Unforgettable Melody - S01 E04

Story 1 week ago

Unforgettable Melody - S01 E04

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 4

Flipping the TV on to his favorite cable news network, Mike was about to crawl into bed when he glanced at his trumpet case in the corner. Instantly remembering the strange locket from earlier today, he went to dig it and the brown box it came in out of his case. He was about to examine the locket, when he noticed the corner of a small piece of paper sticking out of the box. Opening it up, he discovered a hand written note.

Hello, Mike. I do not know if you have attempted to open the locket yet, but please know that it will only open if you are truly the kind of person I suspect you are. For a man who knows God, as I can tell you do, the solution to this puzzle should come very easily. I wish you luck and happiness in all of your life's endeavors. Sincerely, Selena.

Holy crap, he thought. He hadn't imagined it. Somehow, that entire encounter today was real. Now fully invested in uncovering the meaning of Selena's note, Mike placed the box on his nightstand, switched off the TV so he could focus, and reached for the locket, sitting up comfortably in his bed.

"Let's see if we can't figure out what you are, my little friend..." Mike said, in his best Obi-Wan Kenobi voice. As he held it in his hand, the blue stone in the center started glowing, just as it had that aftermoon. And yet, even with the stone glowing brightly, Mike still could not open the locket. It was as if it was welded shut from the inside.

Mike turned the locket over, Inspecting the smooth, plain back piece. He began running his index finger over the surface and edges, slowly feeling for any sort of switch or clasp that might allow it to open. At this point, he didn't care if the locket contained anything or not. His gut told him that it would be worth it just to find the solution to this puzzle.

As his finger moved around to the front side of the locket, Mike began to notice a faint outline of some sort on the back piece. After a few attempts to replicate it, he quickly discovered that placing his finger on the blue stone was the trigger to those outlines. Pressing down gently, he was slowly able to make out a series of letters appearing on the back of the locket.

1 Cor

XV LII

Curiouser and curiouser, Mike thought. He made a note of the letters in his phone, trying to think what they could mean. Reading Selena's note again, he took notice of her mention of knowing God.

"That's it!"

Mike reached into his nightstand for his King James Bible. Though he preferred his Common English Bible, there just was something that felt right about having this version by his bedside. Mike flipped through the pages until he found his target: 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, verse 52.

Maybe I just need to read it out loud? Could it be that simple?

Clearing his throat, Mike read, "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

Nothing. No movement or glowing from the locket.

Mike tried reading the passage again, this time with his finger pressed on the stone, but still no results. He pondered endlessly. Why would the locket direct him to this passage if reading the passage itself does nothing? There had to be some additional significance.

Glancing again at his trumpet case, Mike had one idea so farfetched that it just might work. The text of this verse was used in Handel's Messiah during an extended trumpet solo entitled The Trumpet Shall Sound. Additionally, Mike was very familiar with this piece, having just played it this past Easter at his local church. Picking up his trumpet, Mike placed a practice mute in the bell, muffling the sound to barely a whisper. No need to piss off the neighbors.

After playing a few warm-up notes, Mike focused for a moment, remembering the opening to the song before beginning the extended fanfare that started the piece. As he approached the segment where the vocalist would have entered, he noticed the locket was glowing again, this time extending from the stone and into the vine-like inlays. Startled, he stopped playing, causing the glow to instantly disappear.

Smiling to himself, he knew he was close to the answer. As he began again from the beginning, the locket, sure enough, started glowing again. Losing himself in the music, and clearly hearing the vocalist in his head as he played, he had almost forgotten about the locket completely by the time he finished the final bars. Laying his trumpet back in the case, the locket was now shining brighter than ever before, almost as if it was fully charged with energy. Climbing back into bed, he again took the locket in his hand, and immediately felt it's warmth engulf his entire body. He placed his finger once more on the center stone, causing the glow to vanish.

To Be Continued...