Diamond-studded barrette

The little barrette that pins back the hair on the left side of my face, I wear it every day. Silver and studded with diamonds, it’s my favorite accessory. Everyone always tells me how gorgeous it is, and I tell them that my late great-grandma gave it to me. It’s very special, but no one knows just how special it really is.

Inside that little barrette is a spirit. The spirit of a guardian. Now, I don’t know who, or even what, the thing that holds the voice of reason is. But it’s always there – for every big decision, every time I doubt myself, and even sometimes when I just feel alone. It fills me with reassurance and comfort. This might sound crazy, and believe me, I was shocked when I first heard it, but it’s real – a little voice. Well, at least I thought it was just a voice. 

One day was particularly rough. My head was spiralling with thoughts I couldn’t control. I felt alone, like everyone hated me. Then, before my eyes, my great-grandma appeared. She was wearing the dress she wore every Sunday and her favorite earrings that I gave her. She sat perched on the edge of my bed.

At first I was startled and thought I had gone completely crazy. But then I was inundated with an overwhelming sense of security. Before she even had a chance to say a word, it was like all of my problems were gone, every insecurity gone. The rushing of thoughts through my head ceased. Then she began to speak, the same soft voice I remembered as a little kid. The words she spoke were like magic, wisdom seeping out of every syllable. She stayed for hours with me. Her presence made me instantly calm. From then on, the barrette has stayed, pinning back the little hairs on the left side of my face, with the soft-spoken words of my great-grandmother. 

abagail.carson15

VT

19 years old

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