The Wedding Necklace
Once upon a time, in a small town called Delarisa, lived a widow, Helga, with her daughter, Elena. They came from a wealthy family that had lived there for generations and was loved by all the townspeople.
Helga loved Elena dearly and always gave her daughter whatever she wished, without realizing she was actually spoiling her.
— No! I want the pink ones, not the blue ones! — Of course, dear.
Years passed, and Elena grew into a beautiful and clever young woman.
— Oh, Jeff, look at my little girl!
Jeff was the family's oldest servant. Having been part of the family before Elena's birth, he was a loyal and kind-hearted old man.
— Well, madam, she's not a little girl anymore. — Yes! I will find her a clever and loving husband, with whom she can spend the rest of her life happily.
Wedding Preparations
Helga found Elena a good young man named Ron. When he met Elena, they liked each other immediately and decided to get married. Helga was very happy and began the wedding preparations.
One day, Helga was searching through the cupboards.
— Where could it be? — Madam, the cook asked... Oh, what happened? — Oh, Jeff, I need to find something for... Aha! I found it!
From the cluttered shelf, Helga carefully took out a purple velvet box and wiped the dust off it.
— What is it? Oh, how beautiful! — This is an emerald necklace that my mother gave me on my wedding day, and I would like to give it to Elena. — She will surely love it very much. — Mother, I can't find my brush. Oh, what an ugly box! — Lady Elena! — Oh, well, what color would you like it to be? — Me? I'd like it to be a light red. Anyway, I came for this. — Madam! — It's alright, Jeff. It's good that we could close the box. This can be easily changed. Will you go to the jeweler to put a heart on the clasp and change the box too? — Of course.
The Wedding and the Journey
So, the next day, after having it changed, Jeff gave the box to Helga.
— Wonderful! Thank you, Jeff. — You're welcome.
Soon, the wedding day arrived, and Helga helped Elena get ready.
— Oh, my little one, how beautiful you are!
The wedding was held with great joy. At the end of the day, as Elena was preparing to leave with her husband, Helga called her over.
— My dear, know that you are the most beautiful and priceless gift. Here! This is a gift passed down from generation to generation, which I now offer to you. — This box? Is that why it was so important? Thank you, Mother! I will miss you terribly!
Elena and Ron left and began their journey home. Soon, it started to rain very heavily. The couple could no longer travel safely, so they decided to stop at an inn.
They sat down, and Elena curiously opened the box.
— Oh, my! How beautiful it is! And she wrote my name here.
Elena clutched it to her chest, thinking of all the love her mother had given her. Suddenly, she heard a sigh. Behind her were two women.
— You mustn't cry! You're marrying Tom today, don't you love him? — Why is this silly woman so unhappy on her wedding day? — Yes, I do! But he lost his job and... I have no money. How can we start our life like this?
Hearing this, Elena realized that she had always received everything she wanted, while that girl had nothing. She felt sorry for her.
— Elena, it seems the rain has stopped. Shall we go?
She nodded, and while Ron went to get their coats, she called the innkeeper. She gave him the box and asked him to give it to the weeping lady.
As they left, Elena turned and saw the joy and astonishment on the woman's face. Elena smiled, as she and her husband continued their journey.
The Earthquake and Separation
Soon, Ron and Elena were living happily and even had a child named Derek. Over the years, life continued as usual, until one day, after four years, their town was struck by a terrible earthquake, which destroyed many houses.
— Come, my dear! We'll have to leave town. I've got Derek, let's go!
Fleeing through the crowd, Elena got separated from her family.
— Derek! Ron! Where are you?
Elena had no choice but to travel with the people fleeing towards a town called Lezania. Lezania was full of people who had escaped the earthquake, and everyone was trying to help each other as best they could.
Elena's Kindness
One day, Elena was sitting by the roadside, sad, when an old woman passed by her.
— Child, dear, you look terrible. You're probably hungry. Not far from here, you'll find the home of the Desmond family. They are offering food to people. — Thank you!
When Elena arrived there, she saw many people desperately asking for food. She wondered how to get past them when she saw a thin, sick man holding his child close.
— That man needs it more than I do.
She struggled to get a bowl of food and gave it to the old man. Then she looked around and saw many sick elderly people who couldn't fight for food.
— Maybe I'm hungry too, but surely they need it more.
So, after a while, even though she was hungry, Elena ended up helping, serving the people.
— The food is gone! Come back tomorrow!
Hearing this, Elena was very disappointed.
— Well done, team! And you, I haven't seen you before. Did Mr. Desmond hire you recently? — I'm not hired. I came here to get food like everyone else. But then I saw the poor people here and started helping them. — What a selfless act! Mr. Desmond will appreciate that. He's a very wealthy businessman and is looking for someone to take care of his five-year-old son. Are you interested? — Of course, with great pleasure.
A New Life and a Surprise
He took Elena to Mr. Desmond and told him about her selfless act, and he hired her immediately.
— You have the freedom to do what you want here, but do not enter the last room on the left side of the house. That is my wife's room. She has been feeling very unwell for some time and must not be disturbed. If you are found there, you will be dismissed immediately. — Yes, sir, I understand.
Elena enjoyed taking care of the little boy, but he was very spoiled and stubborn, just like she used to be when she was little.
One day, while the boy was playing in the garden, his ball went through the window of a room.
— Oh, I want my ball! Go and get it for me! — But that's your mother's room! I'm not allowed to go in there.
No matter what she said, the boy kept complaining. In the end, however, she gave in and went into the house.
When she entered the room, she looked for the ball. But soon she saw some emeralds lying on the table. As she approached, her breath caught.
— Oh, my! This looks exactly like the one I gave to someone!
She looked at the clasp and saw with astonishment the heart engraved there.
Astonished and overwhelmed with nostalgia at the sight of the necklace, she began to cry bitterly. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder.
— Excuse me, who are you?
Elena turned and saw Mrs. Desmond standing nervously behind her.
— I'm sorry, madam. Your son's ball ended up here, and I came to get it. — But why are you crying?
Elena explained how her mother had given her such a necklace on her wedding day and how she had given it to a weeping woman at an inn on a rainy day. Mrs. Desmond asked her more questions about that day, and she answered.
— It's you! Your kindness saved me! I am deeply grateful to you. That necklace helped us when we were very poor. We pawned it for money, and then we bought it back.
Elena couldn't believe it. But, looking more closely, she began to remember and smiled warmly.
— One more thing. We will find your family, and when they return, we will share our property with you, for without you, we wouldn't be where we are today. — Oh, thank you!
The search for Elena's family began immediately. They were found not far from Delarisa and brought back. The two families lived together and, in time, became very close. Elena always told the children of the town about the emerald necklace, teaching them how important it is to cherish what you have.
And if you are kind and help others, kindness will return to you.
