“Some discoveries wait patiently in the shadows… this one chooses her.”
Darla had always thought the old bookstore was just a place for dusty novels and forgotten diaries. The kind of place where time felt slow, and the air smelled of parchment and warm sunlight filtered through dusty windows.
But today, something was different.
Tucked between two faded tomes, a small silver locket caught her eye. It wasn’t just the delicate engraving that made it stand out — it seemed to hum softly, like it had its own heartbeat.
Curiosity prickled at her fingertips as she reached out. The moment her skin brushed the cool metal, the faint vibration stopped.
A whisper, barely audible, seemed to brush the edge of her ear.
“Darla…”
She spun around.
No one. Only the towering shelves, the smell of old paper, and a golden glow spilling from the locket in her hand.
Her gaze traced the intricate symbols etched into its surface. They looked like handwriting she had never seen, curling and looping in patterns that seemed alive.
Another whisper, softer this time, tickled her thoughts.
“Find me…”
Her heart skipped. The locket was no ordinary piece of jewelry. It was waiting, and somehow, it had chosen her.
Darla clutched it tightly, unaware that her quiet, ordinary world was about to unravel into secrets older than she could imagine.
“The locket’s whispers had only just begun… and someone else was already listening.”
