Girl with the Pearl Earring

She was a mystery, consumed with wit and charm. An enigma. A girl who was seen by many, yet known by no one. She liked it that way. Keeping people guessing kept her on her toes.

She moved from town to town performing in the streets. Dancing to a music of her own making. Collecting the affections of strangers and patrons alike. Taking what she needed, and leaving with her pockets full before making a new name for herself somewhere she has never seen before. She never stayed in the same place too long for the stagnant taste it left in her mouth made her nauseous. She ran from herself until her feet were sore and calloused. It was a good pain that reminded her of where she came from.

She enjoyed acting as a muse for the amusements of many. Getting attention, yet being able to run away and remain anonymous. She was the ultimate symbol of freedom. Still, there was someone the girl would always miss. Someone whom she would never forget. No matter how many miles she traveled to distance herself from it.

Before the girl was on her own, she had a family. A family whom she loved dearly. Her mother died in childbirth, but with her sister and father, she lived by the water, and she loved the smell of the sea. She and her sister often sat on the beaches to draw pictures with their fingers on the sand bars. They liked that the images would disappear with the tide. It was fun contemplating the passage of time.

She was left all alone thanks to the anger of the ocean blue, and she vowed never to set foot near the water again. The endless waves that once nourished her soul, rocked her world the day her father and sister disappeared.

The only thing she had left to remember her bloodline was a pearl in a chest left atop her sister's dresser. They found it together. Oftentimes, during low tide, they would pick at the oysters, scallops, and mollusks before they dried out in the sun. They would pluck their shells off the grey rocks and try to pry them open with all their might. More often than not, they would compete to see who the strongest sister was. The girl lost many times to the eldest sibling, but, they would enjoy their salty snacks together. Slimy and delicate. Filled with laughter.

On one sunny, summer excursion they found the pearl. Oh, so lucky it was. They vowed to keep it safe and only carry it when needed. A charm. A relic of sisterhood. Shared, yet separate. It's bad her sister didn't take it out to sea that fateful day.

In her grief, the girl transformed that pearl into a single earring. Meticulous handiwork, it was no easy feat. She did it all on her own, and no one could stop her. She needed to gain that independence. To learn new skills. To come into herself. And without her family, she would need that luck by her side, always. If she was to make it through the cold world, she craved a reminder to keep moving forward. Thanks to the pearl, her sister was always with her. She hispered in her ear. Day and night. They were inseparable. A neverending connection that couldn't be severed because the girl would never let it.

Some say she wore the earring so often that it fused with her skin. It gave her magical powers. Its peculiar allure brought people in and made them bend to her whims. And she liked to play them like fiddles and mandolins. It made her feel alive. A good distraction from the death she left behind.