Her string of white pearls snapped as she stepped down the cement
staircase. They streamed down her blue silk blouse, jumped her waistband,
and scattered across the sculpture garden. The young Japanese woman
gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.
“What’s the trouble?” asked a man who had just
gotten out of his van. First he saw the marble sculpture of two passionate
lovers, and then he saw scattered pearls peeking out between fallen
leaves, berry bushes, and wet rocks.
He dropped to his knees and retrieved
each bauble.
The couple counted them out together from tiniest to
largest.
She was grateful and he was pleased.
With their hands filled with
pearls, they fell in love.
© Claire Avery 2009
