The Necklace

After supper, William decides he has enough time to return Brenda’s book before his friends arrive.

He picks it up and calls towards the living room.

“Pops, I’ll be right back. The group is coming over later. If they get here before I do, just tell them to wait in the basement.”

Mr. Rogers is watching the news.

“Okay. Just don’t be too long.”

William heads towards Brenda’s house.

As he walks, he goes over the instructions from the book again. One line in particular continues to frustrate him:

Leave your body. Just feel yourself float up.

He tried the exercise before supper. He could follow every relaxation step, but when he reached the point where he was supposed to float out of his body, nothing happened.

Maybe Brenda can explain what he is doing wrong.

As William approaches her front door, an unexpected sense of calm comes over him.

He raises his hand to knock.

The door opens.

William jumps.

Brenda smiles. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

She invites him inside and explains that she has been meditating in preparation for tomorrow’s investigation.

William holds up the book.

“I wanted to bring this back. I read the whole thing, but I’m having trouble with the out-of-body exercise. I can do all the relaxation parts, but then it basically says to leave your body and float up. I can’t do it.”

Brenda gestures for him to sit.

“Experiences people describe as out-of-body experiences aren’t something you should try to force. You had an unexpected experience before, and it frightened you. That may be part of why you’re so focused on trying to make it happen again.”

She reaches across the table for a sheet of paper.

As she does, a necklace slips free from beneath her shirt.

William’s attention immediately fixes on the gold pendant.

There is something unusual about its shape.

And something strangely familiar.

He takes a moment to compose himself.

“That’s a really unusual pendant.”

Brenda looks down and lifts it in her hand.

“I had it specially made. It’s one half of a set.”

William studies it.

“I think I’ve seen the other half.”

For an instant, Brenda’s expression changes.

Then she answers carefully.

“I don’t think so. The other half belongs to someone I haven’t seen in years. I had the pendant made so we would always have a connection.”

She tucks it beneath her shirt.

William is certain he recognizes it, but he cannot immediately remember where he has seen it.

“That’s weird. I was sure I’d seen it before. Guess I was mistaken.”

Brenda smiles.

“I guess you were.”

Then William remembers his friends are on their way to his house.

“I almost forgot the group is coming over. I’d better get going. Thanks for lending me the book.”

“You’re welcome.”

William heads outside.

As Brenda closes the door, he glances back at her and nearly trips on the steps.

“Be careful!” she calls. “I’ll see everyone tomorrow at the old mill at nine.”

“Okay. Goodnight!”

William walks home quickly.

But the pendant will not leave his mind.

I know I’ve seen the other half.

It is too distinctive to be a coincidence.

Then the memory hits him.

Jessica’s thirteenth birthday.

Her mother gave her a necklace unlike anything William had ever seen. Jessica, who has always known she was adopted, proudly showed it to everyone and explained that it was a gift from her biological mother. She said her real mother was going to come and see her one day.

Jessica still wears the necklace from time to time.

William slows his pace.

Could Brenda’s pendant really be the matching half?

If it is, why would Brenda claim the other one belongs to someone she has not seen in years?

And why would she say nothing about Jessica?

William does not know whether to tell her.

A matching pendant is not proof, and this is not the kind of suspicion he can casually drop into a conversation.

Besides, how would he even explain how he noticed Brenda’s necklace?

He can already imagine how that conversation would sound.

By the time he reaches his street, he sees the others approaching his house.

He calls out.

Matthew looks over.

“Nice. We come to visit you and you take off.”

William catches up with them in front of the house.

“I went to return Brenda’s book.”

Jessica looks at him. “How did the exercises go?”

“Not great. I can get through the whole thing, but at the end, when I’m supposed to leave my body, I can’t. It’s really frustrating.”

“Did you ask Brenda about it?” Sarah asks.

“Yeah. She basically said not to force it.”

Matthew smirks.

“Typical teacher answer.”

Back at Brenda’s house, a knock sounds at the door.

She opens it and is surprised to find Dorothy from the town archives standing outside.

“Dorothy. Come in. Would you like coffee or tea?”

“No, thanks. I just stopped by to give you this.”

Dorothy reaches into her purse.

She removes a green notebook.

A chill runs through Brenda.

“What’s the notebook for?”

Dorothy explains that while putting away toys kept at the archives for children to use while their parents conduct research, she noticed the notebook near the bottom of the toy box.

As soon as she pulled it out, she realized it must be the notebook Jessica believed had disappeared from the research table.

Apparently, a child had picked it up and dropped it into the toy box.

Brenda stares at it.

She thanks Dorothy for bringing it over and mentions that she is heading to the old mill tomorrow for another investigation.

After saying goodnight, Brenda closes the door and carries the notebook into her study.

She sits down and opens the cover.

Written inside are the words:

Property of Sherry-Anne Johnson.

Brenda’s heart begins to race.

She is holding something that once belonged to one of her long-dead ancestors.

She turns to the first page.

The opening sentence immediately captures her attention.

I cannot tell a soul what I know, but cannot keep the knowledge inside me any longer.

Brenda pauses.

Is this what Jessica felt when she first read it?

She continues.

The journal describes a traveller arriving at the mill a few months after war had broken out, at a time when strangers were viewed with suspicion.

According to Sherry-Anne, the traveller leaves his horse by the river to drink and walks into the mill through its open door. Her father is in the storage shed gathering wheat, while her mother is outside baking bread.

What happens next is unclear.

Somehow, the traveller becomes caught in the gears that turn the grinding stone.

A scream brings Sherry-Anne’s father running.

He finds the traveller trapped between the gears and tries desperately to free him. Unable to pull him loose, he releases the locking pin and forces the mechanism backwards until the injured man is freed.

He carries the traveller to the main house and places him on a blanket Sherry-Anne’s mother has spread across the sofa.

Barely conscious, the traveller whispers something and points towards one of his pockets.

Sherry-Anne’s father reaches inside and removes a sealed document.

He opens the envelope.

There is another paper inside.

Whatever he reads clearly disturbs him.

He folds one of the papers and puts it into his pocket. Then he throws the envelope and the remaining document into the fire and watches until they burn completely.

Finally, he stirs the ashes until there is no obvious sign that anything has been burned.

Brenda stops reading for a moment.

The story is no longer simply something Jessica claims to have seen in a dream.

It is sitting in front of her in Sherry-Anne Johnson’s handwriting.

At William’s house, the group gathers in the recreation room, organizing their notes and reviewing everything they have collected so far.

Suddenly, Jessica shudders so violently that William notices.

“You okay?”

Jessica rubs her arms.

“I just got the weirdest chill I’ve ever felt.”

She shakes it off and returns to the notes.

Because Jessica’s earlier dream may have revealed the identity of the apparition, the group has decided to treat it as possible evidence—although everyone agrees it remains questionable.

They make a list of things to watch for during tomorrow’s investigation: footsteps on the stairs, doors opening or closing, footsteps in the upstairs hallway and, of course, apparitions.

They also choose several locations for EVP sessions: the second-floor landing, the sitting room and the table in the corner where Samantha saw the image of the arguing man.

Next, they inspect their equipment. Batteries are charged, recorders are tested, and spare batteries are packed.

Everything seems ready.

Since it is still early, William suggests watching a movie.

Everyone welcomes the break.

“Pick something from the stack against the wall,” he tells them. “I’ll get snacks.”

Jessica offers to help.

Upstairs, William puts popcorn into the microwave and asks Jessica to grab a bowl for the chips.

She bends towards the cupboard.

Her necklace slips out from beneath her shirt.

William freezes.

There is no longer any doubt in his mind.

Jessica’s pendant looks like the matching half of Brenda’s.

He quickly decides not to tell her what he suspects. A similar-looking necklace is nowhere near enough evidence to suggest that Brenda might be her biological mother. If he is wrong, he could upset Jessica for no reason.

Instead, he keeps his voice casual.

“That’s a beautiful pendant. I haven’t seen you wear it in a while.”

Jessica’s face brightens.

“I haven’t. I kept it in a lockbox because I was afraid I’d lose it. But last Monday, when I was looking for my schoolbooks, I found them under the bed beside the box.

“I pulled the box out and looked at the necklace again. The strangest thing happened. As soon as I picked it up, I heard a voice in my head telling me to put it on.

“So I did. And ever since then, I haven’t wanted to take it off.”

William looks at the pendant again.

His suspicion grows stronger.

But he says nothing.

Downstairs, the others are still arguing over the movie.

Matthew wants action.

Sarah wants drama.

Alexis wants comedy.

Jacob and Samantha sit back and laugh while the three of them debate.

William walks in carrying the snacks.

“Has anybody seen this documentary called Real Ghost Caught on Tape?”

The title immediately gets everyone’s attention.

Matthew looks at the case.

“Where did you get that?”

“My dad brought home a box of movies from a friend who was moving out of state. They didn’t want to take everything with them.”

Jessica examines the cover.

“Sounds interesting.”

“Maybe it has something like the traveller in it,” Samantha says.

That settles it.

William puts the documentary into the entertainment system, lowers the projector screen and dims the lights.

The program begins with suitably creepy music.

A narrator introduces the subject by asking what an apparition or ghost actually is. The documentary explains that many people think of ghosts as the spirits of people who have died, while others report apparitions of objects such as ships, trains, cars and even buildings.

It presents several theories, including the idea that some hauntings might be connected to residual energy rather than conscious spirits. It also points out that reported ghost sightings are not limited to nighttime; investigators often work after dark simply because there is less activity and fewer outside disturbances.

The documentary divides hauntings into three broad categories: historical, intelligent and imagined.

Historical hauntings are described as scenes that seem to repeat events from the past, almost like recordings. According to the program, these apparitions sometimes appear to follow the layout of a building as it existed years earlier, even if walls or floors have since changed.

Intelligent hauntings are described as experiences in which an apparent spirit seems to respond to people or its surroundings—through sounds, touches, voices or other interactions.

The final category covers experiences that may come from expectation, fear, stress or imagination. Someone who has just watched a frightening movie, heard a ghost story or desperately wants to see something might misinterpret an ordinary sight or sound as paranormal.

The documentary then shows photographs and videos from reportedly haunted locations around the world. Some segments describe violent historical events, while others involve ordinary scenes supposedly repeating long after the people involved are gone.

When the program turns to attempts at communicating with ghosts, everyone becomes even more attentive.

It discusses electronic voice phenomena, or EVP, recorded while investigators ask questions or sometimes captured unexpectedly during ordinary recording.

It also introduces electromagnetic-field detectors, commonly called EMF meters, which paranormal investigators use to look for unusual fluctuations in electromagnetic readings.

Digital thermometers and thermal cameras are shown as tools for measuring temperature differences, although the documentary also explains that ordinary environmental conditions can create unusual readings.

The group watches examples of audio recordings, photographs, videos and thermal images.

Some are impressive.

Others are deliberately fake.

The documentary even demonstrates several ways supposedly paranormal photographs and videos can be created or manipulated.

When the program ends, everyone begins talking at once.

They imagine what it would be like to have some of the expensive equipment shown in the documentary. They wonder how the traveller might have appeared through a thermal camera.

Jacob looks around.

“What do you think Miss Waters uses when she investigates?”

Most of them agree that Brenda probably owns a good digital voice recorder, camera and video recorder. They are less certain about the expensive specialized equipment. She studies parapsychology, but ghost hunting is not her profession.

Soon the conversation shifts to paranormal television shows.

The excitement in several voices makes it obvious they accept much of what they have seen on television.

Matthew, predictably, interrupts.

“If those shows are real and not just Hollywood hype, why are the cameras always pointed at the ghost hunters’ faces instead of whatever they’re looking at?”

Everyone turns towards him.

“It’s easy to say you saw something and make a shocked face,” he continues. “Wouldn’t it be more convincing if the camera showed the unexplained thing and we only heard the investigator’s reaction?”

The others look towards William and Jessica.

William thinks about it.

“We already know paranormal evidence is hard to capture. Samantha saw that man at the mill, but he didn’t appear in her pictures. And the figure we saw in the sitting room only appeared as a light on my video.

“Maybe camera flashes or video lights affect what gets recorded. I don’t know. But imagine how short a ghost-hunting series would be if they could only air an episode when they captured a clear apparition. Sometimes all they have is the investigators’ reaction.”

Matthew frowns.

“Okay. But then they should have another camera pointing where the investigators are looking. At least let viewers see the area when someone reacts. Maybe somebody watching would notice a shadow or blur the investigator missed.”

William nods.

“That I agree with. Somebody saying, ‘Did you see that?’ when the audience can’t see where they were looking isn’t very useful.”

It is getting late.

The group decides to call it a night.

Tomorrow they will meet at the playground closer to the old mill at eight-thirty, giving them enough time to reach the property by nine.

That night, Jessica dreams about the old mill again.

The dream begins exactly as before.

She sees the traveller arrive.

She watches Mr. Johnson read the letter.

The same events unfold until the sheriff leaves and Mr. Johnson asks his wife where she hid the coins.

This time, Jessica does not wake up.

Mrs. Johnson tells her husband that the gold is hidden behind the woodpile in the kitchen.

Mr. Johnson goes inside, moves the wood and uncovers the small sacks containing the coins.

He tells his wife he is going to melt the coins into bars. That way, if anyone comes looking for them, no one will stumble across recognizable coins and accuse the family of hiding stolen gold—an accusation that could cost them everything and possibly lead to imprisonment or execution for treason.

Jessica watches him carry the sacks towards the building where he keeps the moulds used for melting and forming metal.

Mrs. Johnson returns to preparing supper.

She throws several logs into the stove.

Then she notices something.

Her husband has forgotten one sack of coins.

She picks it up and starts towards the door.

A pot suddenly begins boiling over.

Mrs. Johnson sets the sack down and turns towards the stove.

Jessica wakes to birds singing outside her open window.

A cool summer breeze drifts into the room.

She lies there thinking about the dream.

So the gold is gone.

The realization disappoints her.

She gets out of bed, washes up and eats breakfast. Then she tests her electronic equipment, makes sure the batteries are fully charged and drops spare batteries for her voice recorder into her purse.

After telling her parents she is meeting her friends, she leaves for the playground.

Matthew and Alexis are already there when Jessica arrives.

Sarah and Samantha are crossing the field towards them.

As Jessica gets closer, she notices how happy Alexis looks while joking around with Matthew. Only a couple of weeks ago, Alexis had complained about how cynical he was.

Jessica calls out.

“Hey, guys. How’s it going?”

Alexis grins.

“Guess who wished upon a star the other night!”

Jessica bursts out laughing.

“You mean the guy who doesn’t believe in anything is making wishes now?”

Matthew glares at Alexis.

“So you can keep a secret?”

Alexis slips an arm around him.

“Lighten up, Matt. Jessica will keep it secret, and the other two are too far away to have heard me.”

Then she looks at Jessica.

“Promise you won’t repeat it. I told Matt I wouldn’t say anything, but I had to tell you.”

Jessica is still smiling.

“Don’t worry, Matthew. Your secret is safe with me. I couldn’t help laughing. You have to admit it’s funny considering how much you don’t believe in.”

Matthew looks embarrassed.

“Thanks. And you’re right. I’d be razzing myself too. I figured I had nothing to lose. Miss Waters said I needed to work at keeping an open mind if I ever wanted to experience anything.”

From across the field, Sarah calls out.

“What’s so funny, Jessica? We heard you laughing from over here!”

Jessica glances at Matthew.

“Nothing! I was just laughing at Alexis and Matt acting like a couple of kids.”

Matthew silently mouths, Thank you.

William and Jacob are approaching from the other direction.

When they get closer, Samantha calls to Jacob.

“Still smiling, I see. Guess the old man didn’t come back last night?”

“Nope!” Jacob says excitedly. “And if he does, I’ll make him leave again. I’m actually hoping we see something today.”

The group remains near the play structure for a few minutes.

Jessica decides there is no reason to wait.

“Well, guys, I had another dream about the 1800s last night. Everything started exactly the same, except this time I didn’t wake up early.”

Jacob’s eyes widen.

“So you know where the gold is?”

Sarah jumps in.

“We’re going to be rich!”

Jessica shakes her head.

“I know where the gold was. But no, we’re not going to be rich.”

Matthew looks confused.

“What do you mean?”

“It was hidden in the woodpile in the kitchen. But I saw Mrs. Johnson tell Mr. Johnson where she put it. He found the sacks and took them to the building where he melted metal. He planned to melt the coins into bars.”

William thinks about the EVP recording.

“So when the traveller said, ‘Gold’s mine, don’t take it,’ maybe he was still talking to the Johnsons.”

Alexis bumps Matthew lightly and smiles.

“At least we might still see a ghost, even if we aren’t going to get rich.”

Matthew looks back at her.

“There are a lot of riches in this world that can’t be held in your hand.”

Jacob immediately grins.

“Yeah—like getting to see a real ghost!”