Tinfoil Heart
A second chance for love
Once upon a time, she bought herself a gift, a whimsical work of art, a unique charm held by a black silk cord that rested just over her beating heart.
In the miniature shadowbox, a red tinfoil heart, pierced with a silver arrow, floated in a blue mesh sky, flecked with gold confetti stars, that sparkled when the light fell upon them just so.
The framed talisman, unwittingly revealed her secret wish — for someone to notice her wounded heart — hoping for healing, hoping for true love, not like the first time.
He had grown so familiar that year, as the two of them worked side by side. Then as if under a spell, he suddenly became an alluring stranger, deliciously other.
In his presence she grew tongue-tied, found herself blushing, both surprised and thrilled when he decoded the encrypted message encased in the delicate glass.
As their love grew, she no longer wore the necklace, unusual though it was. It disappeared in the cellar, buried and forgotten in an old trunk filled with unwanted trinkets.
She came across it years later. The red tinfoil heart still floated in a blue mesh sky, the gold confetti stars still sparkled when the light fell upon them just so — but the piercing silver arrow, that painful silver arrow, had become a sliver, a glistening scar,
just like the others nestled in the soft folds of her heart — life’s woundings she had forgiven long ago. Closing the trunk, she slowly climbed the stairs to his waiting smile.
Thank you for reading!
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