# A stolen ring, fear of spiders, and a sinister stranger



## Seren (Sep 25, 2022)

A stolen ring, fear of spiders, and a sinister stranger.

“No.”

“But why not?”

Harold looked over the top of his glasses. “Because it doesn’t belong to you. Someone is coming to collect it tomorrow.”

“But its so pretty.” Eleven year old Tuppy was awed by the sparkly ring. She couldn’t imagine losing something so beautiful. If it belonged to her, she would never lose it. Ever. She would check her finger every moment, and of course she would show it off to all her friends and then everyone would know it was hers, so even if she did accidentally lose it, like if it fell off her finger or something, well then whoever found it would bring it back to her.

Harold turned his attention back to his current job, smiling at the expression on his granddaughter’s face. Tuppy was a real girly girl, not a tomboy like her sister Georgie, who claimed she would rather eat a whole entire frog than wear a dress or patent shoes. Tuppence, though, she loved the frills and the bows and the bright, shiny things. She loved to come and visit him in his workshop whenever they came over with their mother, like today. Tuppy would sit next to him and watch as he repaired watches and jewellery. She especially liked the lockets, bracelets and rings and would touch them at every opportunity, her little slender finger tracing any pattern, asking about where it came from, who brought it in, what was he going to do with it. Her favourite question was “if they forget to come back for it, can I keep it?” Harold had to keep reminding her that he kept uncollected items for at least a year or more, as you just never knew why someone hadn’t returned to pick up their item.

Out the corner of his eye, Harold saw Tuppy’s small hand reach for the open red velvet box and knowing she intended to pluck the ring from its groove, he spoke her name in a gentle but firm tone. “Tuppence.” It was enough. The little hand withdrew and she huffed and shifted on her stool.

Just then Margie, Harold’s beloved wife and Tuppy’s grandmother, called from the house to let them know lunch was ready. Rising to his feet, Harold moved to the small sink fitted to the wall and washed his hands then dried them on the towel kept neatly folded beside the sink for the very purpose. Tilting his head toward the door, Harold waited as Tuppy scrambled down from her stool and joined him. Hand in hand, they left the workshop and returned to the house.

Later, Tuppy squeezed through the slightly open workshop door. Grandfather often left the door like that to ‘air the place out’ because some of the stuff he used when he was working smelled awful. Happy to be back inside, Tuppy skipped over to the workbench and hitched up on to her stool again, reaching for the red velvety box. Holding it in one hand like the treasure it was, she took a deep breath then reached in and carefully took out the ring, laying the box aside on the workbench. She slipped the ring onto her finger. It was too big, but it sparkled every which way she turned her hand. Removing the ring from her finger, Tuppy pushed it down onto her thumb instead. Hmm. Still too big. Grumping to herself, she closed the box and pushed it aside, leaning over to rummage through some of the bits and pieces littering the surface of the workbench, searching for something to make the ring fit better.

Voices outside approaching the workshop drew her attention and she hastily slid from the stool and crouched down at the side of the workbench just as the door pushed fully open.

“I hope it isn’t an inconvenience.” Tuppy did not recognise The Man’s voice. “I know I said I’d come tomorrow but she’s flying back this afternoon and we’re going to that new French place for a meal tonight, so I thought it would be a good time to ask her. Your lovely wife was kind enough to let me in and point me down here.”

“No problem at all.” Tuppy did recognise her grandfather’s kindly tone. “I have it right here. Finished it last night. You created a beautiful design. I’m sure she will love it.”

Sounds of movement as grandfather moved things on his workbench top, then his puzzled, “Well, dear me, I left it here. Right here.”

“I’m sure it is there.” The Man sounded worried. “Perhaps under one of the cloths?”

Tuppy cautiously peered around the corner of the workbench, seeing very shiny black shoes then looking a long way up nicely pressed trousers – she knew what they looked like because her Mummy always made sure her Daddy had nicely pressed trousers.

“I’m so very sorry,” Grandfather said, sounding all hot and bothered. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go and check that I didn’t take it up to the house with me when I went for lunch. Please, make yourself comfortable and I’ll try not to keep you waiting.”

The door opened and closed and Tuppy shrank back, only then realising that her hands were clenched. Looking down, seeing the ring sparkling on her finger, she knew she would get into Trouble for taking it. Biting her lip, she wondered who would be most angry with her, Mummy or Grandfather. Probably both.

Footsteps and the door opening again, Grandfather sounding out of breath. “No, no, it’s not in the house. I’ll look again. Perhaps I put it in a drawer.”

“Well, its not very secure here, is it?” asked The Man. “It would be very easy for someone to just walk in and steal a ring. And as you know, my ring is a family heirloom and extremely valuable. You were recommended to me as a skilled craftsman, which is why I came to you to make the adjustments to my personal design. I did not expect to find my ring stolen!”

_Stolen_…

Tuppy opened and closed her mouth, terribly worried and frightened. She hadn’t stolen the ring, only borrowed it to try it on. It was right here on her finger, not lost or anything. Not stolen. Oh…oh…police people came when things were stolen. She’d seen it on the TV.

“I don’t believe your ring has been stolen, sir. Misplaced, yes. But not stolen.” Tuppy could hear the uneven breathing in her grandfather’s voice and knew she had caused him very much worry.

“Well, it is if it isn’t here. Where else would it be?” The Man asked, sounding angry now. “As I said, the place is not very secure.”

“Yes, well, anyone would have to come right through the house and down the garden to enter the workshop, as you yourself did, sir. The whole premises are alarmed and patched through to a local security firm who monitor us. I give you my word, I will find your ring today and you will have it in time for your plan this evening.”

Tuppy put her free hand down on the ground, trying to adjust her position as she was getting a cramp in her knee. After a moment, feeling something tickling her skin, she looked down and saw two spiders on the back of her hand, one of them as big as her thumb.

Screaming, Tuppy bolted upward and launched herself around the corner of the workbench, colliding with The Man, whose hands seized her shoulders and prevented her escape.

Looking up, past the black coat with its collar pulled up to cover his neck, Tuppy saw stern dark eyes glaring down at her. He looked like the man she had seen on the TV who swished his cloak and bit people on their necks.

“Tuppence!” Grandfather was shocked, she could tell. “You know not to come in here without me.”

Before she could explain, The Man’s dark eyes moved from her face to her hand and he said, “Are…you wearing…is that my ring?”

She nodded mutely.

“Tuppence!” Sounding completely disappointed in her, Grandfather moved around the workbench and laid his hand on the top of her head. It was like a signal because The Man took his hands away from her shoulders.

Tuppy looked up at her grandfather. “I just wanted to try it on,” she whispered, then turned her head and looked up at The Man. Swallowing, hr voice coming out small and shaky, she said, “I’m really sorry, Mister. Sir. I just only borrowed it, only for a minute. Just to try it on. I never stole it. I wouldn’t.” She slipped the ring off her finger and held up her hand, ring nestled in her palm.

The Man smiled suddenly. Reaching out to tousle her hair, he gently took the ring from her hand. “I understand. It is kind of special, isn’t it?”

Tuppy nodded, venturing a shy smile. “It’s beautiful. And it sparkles so! I’m going to save up and buy one for myself when I’m older.”

Now The Man laughed. “Well hopefully someone will come along and buy one for you, and the two of you will be as happy as my lady and I.”

Tuppy nodded again. “Hopefully.”

“In the meantime, young lady, don’t ever take something without permission again.” Harold spoke firmly, turning Tuppy back to the workbench. “You think you just borrowed the gentleman’s ring, but he feared it was stolen. That’s what we call it when someone takes something that doesn’t belong to them…stolen. And it could have caused me a great deal of trouble.”

“I’m sorry, Grampa. I won’t do it ever again. I promise.”

“All’s well that ends well,” said The Man. He looked at his ring again for a long moment then at Harold. “You’ve done a fine job. It’s stunning. Thank you.”

“Aim to please,” Harold smiled. Happy to see the ring returned safely, he handed his client the red velvet box, expelling an audible sigh of relief as the box was tucked into the inner pocket of The Man’s coat.

Payment made, pleasantries exchanged, The Man nodded his thanks again and left the workshop.

Harold looked down at his small companion. She looked up at him. “I hope you’ve learned your lesson, Tuppy.”

She nodded, shuddering. “I have. Never hide down near the floor ‘cause there’s spiders everywhere. Uggh.”

Harold rolled his eyes, took her hand, and for the second time they left the workshop to return to the house.

The spiders remained.

(Sorry, this turned out longer than I'd planned )


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