Keepsakes

In the corner of the room sat a hand made oaken bookshelf. The one his great-grandfather had built in his workshop more than fifty years ago. Pops, as he had called him, left the oak in its natural state with just a thin coat of varnish for preservation.

Two of the shelves held books, mostly science fiction and philosophy with a few classics thrown in for good measure. Cervantes, Hugo, Stevenson, Dumas and Stoker were well represented. A third shelf held a small collection of National Geographic's from the years 1959 through 1965. Most of the books and magazines were well preserved although they were covered with a light coating of dust.

The top shelf held his three most precious possessions.

There was an old fashioned lighter, that had been manufactured by Ronson at a plant located in Newark, New Jersey. The lighter fluid was refilled through a seal that could be found on the bottom of the lighter. It was set into a saucer shaped piece of crystal. The crystal was mounted into a sterling silver base and held in place by five sterling silver leafs. He was not a smoker; he kept it for the sentimental value for it had belonged to his grandfather, the same one who had built the bookcase.

Next to the lighter was a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the Baby Jesus. Mary had a pink dress with a blue cape and a white veil upon her head. Her gown, cape and veil are trimmed in gold. She has blue eyes and her feet are bare standing on a rounded white base. Jesus is wearing a simple white robe also with gold trim. In his hand he is holding a white flower trimmed in gold. While not an overtly religious person he kept the statue for its sentimental value. His great-grandmother had passed it on to his grandmother who had passed it on to him.

The final item was a simple leather box. The leather was old and cracked. It had once been a rich mahogany but the color had faded over the years. The hinges on the back of the box were simple leather straps. The box was rather dusty and was rarely removed from the top shelf. Inside was his most precious possession of all: his heart. It had been retired to the box years ago. Once a vibrant red his heart had faded until it resembled a red shirt after a month in the summer sun. Several cracks were visible; they appeared to have been repaired with masking tape. In the back of his mind he had always planned to place his heart back in his chest. He had planned to give love another chance but that time had never come. So in the box his heart remained waiting for princess charming to come along and heal his wounds.