[ WP ] Describe a physical object . At the same time , use it to tell a story .

“ It was an opal necklace, ” Anna managed to choke out. 
 
 She wore that necklace every day for years. It could be dressed down enough to be worn casually, but paired with a dress and earrings, it was the centerpiece of her outfits. 
 
 “ Now this one, right here, with the purple stones… it is very beautiful, very rare, ” she remembered the J.C. Penney store clerk explaining, “ They don ’ t make them like this, usually. ” For her eighth grade graduation, her mother had promised her jewelry. She always adored opals, as they were her birthstone. The necklace came with matching earrings. She remembered the dress she wore to graduation, this little white number adorned with colorful flowers. This dress also had the one thing any girl wants in a dress; pockets. Yellow, wooden wedges, which added five inches to her already outstanding 5 ’ 8 ” height. Those heels cut into her feet, so it was homeward bound before going to the graduation party. She switched to flats, then went to her best friend ’ s house. At that time, her best friend was a lovely girl named Jamie, who had four cats. Jamie had a cute house that always felt like home to Anna. She remembered the red, cat-hair polluted carpet that surrounded the living room. She remembered dancing and smiling when they did get to graduation, and the awkward encounter with her seventh grade crush, where she just tried to be friendly again. 
 
 “ Oh, I love the gold chain on this thing! How precious, with the opal, and those stones, are those rubies? Purple rubies? ” She remembered her eccentric, but loving aunt asking. Her aunt ’ s second marriage got her out of three days of sophomore year, so she was all for it. No matter how much of an ass her new husband was, and how weird his kids were, she hated everything about high school. She had recently found her purpose in theatre, after a year of hell without it. Missing school for a twelve hour drive in a hot van with her family was more than worth it. Even though her mom hated the trip, as she hated sleeping in the van, the family went often. Usually, they took this trip in the summer, so taking it in the fall when it was much cooler was just the cherry on top. The ceremony was short and sweet. She wore the necklace with a new black dress. The dress had a white and black lace overlay, with flowers. She accompanied this with her favorite black stockings, the ones with the flowers. She wore her black suede “ concert attire ” wedges. She remembered her cousins, and her choice to not care about them anymore. She had always been warm to them, but now she couldn ’ t care less what they thought. 
 
 “ Wow, let me see this thing… A square opal, huh? I really like that. ” She didn ’ t remember who said this to her, but she remembered the gala that they had said it to her. The Masquer ’ s gala, her junior year. She had never been to one, but she was running for office that year. She had to beat out two other people, for the most contested position of VP. She held this fond memory with her steadily, the pride she felt when she won. She remembered taking over her school ’ s theatre group completely, going above and beyond her duties. Her mom was so proud of her, and how dedicated she was about everything. Meetings every Wednesday, a trip to the city they never took before, all of the events throughout the year, and even the planning of the gala that would retire her position. The one the year before, she spent the night talking to her crush, who eventually became the first boy who would break her heart. 
 
 She had started wearing this necklace every day after she started college, it gave her a nervous habit that wasn ’ t picking at her nails. She moved the small piece of gold, opal, and rubies across the thin gold chain. She loved the way it pushed up against her finger, the small, empty space between the gold edging and the gems themselves. She liked how easy it was to get on, as long as she had some semblance of nails. She could push down on the tail of the small Q shape, and slide on the small hook. This necklace held millions of memories, millions of stories. All the stories combined to allow her to remember her mom, even if her mom didn ’ t remember her anymore. 
 
 “ It was an opal necklace, ” Anna managed to choke out, trying to describe it in the best way she could to her boyfriend, as she prepared for her mom ’ s funeral. “ It ’ s the one she gave to me for graduation! ” 

