Young Writers Society

Mel loved fashion. She did. She loved her classes, and she loved her classmates, and her school activities, and her dozen clubs.

But this? This locket?

It made everything else so boring in comparison.

Like, what was this?! Mel was no scientist, but it didn't a genius to figure out that this locket had no power source. Even if there were teeny tiny batteries in this thing, there was no way it could contain that much energy for a blinding light like that.

Plus, if what Niko said was true about the necklace "choosing" others to see the light... well, that only made things more intriguing! And when Mel opened the locket and saw the dazzling arrays of multicolored light... she couldn't look away. It was the most beautiful thing she has ever seen, and she had seen a lot of beautiful men.

It was like this thing had a mind of its own, and it was begging them to find answers.

Well, at least it was begging her for answers. Niko didn't seem to care that much, considering he had this thing for weeks and didn't tell her about it, which was insane! How did he not find this all exciting?!

So naturally, Mel forced him to email his weird professor and set up a time to meet with him. Today. Niko was hesitant, of course, so she wrote the email instead.

Dearest weirdo,

Hi Professor, this is your favorite student, Niko (not Chloe). You should know that the locket flashlight has gotten my amazing roommate's attention. She now demands answers. Please answer today or else she may kill me in my sleep because because she's dying to know.

Yours truly,
Nikolai

Obviously, Mel didn't send this, but she innocently let Niko read it and watched as he frantically, with a red embarrassed face, snatched the laptop out of her hands so he could delete everything and re-write it.

Good! She wanted him to do that from the beginning, anyways.

It took Niko longer to type his email up than her, and he muttered something pained in Russian about halfway through, but he finished it and sent that instead.

Office hours, again?

Sokolov, Nikolai (nsokolov@ivy.edu)
10/01/23 11:33AM

Dear Professor Costa,

I kept the locket you gave me on the day you cleared out your office, but I haven't known what to do with it. If there is something for me to do with it, it hasn't revealed itself to me. I can't shake the feeling it's meant for something important, and I could use some guidance.

I showed the locket to my roommate today (do you remember Mel Sommers? She occasionally barges into the studio looking for me), and the light activated for her as well. Now she wants some answers too. I haven't told anyone else, because it felt important, but now that I have this piece of information, I feel like there's a lot to discover. And you seem like a good place to start looking for help from.

I know you're at Harvard now, and I know you said it was up to me to do something with it. But from a former student to a favorite professor: I could really use some help. It would mean a lot to me.

So, my request is this: can the three of us meet sometime soon?

Yours,
Nikolai

"There we go," Niko murmured, leaning back from the laptop and watching it deliver.

"Finally!" Mel groaned. "That took so long. He probably has weird man hours and takes a midday nap before he goes to sleep. I don't know if we'll even get to see him today since it took you all day to write this."

"Why do you think he's so weird?" Niko protested.

"He literally eats a peanut butter and pineapple sandwich. Like, ew!" Mel said, scrunching her nose.

"Okay, maybe that's a little weird," Niko admitted. "But--"

"He also quacked. Remember that? I walked in and he was a duck," Mel said with her head tilted down, eyebrows raised.

"...It was because someone in the class forgot what a duck looked like and painted a goose instead," Niko said weakly. "He wanted to remind us what ducks were, apparently."

"And one time, he wore clown shoes and acted like this was normal! Clown shoes, Niko! That's a crime against fashion!" Mel huffed.

Niko paused. "I think you're making that one up?"

"Hm... Maybe that was a dream," she murmured. "But still! He's weird. He also gave you this locket with no other explanation, which is weird and mysterious, but you know what, I forgive him. This is kind of fun. I wonder what he'll say."

Suddenly there was a ding from Niko's laptop, indicating that an email had arrived.

"Oh! He responded!" Mel said excitedly, hurrying to open it.

Re: Office hours, again?

Costa, Prof. Antonio R (arcosta@harvard.edu)
10/01/23 11:39AM

Nikolai,

I see you've found my Harvard email address. I'd be happy to advise with what I can if you're having trouble figuring out the locket, though I am regretful to say I may not be able to help with everything. Still, you are welcome to come by with your roommate and the locket, and I will do my best to guide you. My door is always open to you, even if it's a new, different door that squeaks aggravatingly.

Office hours are at the same time as they were at Ivy, at my office on the second floor of Morril Hall. Unfortunately, you'll have to set foot at Harvard to get there. Still, I hope to see you sometime soon.

Yours, Antonio Costa

"Huh," Niko mused, reading it. "Seems like we've got ourselves a visit."

"We have to wait until tomorrow?" Mel whined, pouting.

"Well, since his first office hours are..." Niko thought about it, then nodded. "Yep, Monday afternoon. 3pm to 5pm."

"Thank goodness it's only tomorrow. Otherwise I'm going to go crazy." Mel sighed, dramatically falling back on the sofa, bouncing from the fluffy cushions as her hair landed around her face. "Why can't he send us an instruction sheet or something? Hey, since he's so fast to reply, maybe we can ask him what the deal is."

Niko cringed. "That sounds like a difficult email to send."

"Want me to draft an email for you?" she teased.

Niko passed her the laptop. "I'm going to regret this, but maybe it'll motivate me."

Mel happily took the laptop, cracking her knuckles. She pursed her lips and tapped it with her finger, thinking through this.

"What if I send him an email? Through my account?" she asked, gauging Niko for his reaction. "You already name dropped me, anyways."

Niko gave it some thought. "As long as you don't scare him off, that sounds good."

Mel scoffed. "Please. This man cannot be scared. I sense it."

She logged out of Niko's account, typing in her login information and ignoring the dozen new emails related to classes that she had been meaning to go through today. This was far more important. She opened up a new message, pasting in Costa's email and typing away.

Hey there!

Sommers, Mel (msommers@ivy.edu)
10/01/23 11:50AM

Hi Prof Costa!

This is Mel. Niko was too nervous to send you a message, so I'm sending you a message from the other side. We plan on visiting you tomorrow, but you also didn't account for the fact that we're wildly impatient.

I realize that Niko got the locket a while ago now, but I recently discovered it, and this is way too interesting to wait on. Do you mind telling us how this works, exactly? We don't see any power sources and don't see why it'd only work for some people. Maybe it comes with a manual?

Anyways, any information would be awesome. Thanks for the help! Hope Harvard hasn't been too terrible!

Thanks,
Mel

"Aaaand send!" Mel said brightly, pressing send as soon as she finished, only giving it a five-second draft review.

"We wait?" Niko asked hopefully.

"We wait," Mel confirmed, leaning back on the couch and dangling her feet up and down. "My theory is that this is a secret flashlight made by the US Military. Why is it a locket, I don't know, but it makes for a good secret flashlight."

"Why would he have it then?" Niko asked curiously. "He's got no military affiliations."

"That you know of! He could be hiding a secret broody past," Mel said with a silly grin.

"I think he talks about himself too much for that," Niko said thoughtfully, laughing. "Not in a self-absorbed way, he just shares pretty freely about his past. I've heard so much about his ex-husband that I almost feel as though I know the man personally."

"Well, maybe this was a gift from his ex. A cute little locket that is actually a secret military weapon weaponized to see things in the dark and blind other people with shimmering light," Mel said straightly, even though she was only saying silly hypothetical.

Rather hilariously, Niko always took her seriously when she said those things. "I don't know, his ex was a journalist, not a member of the military," he said doubtfully.

"Hey, you never know. What's your leading theory then?" she asked.

Niko paused. "I think..." He then shook his head laughing. "It's silly. All I can think of is that it's magic."

Mel hummed in amusement. Niko was superstitious and was more quick to blame supernatural and make-believe forces, but Mel was the opposite. Ghosts were Hollywood's ploy to make Paranormal Activity a blockbuster, God was dead (or a woman), and magic only existed in Disney World.

Before she could refute that, another ding was heard from the laptop. She excitedly opened it within the same second.

Re: Hey there!

Costa, Prof. Antonio R (arcosta@harvard.edu)
10/01/23 11:58AM

Dear Mel,

Thanks for emailing on behalf of Nikolai. I apologize that I've made you impatient. The truth is, I've been hesitant to explain more about this item, even though I'm aware that Niko-- and by extension, you as well-- are entitled to more information.

I can't tell you any more about it over email for reasons that I will share in person, but I can try to meet with the two of you today. You'll have your answers then. If you can, please find me at the office mentioned in Nikolai's email between 1 and 2 pm today.

I appreciate your enthusiasm for the item, and I sincerely hope I will be able to help the two of you with it.

Yours, Antonio Costa

P.S. Harvard, unfortunately, is rather terrible. But I appreciate the wishes.

"Yes!" Mel said excitedly, her eyes skimming over the words so fast. "Want to get lunch then head to Harvard? He says we can meet him in his office at 1pm today."

"Really?" Niko asked, sitting up. "Let's do that, then."

"Wait, let me send him another email."

Mel typed fast, sending a quick reply.

Re: Hey there!

Sommers, Mel (msommers@ivy.edu)
10/01/23 12:00PM

Sounds good! See ya in an hour!

P.S. Please don't wear clown shoes.

Thanks,
Mel

After pressing send, Mel shut the laptop and hopped to her feet. "Alright! Let's go!"



They were early. Then again, Mel was usually early to events anyways. She had urged Niko to hurry up and get ready, stopping by to eat at a taco truck not far from the train station. She didn't often go to Harvard or Cambridge in general because it was far too pretentious here (even by Ivy's standards), so it would take some time for them to navigate going around campus and figuring out where to go.

So, they were early. Ten minutes early.

She and Niko stood around as they continued to chat, Mel continually staring at the locket around Niko's neck. They were going to get answers soon, now. She could feel it.

She saw someone approach down the hall. Squinting, she realized it was Costa, and she waved with her whole arm, grinning. The professor was wearing a tweed jacket and gray pants, his black hair in messy curls as usual. He smiled warmly as he approached, giving them a nod, but the swift way he was walking made him seem stressed.

At least he wasn't wearing clown shoes, though.

"Good afternoon," he said, stopping by the door and inserting the keys in the lock. "Sorry for keeping you waiting."

"No worries. Thanks for meeting with us," Mel said brightly.

"Yes, thank you," Niko added. "Sorry for not following your schedule."

"My schedule? That's for Harvard," Costa said with a bit of a smirk, turning the key and pushing open the door, which did indeed squeak unpleasantly. "And you are both Ivy folks. Come on in."

It was obvious the professor was still slowly moving in. The proud, tall bookshelves on all four walls of the room were half-full of books, with open cardboard boxes sitting on the floor. The desk, although it appeared to be more set up, also had boxes laying around. There were more prints of art leaning against the wall than there were ones hanging up, and it looked as though there might not be enough wall space for them. Behind the desk, there was a chalkboard, cleared except for three words: SPACE HAS FALLEN.

"It is a smaller office than Ivy," Niko observed, looking around. "That's sad."

"Maybe if I'm here for another twenty years, they'll upgrade me and give this closet to some other poor soul," the professor said, sitting back on the desk.

"Is there a reason why you transferred to Harvard? Is the art program really better here?" Mel asked.

Costa paused, shaking his head. "It's not over the art department. I'll try to explain later." He set his hands behind him on the desk. "But first things first. Mel, Niko, thank you for reaching out. You must have so many questions."

"Sure do." Mel slid a chair across the floor so that she could set it right across from his desk. She paid no mind as it screeched against the floor, setting it as close as possible to his desk before she plopped down on it. "So you have answers about the locket, right? Seems like it's super secret info if you can't talk about it in email."

Costa smiled, although it was a little weak. "It's a precaution," he said, dropping his head a little. "There's quite a lot of people who aren't happy that I gave that locket away. And while I still want you to have it, Nikolai, I don't want many people knowing that you do. There's been..." He trailed off. "...some safety threats," he said more quietly, "and I don't want you having any trouble."

Niko blinked, slowly wrapping his hand around the locket. "...What?"

"Aha! I knew it! The locket is a secret military weapon, isn't it?" Mel said with the beginnings of a grin, glancing between Niko and Costa.

Costa let out a surprised laugh, shaking his head. "No," he said, laughing slightly again. "In fact, my wish is very specifically for it to not become that." He cleared his throat. "There's no easily believable way to put this, but what Nikolai is holding is-- is an item of magic."

Mel slow blinked. Magic. This man really said magic.

Niko opened his palm, staring at the locket again.

"...I mean, that was my first guess," he said slowly. "But I did not mean it honestly."

"What do you mean, magic?" Mel said skeptically.

"I mean, that light you see when you open that pocket isn't controlled by a source of power," Costa said. "Believe me, you're both less skeptical than I was at first when I learned of it. There's no battery or cell in there that's providing energy to a bulb. The light emerges, as they say, like magic. All it takes is being the right person."

Mel stared at him, not even sure what to say to this. This was all way too weird. Was this real life?

"I know," the professor said understandingly. "I don't think you should take me at my word, in fact. The two of you are Ivy students because you both showed the school that you were critical thinkers who can analyze the world in deep and meaningful ways, and that you think for yourselves in your learning rather than merely accept what you're told as truth. Seeing is believing, and I expect you'll need to see more before you come to accept this." He held out a hand. "May I, Nikolai?"

Understanding what he meant, Niko took the locket off, passing it over to the professor. Costa held it up for them to see.

"When I was about your age," he said with a chuckle, letting the locket sway slightly like a pendulum, "this let me refract light while I was wearing it. But it doesn't work for me anymore." He flipped it open, revealing a hollow compartment instead of the light Mel had seen before. "However, if it shines for you both, that means it'll let the two of you do something of the sort."

Mel's head was spinning, trying to catch up on his words and fully process them. She wasn't sure she could since they were talking about magic, but she shook all those thoughts away, deciding-- just this once-- she'd entertain this weird man.

"What do you mean, refract light? Like make illusions?" she asked curiously, leaning in to stare into the empty locket.

"Yes, somewhat," the professor agreed. "But I mostly used it to make things look like they weren't there, rather than something fake being there. Illusions may be a possible type of magic coming from the locket, however."

Mel pouted and narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Are you messing with us? You're messing with us, aren't you?"

"I wish," the professor admitted. "It certainly has the makings of a prank."

"Your pranks weren't exactly like this," Niko pointed out. "They were absurd in a different kind of way entirely."

"They were. I'll miss messing with your class in particular." Professor Costa hummed. "Nonetheless. No, Mel, unfortunately I am quite serious."

Mel huffed, slumping back in her chair with her arms crossed. "Alright. Magic." She waved her hand dismissively towards Costa. "Why don't you have it anymore, then? Surely it doesn't discriminate against old people."

Costa huffed. "Well... it might. Many of my friends and not-so friends of my age with another item like this have seen it stop working for them. I'm unsure why. The matter could use some research, but I'm no scientist."

"Well?" Mel said impatiently. "Are you going to tell us how this all works then?"

Costa blinked, while Niko shot her a warning look, but the professor didn't seem upset or irritated.

"I can try to tell you, but it might be best to just show you." The professor glanced at Niko, then passed the locket back to him. "Nikolai, I want you to try something. Can you open this again?"

Niko paused as he held it up. "It's... very bright," he said uncertainly.

"It is. Sorry that took you off guard the first time," Professor Costa apologized. "But it should allow you to do more with the light. Most of the time, the power it grants is light manipulation of some kind. I'd like you to try it."

Niko turned to Mel, like he was searching for help.

"I, uh..." he said slowly. "I don't know how to do this."

"Oh! I can see the light too! Can I try?" Mel asked excitedly.

Was she still skeptical? Yes, of course. But if something exciting were to happen, she wanted to be first in on the action, especially if Niko was hesitant to step up first.

Costa nodded. "If you'd like to."

Looking relieved, Niko passed the locket to Mel, seeming slightly hurried. Mel gladly took it, tilting her head as she peered at the locket at different angles.

"So how does it work? How do I open it and not get blinded?" she asked curiously.

"It doesn't actually have to be open to work," the art professor explained. "However, it is easier with a source of light, usually. If you need to do anything like squint to have it open, that's okay. I wore shades until I didn't need the light as help anymore."

Niko quickly closed both his eyes, then barely squinted one of them open.

"Okay, but what do I do after I open it? Do I let out my inner Disney magic?" Mel said with a giggle.

Costa laughed. "If it helps you get in that mindset, try it. But what you'll be doing is trying to make another ball of light appear next to the locket. Try picturing it clearly, and then focusing on it. For magic, you've often got to will it to happen."

This was sooooo cryptic and vague...

Intriguing!

Mel hummed, examining the locket even closer before she nodded and took a deep breath. Barely being able to see through her eyes from squinting so much, she carefully pried the locket open with her fingertips, channeling her inner Cinderella to make magic happen.

As expected, the ray of light intensely beamed out of the locket, but she pointed it away from her and the others so they wouldn't be blinded. Closing her eyes and taking in another sharp breath, Mel imagined ignored how silly this felt and instead imagined herself molding the light as if it were clay, being able to transform it to different shapes and sizes. She imagined that she could take a chunk of the gleaming ray and roll it into a hefty ball so it could hover near them, like a warm, dazzling sun that shines its rays on them without hurting their eyes.

Suddenly, Niko gasped loudly.

"Oh, yes," Costa breathed triumphantly, and she heard him standing up. "You did it, Mel. This is fantastic."

No way.

Mel peeked through her squint, but her eyes widened as she took in the scene in front of her. The blinding ray of light transformed into a calm ray of translucent shimmery colors, pulsing in and out of the air. It seemed to be the source of something even greater, though: a large, floating white orb of light that also pulsed in front of them, as if it were full of life.

It was radiant, and it was beautiful. Mel couldn't help but stare at wonder at it, eyes shining and completely mesmerized.

"I did that?" she asked in awe, not being able to take her eyes off it.

"That was you, Mel," Costa confirmed, now walking around the orb of light to see it from all sides. "Congratulations on using magic for the first time. This is just the beginning, though. Your training starts here."