Tied up in Chains

"Well, so they're metaphorical. Doesn't really change anything, does it?" Amelia was sitting across from me, her raspberry chocolate frappachino whispering sweet nothings to my taste buds, when I suddenly realized that I hadn't really been paying enough attention to our converation. I had no idea what she was talking about.

I sipped my black coffee (I hate dieting, but it's necessary) and tried to get back into wherever our conversation had gone while I was communing with her drink. "Chains?" I echoed. "Really?"

"Tied up." she said decisively. "Bound and delivered."

"She's just a baby!" I laughed.

"Yeah . . ." she said with this weird little smile, looking down at the bundle in her arms while the whipped cream melted down the side of her untouched frapp. "But she's mine."

© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel

Sterling silver, faceted corundum. Hand fabricated.

Serenity

It was amazing that a place so beautiful could be this close to New York City. All she had to do was cross the GW Bridge and head north. Everyone else was heading south, so there wasn't even any traffic to speak of; she made good time and pulled into the small parking lot off Seven Lakes Drive. The creek was high; it had rained all last week. But today the sky was blue, and the ground was only slightly mucky. She stepped carefully, knowing that the trail didn't need much to wash out.

She stopped when she came to a large rock, and flopped down on it. She took her time with her equipment; she enjoyed selecting a lens, spinning the polarizing filter to minimize reflection, choosing the right f-stop, setting the exposure, and moving her tripod by fractions of an inch to find the best shot.

There. In a ripple left by a green frog was a lichened stone and a leaf torn from the tree by last week's storms.

© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel

Sterling silver, lampwork by Gail Kops of Beadles, Brazilian Amehtyst. Hand fabricated.

In private collection

Phoenix

She grinned ruefully as she realized that there really wasn't much left this time. She'd had some close calls before, but this time she'd really done it. He was hard to please under the best of circumstances, and lately it seemed as though nothing she could do would satisfy him. Ah, well, at least she still had her tools; they'd survived her fall from grace, and together they could stand more heat than he could produce. She gathered them up off the ground and squinted up at the window where he no longer stood; waited a few minutes more to make sure that nothing else was going to join her on the sidewalk, and then took a hard look down the long road ahead of her.

Her heart burned a few minutes more, and then her hopes began to rise.

© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel

Sterling silver, green tigers eye, citrine. Hand fabricated.

Corn Maiden

The sky was quite blue already, even though the sun had not made it up over the mountain. She was in a rather deep valley, and it would take the sun awhile to find her. She rolled up her bedroll and strapped it onto the frame of her rucksack. She boiled just enough water for coffee and drank it black, leaning against a tree, overlooking a clear stream. Morning was the best time for walking and she didn't want to waste a moment of it; although she had no set itinerary, she still had far to go. Breakfast would wait.

She shouldered her pack and set off to meet the sun halfway.

© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel

Fine and sterling silver, Sleeping Beauty turquoise. Hand fabricated pendant and chain.

Lagoon

She stood there, on the shore, wondering what it would be like to swim out beyond the breakers and let the water close over her, wondering if she would remember everything she'd been taught about using the breathing equipment, wishing that she didn't feel so clumsy in her flippers, and that the tanks on her back weighed less than they did. Suddenly, this did not seem like a good idea at all. She was the last one on the shore, the others were swimming off, if she didn't leave now, she'd be left behind. She took a deep breath and walked backward to avoid tripping herself until she was deep enough to swim.

She kicked gently and was propelled forward; the fins were no longer awkward appendages. She found herself automatically doing everything she'd been taught, and was relieved. Her breathing was regular and easy, no panic, no fear. The tanks on her back no longer tugged on her shoulders, even they felt as though they were a part of her body. She gently allowed herself to sink below the surface and entered a whole new world.

© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel

Sterling silver, two-sided lampwork bead by Lisa of Touch of Glass Designs, amethyst. Hand fabricated.

Geisha

She gently drew the brush out of the little tube and painted precise lines onto her upper lids; thin at the corners, and just a little bit thicker in the center. Nothing too dramatic, her style was very subtle; just enough to enhance the slightly exotic shape of her eyes. She dressed quickly, pulling on silk lingerie, sheer stockings, and a linen dress. She slipped her feet into slingback pumps with heels just a millimeter too high to be conservative. She ran a brush though her softly shining hair, and added a small slick of lip gloss to complete her toilette.

"Danvers, Justinian and Smythe, how may I help you?" she murmured, sotto voce, each time the telephone rang.

© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel

Sterling silver, lampwork by Lisa of Touch of Glass Designs, cubic zirconia, vintage glass beads, swarovski crystals. Hand fabricated.

Fuchsia ballerinas

Every year it was the same. She'd round the corner at the nursery, thinking only of mulch or tomato plants, and there they'd be; a corp de ballet of flowers, wearing pink and purple tutus; pirouetting down the sides of their pots, their fluffy little skirts twirling in the breeze. One look, and she was ten years old, helping her grandmother with the shopping. She could not resist touching them, running one finger, very gently, down the side of a blossom.

"Will you get one, Grammy?"

"They look like little ballerinas, don't they? Oh, my, yes, I think we must have one for the patio."

Grammy's purse did not have so very many coins in it, but she always found a few for the flowers she loved.

© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel

Sterling silver, tourmaline. Hand fabricated.

The waterfall

I'd been hiking for about three hours when I came upon the waterfall; it was a narrow cascade, no more than five feet across, dropping straight and true for more than a hundred feet into a small, almost perfectly round, pool of water. The lake, no, really it was almost small enough to be called a pond, was dark greenish blue and looked deep. The water was gloriously clear and I knew it would be cold, but that was fine by me.

I took off my shoes and socks and tested the water: icy cold. So I pulled my t-shirt over my head, stripped off my jeans, and shucked off my underwear. There was no one here, no one for miles, and I didn't fancy hiking the rest of the way in damp undergarments. I waded in, surprised at the shallowness. I stood under the waterfall, arms raised to the sky, letting the water soak my hair and massage my skin as it swept all my cares away.

© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel


Sterling silver, turquoise. Hand fabricated.

Finding it

"So where is the brass ring, anyway?" I muttered, as I slung Jesse onto the back of a black and white appaloosa with an evil look in its eye. Merry-go-rounds creeped me out. I hadn't been near one since I was five years old, but Jesse couldn't talk about anything else since we got here. So, here we were with those crazy horses frozen in wild positions, head to tail; Jesse wide-eyed in anticipation of going round and round and up and down, and me just standing there, dreading it. I quickly cinched the seat belt around Jesse's middle before the pimpled operator had a chance to yell at me, and fiercely whispered, "No arguments! It stays on, or you're off!"

With one hand resting on the back of my child, I stood next to the horse, impatiently waiting for the music to change, the lights to start flashing, and the carousel to begin turning. How long would it take for people to buckle in their kids and get this over with? The floor beneath me finally began turning; the horses lurched into their frozen dance.

Then Jesse laughed, and the sound rang out silver-bright and robin's egg blue.

© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel


Sterling silver, Sleeping Beauty turquoise. Hand fabricated.