"Hey, what's that you've got there?"
Aaralyn glanced up. Ethan had turned back and was staring down at the necklace she'd just picked up off the forest floor.
"I don't know... found it on the ground," Aaralyn replied, turning the small gray pendant slowly around in her hands.
Ethan shrugged off his backpack and came over to have a closer look.
"Looks kinda plain to me," he remarked.
"Yeah, but I think I'll keep it anyway," Aaralyn slipped the necklace into her shorts pocket. "Lyssa's really into these things."
Lyssa was Aaralyn's best friend. She'd come down with the flu over the weekend, so was stuck in bed back at the motel, while Aaralyn and Ethan had decided to go out for a short bushwalk. This was their third day on vacation in Tasmania, and they were going to make the most of it.
"Poor Lyssa," Aaralyn said as she and Ethan continued walking. "She was really looking forward to this trip."
"Yeah," Ethan agreed. "But if I were her, I'd have gone bushwalking anyhow. Runny nose, raging fevers and raking coughs can't stop the great Ethan Sanderman!" He pretended to puff out his chest and began beating it like Tarzan.
Aaralyn laughed and gave him a playful shove. "Get outta here! You'll probably end up passing it on to me and Lyssa!"
They walked for another ten minutes or so before Ethan called for a rest stop.
Taking a big swig out of his drink bottle, he turned to Aaralyn. "Hey, lets see that necklace again?"
Aaralyn dug it out of her pocket and handed it to him.
"Hmm.... the design looks pretty old..." he peered at it closely. "Hey, I wonder what this is..." He pressed the small bit sticking out.
"What-" Aaralyn began. But that was as far as she got before everything suddenly blurred around them, and they felt the most excruciating pain, like their bodies were being ripped to pieces.
It lasted only a second.
Aaralyn glanced up. Ethan had turned back and was staring down at the necklace she'd just picked up off the forest floor.
"I don't know... found it on the ground," Aaralyn replied, turning the small gray pendant slowly around in her hands.
Ethan shrugged off his backpack and came over to have a closer look.
"Looks kinda plain to me," he remarked.
"Yeah, but I think I'll keep it anyway," Aaralyn slipped the necklace into her shorts pocket. "Lyssa's really into these things."
Lyssa was Aaralyn's best friend. She'd come down with the flu over the weekend, so was stuck in bed back at the motel, while Aaralyn and Ethan had decided to go out for a short bushwalk. This was their third day on vacation in Tasmania, and they were going to make the most of it.
"Poor Lyssa," Aaralyn said as she and Ethan continued walking. "She was really looking forward to this trip."
"Yeah," Ethan agreed. "But if I were her, I'd have gone bushwalking anyhow. Runny nose, raging fevers and raking coughs can't stop the great Ethan Sanderman!" He pretended to puff out his chest and began beating it like Tarzan.
Aaralyn laughed and gave him a playful shove. "Get outta here! You'll probably end up passing it on to me and Lyssa!"
They walked for another ten minutes or so before Ethan called for a rest stop.
Taking a big swig out of his drink bottle, he turned to Aaralyn. "Hey, lets see that necklace again?"
Aaralyn dug it out of her pocket and handed it to him.
"Hmm.... the design looks pretty old..." he peered at it closely. "Hey, I wonder what this is..." He pressed the small bit sticking out.
"What-" Aaralyn began. But that was as far as she got before everything suddenly blurred around them, and they felt the most excruciating pain, like their bodies were being ripped to pieces.
It lasted only a second.