Golden Locket

Explosive after explosive shook the ground, as speckled, rigid, gray, gravel dispersed in
every which direction. As each tortuous gravel engraved into Roseannas ash covered and
bomb- dusted skin, her ankles bled. Eager for triumph, her bare feet trampled across the
debris-covered ground and delivered her to her destination and safe house--the bunker.
Not far behind her lied her parents, or so she thought. Even though Roseanna heard a
suspicious cry and thump behind her, she continued to move forward with one thought on her
mind--survival. A horrific nails-on-a-chalkboard noise filled the air, revealing that the bunker door
was about to close in a second or two. Fast as lighting, Roseanna dashed towards the closing
bunker door. Foot by foot Roseannas feet bolted faster and faster towards the door, filled with
worry that she wouldnt make it. After the clear glass and steel bunker door were in sight,
Roseanna dropped to her knees and slid across the rocky surface into the bunker. The entire
bunker cheered, joyfully, in celebration of Roseannas entry and created an echo of joy and
happiness.
I made it! Mom! Dad! We actually made it! Were safe! Roseanna cried as salty tears,
filled with joy, ran down her dusted cheeks.
Not a peep escaped from the bunker residents mouths. Teeth clenched and eyes
dropped, showing they knew something that Roseanna didnt.
Honey, sweet, sweet, girl. You were the last one to come in. Yyy-your parents are nnnnot here, one of the residents that held an infant in her trembling arms told Roseanna.
Wh-what? Roseanna questioned, flabbergasted, as the steel door almost closed.
Roseannas long, wavy, dark-chocolate hair swished and whipped her neck soon after
she turned around to face the bunker door. As Roseannas lips trembled, her whole body shook
violently as if she was on the fastest rollercoaster in the world and dropped from the highest
peak. Her fingernails grasped onto her vibrating head and sank in, indenting her skin. The
shock overwhelmed her and caused her to drop to her knees.
Mmmm-mom? Dddd-dad? Roseanna questioned as the tears that lied on her cheeks
turned melancholy instead of joy and triumph.
Before her laid a depressing picture of her mother being picked up by her father with
tears stains over every inch of their cheeks in front of a rock. Finally, the bottom of the door met
the ground and blocked all sight of the previous image from view. Boom! The sound of a V-1
rocket bursted through the air and trembled the ground.
A wave of thoughts rolled through Roseannas mind, crashing against the sides of her
brain. No! No this cant be happening! Is this actually happening? This has to be just a
nightmare! The rock... mom must have tripped on the rock. Its all my fault! If I just heard her fall
I could have helped her and we would have all survived. They died because of me, because of
me! Im a murderer. Im a murderer and a orphan. The wave of thoughts drowned all the
happiness in her mind to tears and sadness.
No! No! No! Its my fault! Roseanna yelled as she ran towards the bunker door and
tried prying the doors open with all her might.
While Roseanna ran at the door and tried to knock it down, the thoughts in her mind
crashed all over the place. I am a murderer. I am a murderer. Its my fault! Roseanna scraped at
the door, causing her fingers to turn a royal blue and magenta. Hands all over the room reached

for Roseanna so she would calm down. Each and every hand tried to comfort her and to pull her
away from destruction; although, Roseanna still let her malicious thoughts consume her.
Residents hands pulled her back and pinned her against the stone wall.
Men in white coats, doctors of the bunker, ran down the hallway to tend to their
patient. With Roseanna carefully clenched in their hands, they tried to calm her down.
Roseanna, everythings going to be okay, one doctor reassured Roseanna with a look
of fear.
You're wrong, I thought doctors were smart! Roseanna fired back along with a pleading
expression of heartbreak.
Suddenly, Roseannas whole world began to fade. Everything full of color turned gray,
then completely black. The thoughts slowly began to roll out in unison with the color of the
world. Her whole mind went blank: No wave of malicious thoughts to consume her. No joyful
rainbow thoughts. No nothing.
*** 1 day later***
Sounds of beeping and buzzing from a variety of different machines slowly creeped into
Roseannas ears. Scents of lemon cleaning supplies and vinegar filled each of her nostrils. With
her eyes still closed, Roseanna clenched her palms against the soft, velvety, sheets. Slowly but
surely, her eyelashes fluttered up and down, revealing a white, tiny, room with thousands of
complex, beeping, silver, and glass machines. Suddenly, Roseannas fingers began to tremble
as they realized she was in a different a location and bandaged. Roseanna looked side to side
at her trembling arms and saw that they were connected to several different tubes and bizarre
machines.
Thousands of thoughts splattered into her brain like bullets. Where am I? What is this
place? What do these machines do? Am I hurt? Where are my parents? Did we make it to the
bunker? Sounds of shoes clicking and clacking against the floor filled her ears, dispersing all the
thoughts within her in every which direction.
The footsteps owner, dressed in protective gear and a locket, asked,Im glad to see
you're finally up Roseanna. If you would like to, we need another volunteer to fight the traders
since the nuclear bomb stopped. Dr. Nelson has already done your tests: youre well enough to
go. By the way, the names Carissa.
Thought of realization filled Roseannas mind. Oh. I must be in the bunker. Yeah we
made it! We actually made it! I must have passed out or something when I arrived.
Of course I will help you, Roseanna replied cheerfully.
With no remembrance of yesterdays tragic events, Roseanna and Carissa casually
headed down to the exit door. As Roseanna got closer and closer towards the door, she started
to feel as if she had been there before, even though she knew she hadnt been. Carissa nudged
Roseanna in the ribs to tell her she had been staring off into the distance and they were going to
go outside. In response to Carissas nudging, Roseanna pulled on her camo bullet proof vest
and drew her handgun.
A familiar nails-on-a-chalkboard noise filled the air as the bunker door, a combination of
glass and steel, opened. Inch by Inch the door went up revealing the destroyed outside world.
Not a tear was shed in the bunker, but there were grimaces for war. Residents of the bunker
raced outside, a vastly destroyed area covered in debris, and fought back . Only one
resident remained, just outside the bunker door--Roseanna.

Right before her eyes was a shoe behind a small, speckled, ridged rock. This dust
covered, navy and gray, frayed, flat wasnt just any ordinary shoe. It was Roseannas mothers.
Roseanna knew her shoeaholic mother would have never left her favorite shoes abandoned for
anyone to take. This could mean only one thing, her mother was dead and so was her father-Dead.
Memories returned to her mind destroying any happiness and joy within. Sounds of
triumph and tears filled her ears once again. The pain finally came back once more and
shattered her heart into billions of pieces.
Waves of thoughts drowned her brain all over again. My parents are dead because of
me! Its all my fault! Im a murderer! Her destructive thought slowly seeped out of her brain and
headed towards her heart. Once the thoughts arrived at the door to her heart, the sorrow within
them shattered it and ripped it from its socket. With no love or joy left, Roseanna sank to her
knees and submerged into her ocean of tears. Not a single soul saw the great pain Roseanna
was experiencing except for one person--Carissa.
Hey, Roseanna you okay? What, am I kidding? Youre not okay; youre crying for
heavens sake! Carissa wondered as she bent down to meet Roseanna at her level.
Through each sniffle and cry made, Roseanna managed to tell her what happened.
Even though Roseanna was vastly depressed over her story, once she said each word it was as
if one of her tears from her tear ocean evaporated, never to be seen again. Carissa never took
her eyes off Roseanna, for she understood what her new friend was going through. Once
Roseanna finished speaking, Carissa hugged Roseanna with all her might.
Carissa declared, wholeheartedly, through tears, Roseanna, its not your fault. You
didnt hear them fall. If you did, you would have helped them. You are not a murderer! I know
how you feel; losing parents is really hard. On my way to the bunker, I lost my parents too. I was
really depressed, but then I realized they wouldnt have wanted that. Your parents would have
wanted that for you too. Also, I want you to have my locket. It helped me through the loss of my
parents. I think it will help you too. Please trust me!
Unclasping her gold locket Carissas fingers trembled furiously. Slowly, Carissa clasped
her prized possession onto Roseannas neck as her fingers continued to tremble. Every tear on
Roseanna's flushed cheeks morphed into tears of joy instead of melancholy. Wrinkles appeared
at each corner of her cheeks. Roseannas face was no longer filled with sorrow but with joy and
hope.
As Roseanna held Carissas gold keepsake in her arms, she squeezed all of its love into
her beckoning soul, producing a tingling sensation to explode throughout every organ and vein
within her body: The sensation of warm fuzzies and laughter. The sensation of pure joy. The
sensation of happiness.