Family Jewels

Originally Written 4/6/2019

It had been three hundred and fifty years since the bombs fell and global civil war broke out. On that day, the leaders of the United Federal Nations of the world were executed by an extremist group. Around the world, countless nukes were launched while the cowards that performed these acts of humanitarian treason stepped over the bodies of the Earth’s leaders, stole their access cards, and entered bunkers everywhere. They survived, while the world was caught off guard by this sudden and radical action against every country in the world, every human.

Anarchy and chaos broke out almost immediately and on that day Bella McQueen, hearing the sirens of incoming bombs, gathered everything valuable, put it all in a sack, and stuffed it in a steel chest.

She sought shelter in a panic room built into the basement floors that only the highest members of the penthouse suites had access to. She hunkered down with her trunk full of treasures for three days until her future husband found her and brought her to safety. As they walked through the dead and destroyed city, that smelled of sulfur and burnt human flesh, the whole time she clung to the chest and when he asked what it was for she looked at him with bright eyes and replied;

“For our children’s children, my dear.” with a sing-song tone and a flutter of lashes. Bella had been known for her direct and assuming nature. 

For generations, the McQueen clan hoarded the chest and never dared open it. What was inside was too precious to be exposed to the elements. With each generation passing it down to the next and saying;

“When the time is right, our family will be Kings”

The chest passed through twelve generations until it finally was given to Joleen. Her father clasped her tender hand in his bony one as he lay dying.

“It’s our time. The time is now, sweet child of mine. Make us kings.” He cooed to her in his dying breaths. Ragged as finally he died and Joleen bowed her head. She knew what he meant.

She stood up and walked out into the living area and looked at her younger brothers and sisters, all with wide, identical emerald-brown eyes and fear laced in their features. All five of them, ranging from ages three to Joleen who was the oldest at twenty. She looked to her old and haggard mother between them all. She remembered her father's words then and cleared her throat.

“Benny, Alejandro,” she looked to her twin brothers who were a year younger. Their features mirrored hers and she looked over their dirty, pale skin, their curly, black hair clung to their heads. Hers was longer and formed a puffy halo around her head. “I need ya both ta go in ta town, kay?” She asks them “Get Blacktop,” her brothers looked at each other and grimaced.

“Sis,” Benny said with a shake of his head “That man is a snake if’n there ever was one.” He gives a stern nod but Joleen shook her head.

“He’s da only one that'll move what we got,” she stated sternly to the pair. “Now get him here, tell him da McQueens are ready ta sell.” She states to them, lifting her chin up “Take da horses, just half a canteen of water each. Ta wells runnin’ low.” She said as they left.

Joleen turned to their dirty shack. Made from pieces of old wood and sheet metal. Barely held together on the outskirts of town. It was two rooms and there were now seven people. She shook her head, hardly believing this was finally happening, that they could be kings. She quickly went to the chest that sat under piles of pots. 

Underneath was a trunk, which she unlocked. She pulled free the same metal chest Bella had taken long ago, now wrapped in plastic, hidden in a musty trunk, and passed down till what was inside had value. She peeled off the seal and slowly brought it to the table in the center of the room, preparing for Blacktop.

When Blacktop entered the room, the smell of tar followed him. He had the distinct air of a snake oil salesman about him. With black, slick-backed hair and a robe of fuchsia covering him like the king of the beggars. He wasted no time.

“Well now! Joleen, show me, finally, what your family has been guarding and living in squalor so long for. Show me and I may give you all my wealth.” he teased, he would never do such a thing.

Joleen reached out and opened the metal chest. Inside were plastic technicolor beads, cheap metal with embedded colored glass in them. An array of rings with flowers on them, made from lost metals. Some items shimmered brighter than others and Blacktop’s eyes widened. Now that humans had figured out how to survive, people wanted to own things again. He licked his lips like a greedy pig and suddenly pulled a knife and reached for the metal case. 

But Joleen was too fast for him and soon had a blade to his neck “Watch it Blacktop,” She sneered “Ya take da jewels after ya gimme da payment. Got it?” She pressed the blade into his neck long enough for blood to emerge and slowly he raised his hands.

“Alright Joleen, you’re no fool. I see that now. Come to town in the morning. I’ll see you set up with a house and all you need for several years…”

“No,” Joleen grins and lowers her weapon “A piece a month, payment up front and a house. We’re your new supplier.” She smiled widely, knowing she had the upper hand. 

Blacktop closes his eyes in acceptance, threw his hands up as though to say ‘very well', and left the hovel. The next time he would visit them they would be in a beautiful Manor, more comfortable, and safer than their family had been in twelve generations.