For as long as she could remember she had always lived somewhere close to water. River, stream, ocean or otherwise. But, Rekah's memory was rather like a puzzle within a puzzle. Once two pieces had been matched it was usually obvious that perhaps they didn't quite fit as neatly as previously thought.

This just so happened to be the case as she stood in front of one fish vendor's booths that lined the street en route to the docks. She just so happened to be acquainted with this particular one.

Pierre, I want the flounder. You realize I can't do any entertaining if I don't have any flounder.

"Non! The last time I gave you flounder you stuffed it into your pockets. You smelled for weeks."

But, I had to keep it there. Claire was going to eat. Raw. Ew

"No, you get no flounder. Here have some seashells."

Ooooh. Pretty!

Not one to be dictated by her stomach and the prospect of trinkets was much too enticing. Pierre had been dealing with Rekah for years. So, in situations such as this he kept a stockpile of things to give her in lieu of fish which in her hands usually went bad. He had given her a lobster once. Who knows were that ended up?

She reached out her grubby hands and he filled them with an assortment of shells.

"Now, petite go find yourself some food and go home. You know the rules. You are not allowed on the docks past dusk."

Fiiiiiiiiiineee.

She was pouting, but he could tell she was happy she looked over the abalone. It was shiny, therefore it was distracting. Rekah turned to bound away, but turned back. Pierre waited as he knew what was coming.

Have you seen my father today?


"Non, but as always I will tell him you're looking for him."

Bonsoir, Pierre!

Stockinged feet silently padded along the cobblestone making a swerving path to and fro. Rekah never walked a straight line, so to the casual observer she appeared drunk. In fact, she even carried on conversations with herself. However, in essence she was talking to someone. She just happened to be the only one who could see and hear them. This particular one was called "Adeline". Apparently, "Claire" didn't have a whole lot to say on the subject.

But, Adeline you the rules. We're supposed to go home. It sounded more like ho-am.

Just because you're older does not give you special permission to be out and about consorting improperly!! Fine then! Get into trouble see if I care!

A fist was angrily shook at what was presumed to be at the back of the departing Adeline. Some people had stopped, slack-jawed and gawking and to be sure they cleared a wide path for her as she walked past. Or rather happily skipped, and flounced on by.

The path she took to what she called home was not typical and for anyone other than Rekah would take a lot less time. However, it went something like this-at least if you listened in her head as she went-

-Feed Claire.
-Stop by the Light House.
-Throw rocks off the pier.
-Press face against bakery window.
-Press face against the tailor window.
-Press face against every window possible.
-Talk to person on corner. Any corner, any person.
-Make a bank deposit..of buttons.
-Go up some stairs.
-Go down some stairs.
-And repeat with some variations until she would end up on the path out of town.

All in all what should be a half hour walk turns into about a two hour ordeal.

But, like always she somehow makes it back home.

The moment the sun began its daily trek across the sky Rekah was up and gone. Back to the docks she went... The journey to usually took a lot less time than the journey back. In the mornings she was excited to be going back. So, if she happened to put on shoes and socks it was a good day. Normally, she busted out of her house in bare feet and whatever she grabbed off the pile of the clothes.

Today it was socks, and what appeared to be a corpulent woman's mu mu. It practically dragged the ground, so she gathered up the excess material and started towards town.

There wasn't really any path through the woods she took. She just crunched and stomped her way over the fallen leaves, and branches. As always, she got distracted, this time it was by a dew covered spiderweb. The spider was nowhere to be found. So, Rekah leaned in, and with one outstretched finger traced the lines of the web without actually touching.

I know Claire! Look, but don't touch!

Sometime had passed, how much remains to be seen. But, the sun was definitely saying it was now mid-morning.

If someone had passed-the scene would have been her leaning over, with her practically nose-to-nose with the spider web. And her not moving an inch, except for the steady inhale/exhale pattern of her breathing.

Finally, though the spell was broken when the spider crawled back onto its web. It startled her enough to cause her to jump back.


Welcome Home, Sir Spider. Don't worry.. I watched your web, no one hurt it.

Her guardian duties over, continued on her way to the docks. This was going to be one of those days, where if she reached waterside before dusk it would be a miracle. She was happily hopping along when she saw a sparkling, a twinkling in the leaves.

What do we have here?! The fear of dirt was not in her, and she practically threw herself down on the ground to start digging through the dirt and leaves.

What would she find?

Grabbing a stick to aid in her dig, the tip was used to scrape away the dirt and worms that had adhered themselves to the object.

Let go little wormies. One was picked up and dangled in front of her face for closer observation. It wriggled and curled. But, she still held on tight.

I'm not gonna eat it, Claire. Gross. Fish eat wormies. The worm was then haphazardly tossed over her shoulder and landed with a quiet plop somewhere behind her. She continued with her digging. Dirt, leaves, twigs were going everywhere-up to and including her hair, ears and any exposed flesh.

So much for the bath she took last week, it was now gone in flurry of hands, and a quest for treasure.

It was amazing though what one small person could accomplish with just a digging stick and her hands. All this for a broken bottle.

However, she was now sitting in a perfect sized Rekah hole. Which just turned out to be a perfect place to nap.

That's just what she did.

And why not? It's not like she had a strict schedule to adhere to.

Her arms were full. It made squeezing into the shack difficult. After a few failed attempts she dumped the parcels in through the narrow slot before climbing through. Lighting the oil lamp, lifting it to get a better view of her living quarters.

It was all the same. Untouched and all in some sort of disarray. Her newest items were small, yet many. Picking everything back up she made her way down the precarious slope to one of the storage rooms. She had about four, this one was the closest. And she tended not to go any further back than necessary when it was dark out.

She sat and carefully unwrapped one of the packages. This one held two tattered, the binding barely in place, tomes. Holding the lantern up, and the one of the books. Eying the literary work with a bit of suspicion. This wasn't treasure. It wasn't even shiny. Of course, she frowned this meant she would have to go further down the path to store these. There was a room dedicated to books. Any type of book, music books, tomes, bibles, if it had a spine and pages it was relegated to the back room.

Rekah had a strange fear of books. Not the type of fear that she would avoid them. It was the fear of what they held. She didn't understand most of the languages of the books she found. So, their words were left unread. And she was left worrying what they said.

The tomes were tossed onto the pile of books and she booked it back to the first storage area. Only to find the two tomes she had tossed in the back room leaning against the wood frame that hinted at a doorway.

What?

This was something she didn't quite understand. How they moved. If she didn't move them.

Then who did?

So, she picked them back up and ran them back.
And for a second time they were leaning against the door frame by the time she got back.


A toe-tap, and hands on hips type of stance followed with a sigh. Deciding it would be best to leave them there while she opened the remaining packages.

But, the excitement was gone-even when one of the packages held a satchel of coins. She frowned at the coins, then at the books.
Rekah preferred her little world to be un-interrupted by things she didn't understand.

And she didn't really understand these books.

I just don't know, Claire. I think they will try to eat my arm in my sleep. They look as if they have teeth.

Sleep, though was calling and she face-planted into the makeshift bed of clothes and blankets.

The books on the other hand remained stationary. But, in darkness it was hard to tell.

Rekah gets a Haircut.

The good (and bad) thing about Rekah was that if you told her to do something, she usually went and did it. No questions asked. So, Salvador had suggested she take her gold and get a hair cut.

And that's where she was headed in much like a whirling dervish manner. She would spin and spin, then stop, and after the dizziness passed she would continue on. Nevermind, the fact that she kept bouncing off of and bumping into people. On her way to the hair salon she picked up a few more colorful phrases.

Unbeknownst to her was that she had a follower. Not the books that had become a constant companion, no this one happened to be a mouse-y looking fellow, with the teeth to match and thin greasy hair. However, he was not very inclined to approach her. Rekah had just took out a flower cart inadvertantly by knocking down about four people.

Sorry! We're sorry!!

The exclamations of 'you'll have to pay for all this, girl' and 'I broke my tailbone!' were left behind her as she continued to plow her way through the marketplace.

She stopped when she saw the sign with scissors and ribbon twisting across it. Destination reached and she went inside.

Although, the moment she stepped in silence slipped over the patrons and employees. Rekah just stood there, waved and with a grin.

I need a haircut..

"That's not all she needs." Was muttered from someone. A few snickers of agreement from the rest.

"Knock it off." A young girl, pushed out of the salon chair and headed over to Rekah. She reached out a hand, which Rekah shook with a bit more vigor than necessary.

"I'm Deanna. And what kind of cut are you looking for?"

The question confused her, she just shrugged.
I dunno! I was told I should come here and get my hair done.

"Mmm. Well, let's see what we can do. " The girl visibly winced seeing the chop job that had occurred. But, she put on a smile and went to work.
While all this was going on. The man with teeth like a rat waited outside, his plan? To snatch the books and run so that he wouldn't have to deal with Rekah. It had only been luck that he'd seen her flinging the tomes around. So, he sat and bided his time.

It was a crowning moment for Rekah, though. Deanna managed to wash, cut, dry and style the girl's hair before she started to get fidgety.

Ooooh.. That's pretty. She eyed her reflection in the mirror. Deanna had even taken an extra step to wipe the dirt off Rekah's face.

"Now, it's very easy to take care of. You just have to brush your hair." Deanna grinned.

Fine, I'll brush my hair. It was simple swing bob with lots of stacking in the back, Victoria Beckham would be proud.

Rekah dropped the coin purse into Deanna's hand.

Thank you. I have to go now. She didn't even wait for a reply as she skipped out the door and right into said creepy man. Who smiled as politely as possible, but grabbed her purse and shoved her to the ground.. She'd had her aviators in her hand that she broke her fall with.

The glasses were crunched and Rekah's pride was definitely bruised.
But, what did I do you?!

"Don't take it personally, child. These books belong to someone else. " He grabbed the books and for good measure dumped the contents out on the street. Wind and passers by sent the papers and maps everywhere.
The brown coat disappeared into the crowd.

Rekah just cried as she gathered up her stuff, holding it all in arms in a giant hug. Dragging her feet, she moped off less a dervish and more like a sad kid who just had some candy stolen.

_________________________________________
During the the haircut.
http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu39/onemissingbutton/Rekah3.jpg

It was a rare occasion that Rekah brought anything home that was living. Not, that she brought undead things home it was just that she brought home objects, not people or creatures. Although, Dante was a willing follower. The hound put up with her coddling and cooing. There wasn't an animal Rekah didn't love.

The boards were pried apart and she ushered the hound into the cave-home. She lit the oil lamp.

Ta-da!!! This is my home, Dante. I don't really have any food. But,you can sleep anywhere you want! The dog nudged her hand, and she idly scratched behind his ear. The lamp poorly lit the mining shaft. Not that she seemed to mind.. It was her sanctuary. Carelessly tossing her messenger bag to the floor, the contents spilling out. The two tomes, always together, landed open a few feet away. She eyed them warily, but was too tired to actually worry about what they were saying.

Dante on the other hand had already made himself comfortable on the pile of clothes she called a bed. She followed suit and flopped down next to the hound mix.

Good night Dante, Nellie, Claire, Bernard, Scary Books. Good night!

Rekah blew the lamp out to dream those dreams that wouldn't be remembered in the morning.

Although, the books flipped their pages, and words were written, hushed voices flitted through the darkness..

Things that would be gone in the morning.

Solomon had made very little headway in locating the girl. She was as elusive as the mythic giant squid. There were of course people who said they had seen her,but when or where tended to be the key points they couldn't recall. The man couldn't risk failure in this task. Ducking into one of the many taverns that lined the streets. He figured it wouldn't hurt to have a drink and ask around. Someone, somewhere surely knows where the red-headed girl was.

Meanwhile, Rekah was angry. And Rekah was never angry. She was so angry that she was tossing handfuls of sand. There was a breeze and the sand ended up being blown back into her face. She wiped her eyes and spat the grains of sand from her mouth. This made her even angrier.

Argh!!! I am not going to take a long trip into the ground via a long and narrow stairwell. I have to be Taneth's maid of the bride next week! I don't care if it will set you free. Your story is scary!

She was yelling at one of the tomes. Its pages flipped with the wind. An inanimate object's reply to the temper tantrum.

And you, you're not helping matters any! Telling me that if I don't follow the instructions you have provided I'll get into trouble. Pointedly to the empty space besides her.

Lukas, you are bad influence. I don't think there's treasure. You can't have it all! No! I won't. I will not go. Another friend, another sin making its appearance.

Rekah just sighed and stomped off into the waves. There she flopped down, grabbing handfuls of wet sand, only to toss them into the oncoming waves. Twisting around to stare at her messenger bag, and the black leather tome nearby. She scowled, and was promptly smacked in the face with the seventh wave, which if she had been counting. It was the seventh wave that was the biggest. Spitting, sputtering, and rubbing her eyes. That only served to cause her more aggravation. Plus, salt water in the eyes hurt a lot.

Fine, we will go home now. I'm tired of listening to you all of you. You are making my head hurt..

Tromping out the surf, back to her belongings, which she grabbed, then she headed back into town.

Lucky for her, that when she passed the The Wise Old Owl tavern, Solomon was passed out drunk in a booth. He didn't even stir when someone yelled

'Hey, I think that's the girl you're looking for.' His only reply was a snort.

Rekah went on by passing one sort of trouble, and taking the greater of the two threats with her. The books, or whatever they contained, were growing restless and itched for their release. She was their chosen, and she was not agreeing.

She wasn't supposed to be out in the water. But, the ocean was a dead calm and a pretty turquoise. It was hard to resist. So, Rekah did what anyone would do, she went wading. Taking great care to hold her hand upwards like a kid in classroom waiting for the teacher to call on her. She was splish-splashing with her normal exuberance with the other.

"Oh, Claire don't be such a fuddy duddy, the water is perfect today!"

Claire, it seemed, was not in the mood for calm water and a good time.

While Rekah happily disobeyed Fio's orders about not getting the bandages wet, something snuffled and watched from beyond the beach. It paced, and pawed. But, remained silent.

She remained unaware as the ocean breeze had now shifted and blew towards the shore. If there was a smell it was carried away into the trees.

The creature's nostrils flared, and it practically salivated with a scent.. It moved forward into the sun, feet sinking into the sand. However as it neared the water's edge a wave lazily lapped close to its feet. Jumping back with a snarl before it began pacing.

That was the moment Rekah saw it. She was speechless for a moment, then grew very, very still. Water and seaweed swirling about her waist, a fish even grew daring enough to nibble at her knee. The wind shifted again blowing out to the ocean, she almost vomited.

"That is foul, Claire. Very, very foul. It is also not a Dante." It continued its irritated pacing over the sand, and Rekah remained in the water. If it didn't come after her out there, she saw no reason in trying to go any closer by moving onto the beach.

Obviously, this began a stand off. Rekah had the distinct disadvantage of being stuck in the water and the creature didn't seem to be tiring.
It continued pacing. And she just watched it go back and forth. The sun went from being high in the sky to sitting right above the horizon.

Her fingers and toes were wrinkled and the salt was stinging her eyes. She was hungry, and yes, even tired. The creature didn't seem to be tiring. It just moved its pacing up and down with the tides.

Rekah finally sat down if she hadn't been so hungry she would have probably started crying. Then, the creature paused, jerking its head to look back into the woods. It snarled and bounded off into trees after something much easier,like a unicorn, to catch than a girl in water.

Waiting for another few minutes before daring to leave the water Rekah finally emerged. She stared into woods, before taking off down the beach back towards the docks, and town.

(This is a response to Astronomical Blackout )

She sat throwing pebbles off the pier. Doing this only because she like the ripples it caused. It was not out of boredom as some would assume. Rekah didn't run with boredom.

Plink. Plink. Plunk. That was a bigger rock which she heaved from behind her shoulder. It provided a rather nice splash which sent the fish swimming away.

"Oh. It's raining, Claire. I do not think today is a good day for a fish fry." Saying this over her left shoulder. It was raining, but that didn't seem to bother her. She remained seated with her feet dangling over the edge.

"You think today maybe, Father will come home? I hope so. So much has happened! I have to tell him about cupcake cakes, and my pretty dresses. And I think he will like my hair. You think so too?"

Looking expectantly to the empty spot beside her she just nodded and continued on.

"I know. He has been gone a long time. But, he promised he would come back. You remember when he left on that big ship with the blue and silver flag? And we waved from the beach?" Eyeing her messenger bag now.

"And you, you can just shut up. He will be coming back. And I don't need to hear another word from you. You're worse than Nellie when she doesn't want to do something!" Well, whatever the reply she pulled one of the books out of the canvas satchel and chucked it into the water.

"That's for saying what you did. Ungrateful book." Crossing her arms with a scowl. Feeling a touch of remorse seeing the book get pulled under and knocked towards shore by the waves she jumped off the pier. It was a good ten foot fall, but she rarely showed fear. While, she had it. It just was not a driving force in her personality. Paddling to the book and grabbing it up before swimming back to the sand.

"Well, if you wouldn't say such hateful things I wouldn't throw you in the water." Spitting the salt water from her mouth as she trudged back up on shore.

"Fine, we will go. Where are we going again?" Dropping the book in with the other.

"That seems really far away. But, if you say there are cupcakes there then we will go."

With town behind her, she headed away to where-ever it was the books dictated.

Perhaps, it was just bad luck that Solomon had seen her jump from the pier. Perhaps, it was just his luck that she was alone for once. The weasley man was now trailing her. He had to get the books, and the girl and somehow get them back to his employer. He would deal with that when the time came. Until then he kept his distance and tried to keep up with the energetic girl.

There is something about a mother's jewlery box that captivates a child's mind. The treasures it holds, the stories it tells, and all these things make a jewelry box magical.

It should be said that Rekah had nothing of a normal life. Neither a child,nor an adult and stuck in limbo. She had no mother's jewelry box to dig through. No discovering baubles and beads, costume jewelry of ruby rings, and diamond cuffs. Things that transfer the world into new and wonderful places: a king's court, a fairy ring, a high society ball. The secret bond a mother and daughter share through the secrets of jewel box. In this capacity Rekah's world had been lacking...

She did not, however, lack imagination or that need to create outlandish worlds. If anything she set her sights higher, larger than typical jewelry box. Her place of dwelling was more than just an abandoned mine entrance. It was filled with treasures. Treasures she lacked finding in a box on her mother's dresser.

Shelves that once held miner's picks, axes, ropes, buckets and birdcages are now filled with seashells, rocks that look normal on one side but been blessed with quartz on the other, broken figurines that washed up on shore holding their own stories of how they came to be so..broken, there are tarnished silveware sets and tea kettles in both ceramic and silver, chipped tea cups rimmed with gold, piles of buttons-as these are her favorite. And there are black buttons, red buttons, buttons with two holes, some with four, covered buttons, brass buttons, and gold buttons. If there was ever a button shortage she would be fine.
One shelf holds an odd assortment of items. A dagger here, a pair of shoes there, a folded up dress of purple and green. There is no rhyme or reason to what goes up on the shelf. These things are special to her, and they deserve a special place in her world.


The rooms that provided temporary lodgings are sectioned off and each holds its own treasures. One room is dedicated to books. Hundreds of books lay in nondescript piles. There is no method to the madness here. She is not fond of books, except for the two she carries. The rest are tossed into that room. Rekah realizes the importance of what those pages hold. She does not want to be a part of their world.

Another room, another find. Vases of various shapes, sizes and colors. Persian, Greek, Asian, Indian, Elven-if there was pottery in a place, then Rekah was in ownership of the work. Some were broken, some were chipped and cracked, others were in perfect condition. It would just depend on where one looked. It was a din of antiquities suited for a museum. But, better appreciated in this cave.

There are rooms that stand empty, others hold shoes and stacks of clothing. Mens, womens, childrens-it could almost be a re-sale shop. The shoes are of the same assortment. Different sizes, colors, and fabrics. Dressing up has never been easier.

One room holds piles of tattered and torn maps. Nautical maps, hiking maps, maps where X does really mark the spot, crude maps that simply say turn left, turn right, and a line that connects point A and point B. But, these maps lead somehwere, someone followed them in the hopes of finding someone, or something. Rekah will duck into the map room and find one, roll it up and tuck it away. She finds hope in the parchment, and sees the possibility of a journey.

Chests full of spanish gold, royal jewels that never made it to the courts, rare coins, and uncut gems all have their place. But, that room is left untouched for the most part. Nothing in there that she needs or wants.
This room has the least amount of items. It is hard to find treasure chests that aren't being sought after by hunters of gold. Her discovery of them tends to be accidental. But, Rekah's love of all things shiny and sparkly calls her to take these things home.

She does not host dinner parties, no one comes calling, visits from friends are few and far between. To look closer at the home and world she has constructed it could be said she has made her own jewelry box. One to live in, bigger than life, to make up for the one she never had from a mother.

But, if asked why she chooses to live this way.. She'll merely answer with a smile and a shrug. It is safe and full of dreams.


For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.-Matthew 6:21



Note: The use of room is liberal- they are almost merely niches in the bed rock where one maybe two men could sleep side by side. Deeper than tall. More like tombs, than a place to rest.