7. "Were there markings on it?" Lyra questioned. Looking for signs of magic, Sally realised. "A beautiful tree, standing alone on a hill."

8. Lyra looked thoughtful. "Tell me about this girl." "he looked exactly like Sally but younger," Keira giggled. "I thought she'd shrunk."

9. "And she stole the pendant?" Sally explained & Keira chipped in. "But I saw no one on the stairs. Where did she go?" Everyone was silent.

10. "You know what's odder?" Sally mused. "The girl knew Keira was ill, she knew her name and she clearly knew who I was. How could she?"

11. A long silence invaded the pub. "Maybe you have a twin sister," Keira joked. Nobody laughed. Far too many questions remained unanswered.

12. "Do you think she knew the pendant made me ill?" Keira asked. "And if it did, why didn't it make you ill too?" Sally shook her head.

13. Lyra went to order drinks. Sally made the most of her absence. "Did she really look so much like me?" she asked, worried. Keira nodded.

14. At the bar, Lyra was troubled too. Something was out of joint. She resolved to discuss it with Rafter: he might have an explanation.

15. Not only was Rafter Head of department, he was also intelligent, open-minded and approachable, someone staff could turn to and many did.

16. "Tell me how you felt when you were ill, Keira?" Lyra asked. "Muddled, nauseous and lost. As if I weren't in the right place or time."

17. "Then I collapsed." "Was this after Sally gave the pendant?" Lyra enquired. "I didn't notice at first. The sickness came on gradually."

18. Smacked of magic. Highly charged objects could do that to sensitive people. But Sally had the pendant years and she was sensitive too.

19."How about you, Sally?" "No effect on me! But I must admit I feel its loss now. Like a part of me is missing or a door has been shut."

20. "A door?" Keira asked. "As if a path's been closed." She struggled with words, screwing up her face with the effort. "I can't explain."

21. The story made no sense: a stolen pendant that opened doors to some and made others ill. A young girl who appeared, stole then vanished.

22. Lyra shook her head, glancing at her watch. "Time to return to the campus. Let me know if you figure it out," she said standing to go.

Go back to Episode 2. Go on to Episode 4.