U3A April 2024 The Egg by Helen Edom 1005 words

“Auntie Betty, why do you have an egg?”

“Well it’s special; a thoughtful and wise friend gave it to me. You can hold it if you like. “

The small egg-shaped stone fit snugly into Emily’s hand. Wide eyed, Emily examined it closely, turning it around to find a creamy blemish on the back interrupting the intense ultramarine beneath the egg’s smooth, shiny surface. The entrancing object was mottled all over with flecks of gold and tiny specks of translucent white.

“Is it a jewel?”

“No, it’s a semiprecious stone called lapis lazuli. But it’s used in jewellery sometimes. An ancient Egyptian king, Tutankhamen, had a splendid gold mask with lines of lapis lazuli in the headdress.

“What does it do?”

“Well, it just is, like any other stone. But holding it reminds me of the friend who gave it me. She is several hundred miles away now. I don’t think you’ve met her but she is still very dear.

Emily asked, “”Can I look after it for the day? “.

“If you like,” replied Betty. “But you must take care of it. Are you old enough to do that?”

“Auntie Betty, I’m nearly seven!”

“Be off with you then. I don’t want it lost or damaged, mind.”

“I won’t”.

Emily went out into the garden. She was staying at Auntie Betty’s for half term while her mother was working at the library. There were no other children here but it was sunny. The sky was the colour of a robin’s egg but the egg she had was the dark violet blue of the sky when it was deepening towards night.

The egg felt heavy in her hand. It felt it had more to it than an ordinary stone. It didn’t appear to do anything but she would find out if it had any secrets. Perhaps it was like a friendship bracelet. You rubbed it and gave it to someone and you were best friends forever. Binky, her aunt’s ginger cat was picking his way delicately across the lawn. Emily rubbed the stone egg and held it out for Binky to sniff while she stroked his fur, a little clumsily. Binky scuttled off, pausing at a safe distance only to give Emily a dirty look. Perhaps the stone egg had other powers or needed to be rubbed harder.

Undeterred by this experiment, Emily turned the stone around in her hand. It was such deep blue it practically glowed. Maybe if she just kept it in a pocket it would bring her luck all day. Auntie Betty seemed fairly lucky having a swish car and a friendly husband out at work while she stayed at home painting illustrations for a children’s book. She was a good cook too. Maybe the egg helped her.

Emily resolved to guard the egg very carefully and put it in her right pocket, as her fingers felt a tiny hole in the left one. She looked in the garden among the flowers to see if she could find any old pieces of china or even gold. She’d never succeeded in finding anything other than broken plates but even those were fascinating with fading blue and white patterns. Her mother told her not to pick them up because they had jagged edges but she doggedly ignored the warning. She was careful when she picked them up though. She had quite a collection which she kept in a secret place among the ivy by her aunt’s garden shed. Perhaps the egg would help her find something more valuable. She wished she could find a precious jewel like the one the princess wore in her book. Emily went to get Betty’s hand fork that she used for the pots of snapdragons and sweet williams that bloomed on her patio.

Emily happily dug around the plants in the flowerbeds. She had been warned repeatedly not to dig up the flowers and she hardly trod on any. She found three worms which she watched for a while until she got bored. She touched one of them but it quickly wriggled down into the ground. She admired their ability to burrow and live under the soil. Her aunt told her she must always be kind to worms because they were the gardener’s best friend. She wasn’t quite sure why. She liked all animals and knew snails, slugs and thrushes but she had always wanted to see unusual ones like hedgehogs. Her mother told her hedgehogs came out too late at night and when she was older they would look for one. Surely she’d be old enough when she was seven. Her birthday was next week.

Emily felt for the cool weight of the stone in her pocket and rubbed it hard with her thumb. Then, bending down between the flowers on the damp earth, she came face-to-face with a toad. Like hedgehogs, she had only ever seen them in pictures. It looked at her out of jewel- like eyes that were glowing amber. It was wonderful to see one up close and she couldn’t wait to tell her aunt about it. She must remember to tell her mother as well. Some people say that toads are ugly but her aunt was not one of them. She said they were magic and ate the slugs that chomped holes in her hostas. Emily knew better than to try and touch the creature. But it hopped off anyway after motionlessly holding her gaze for a second. She wondered if she could follow it but it disappeared too quickly. Where would it lead she wondered?

She rushed in to tell Auntie Betty that the stone egg had brought her luck. Maybe she should give it back now so she wouldn’t use all the luck up. She really wanted a hamster for her birthday. She kept on asking her mother but she only got, “Wait and see, dear.” Perhaps if she rubbed the egg every day until she went home, she’d be lucky enough to get one. It was an exciting thought.