Treasures in the Dust

“No, no, it’s fine. If you put a foot wrong up there, you go through the ceiling. Need to know where to step.”

Sky Alton
Writer, Gryffindor

Yasmin paused on the loft ladder, her head spinning as she tried to balance the bag she was holding. She’d been up and down so often that she was beginning to get tired.
“Are you sure you don’t want a hand?” Simon asked, peering out from the spare room.

Yasmin considered shaking her head, but decided to climb down from the ladder first.
“No, no, it’s fine. If you put a foot wrong up there, you go through the ceiling. Need to know where to step.”

Simon gallantly took the bag from her though and carried it through to join the pile of stuff on the spare bed.
“I think that will do for the time being,” Yasmin sighed, sinking down on the edge. She pulled a box towards her, flipped the lid and began to sort through the contents. This box was mostly full of little jewellery cases.
“Some of this stuff looks quite old,” Simon said, looking down at a pair of pearl earrings in their nest of black silk.
“Those were… My great grandmother’s, I think,” Yasmin said, trying to exercise her memory.
“And you want to sell things like this?” Simon asked, going wide eyed, “Aren’t they family heirlooms?”

She sighed, staring down at her mother’s topaz bracelet. She’d worn it only on the most special occasions like her sister’s wedding or her Great Uncles 90th Birthday.
“I don’t want to,” she shrugged, “But what choice do I have? If I don’t get some capital, I won’t be able to save the business. And this is the only way I can do it.”
“I’m not sure I could part with memories like this….”
“I’m not sure I can either,” Yasmin shrugged, “But if the business goes under, I may have to sell them anyway so we can pay the bills.”
She weighed the old box in her hand, “Besides, they’re doing nobody any good gathering dust up there.” She told herself it was that dust that was making her eyes prickle.
“A bit of a catch 22, huh?”

Yasmin didn’t respond. Instead, she stared at the bracelet for a long moment, then snapped the lid of the case shut.