The turquoise earrings

Claudine Frederik

Tina was fascinated by the turquoise earrings from the first time she saw them. They were flawless, their blue polished to a lustrous sheen.

Tina would stop by the window of the small jewelry shop every afternoon on her way home.

She bought the earrings on payday.

"They are pretty, aren't they? You must be a Virgo," the shopkeeper said while packing the earrings.

"No, I'm not. Why did you think that?"

The shopkeeper stopped her activity momentarily.

"Because turquoise is the birthstone of Virgo," she said. "What month were you born in?"

"The first part of June," Tina said.

"Ah, Gemini. Are you sure you don't want to swap them with jade or moonstone earrings? Those are your gems, really."

"No, thank you. I just want these ones."

* * *

"So, you like them?" she asked Yanti, who stared at the earrings the next day at work.

"I sure do. You look very glamorous."

For the rest of the day, Tina went about work as usual. But then the strange calls started.

On the third ring she lifted the phone.

"Tina Wungkar speaking." She waited, but no one responded. "Who is there," she tried again. After a few more moments of silence, she put the phone down.

"I must be dealing with a nut," she muttered aloud.

Curious, Yanti asked from the next cubicle, "Who are you talking about?"

"I just got a call but nobody said anything. Don't you call that crazy?"

"An admirer, maybe," Yanti said teasingly.

After five, there was another call. Again, nobody said anything. It suddenly dawned on her that it was the mysterious caller again. She released the phone quickly and hurriedly left the office.

Later in the evening when she had retired with a book to her room, there was a knock on her door. Her father said that she was wanted on the phone.

"Yes, hello. Hello."

She slammed the phone down when all she heard was the same foreboding silence. Tina was scared now.

She tossed around in bed, unable to fall asleep. The small alarm clock on the night table illuminating iridescent figures told her that it was long after midnight. She was wide awake. The curtains trembled slightly on a breath of wind.

Tina stepped over to check if the windows were properly shut. She looked down on the darkened street below, where long shadows were languidly moving to the rhythm of the wind. Then she saw the figure, standing motionless in the shadows that covered part of the iron fence in front of the house.

Tina stepped back, stricken with fear.

Cautiously she peered again through the gauze curtains. The figure was still standing there, looking up at her bedroom window.

She whirled out of the room toward the adjacent bedroom of her parents.

"Dad, come quick." Half asleep, her father tottered after her.

"What is going on? Don't you realize what time it is," her father grumbled.

Tina told her father about the mysterious figure down at the fence. Sweeping the curtains aside, she urged her father to see for himself.

"There is no one, Tina," her father snapped. "You must have imagined seeing somebody. I am going to bed now."

With that he strode out of the room.

Left alone, Tina furtively looked out at the spot where she had seen the shadow of a stranger minutes ago. For a moment the tree branches moved, revealing an empty spot. Tina could not believe her eyes. She was sure that someone had been there watching. She went to bed and dropped off in a light slumber.

* * *

All week long the sinister phone calls persisted at home and the office. Her mother wanted to call the police, but her father said they would solve the problem the "traditional way".

Her father called a renowned tonaas medicine man who served the Minahasan community in Jakarta. Tina and her mother were told to prepare a table for the rite: A pack of cigarettes, a box of matches and a glass of black coffee were set out for their forefathers to be called upon.

On the day of the ritual, Tina could hardly wait to get home. As she came through the door, she noticed that Oom (Uncle) Waworuntu was already waiting. He quickly rose to his feet and said: "Let's begin."

He moved to the table, sat down and brought something to his lips. He chewed several times and then swallowed.

For a few moments, he closed his eyes and murmured a prayer. When he opened his eyes again, his face had undergone a transformation. Tina saw a very old man who talked in a strange dialect that only he seemed to understand.

After the prayer, the man began to chant a religious verse, his voice gradually growing louder. When he finally stopped, he fell in a stupor against the back of the straight chair.

Tina's father hurried to the man's side. He lifted the glass of dark coffee to the lips of Oom Waworuntu. After a few sips, Tina noted that his face had returned to normal.

He looked at Tina and said: "You have something with you that attracts evil. You have to throw it away as it will be no good at all to you."

Tina thought for a moment. The man pressed her again.

"Have you acquired something new recently."

Then it dawned on her.

The medicine man inspected the pair of earrings in his hand. Suddenly his body jerked awkwardly.

"Yes," he said slowly, "these things are causing you great trouble. Get rid of them right away."

The medicine man explained that one of the spirits told him of the earrings. They had once belonged to a woman who died a tragic death, but now her spirit did not want anyone else to own the earrings, her most prized possession.

Tina took them back to the jewelry store, and the understanding shopkeeper agreed to exchange them for another pair.

The next morning, there were no more calls for Tina.