The Lucky Charm

Chapter One: In the Beginning

Life can be strange, or, should I say, my life was strange. I suppose I should explain that. Not that it started that way,
or at least I didn't think that when I was a child. I was different from all the other kids, but I just didn't realize or
care for that matter. Hi, I'm George, and this is my story.

When I was little, I knew I was different than other children. But I never said anything to anyone, even my parents. They
both loved me, and my younger sister, Darlene, though they had very different ways of showing us that love. Did they love my
sister more than me? If so, was it because she was a girl and I was a boy? Or because she was the younger one and maybe
needed more attention. I don't really know for sure. Can anyone ever really know with certainty.

Anyway, I seemed to get along by myself more than others did at a younger age. Not that I ever really fit in with the normal
peer groups. I was overweight for one thing and not very coordinated, lacking the skills to play sports well. Actually, I
was that not quite fat kid, who was always on the nerdy side. I had friends, but was kind of a loner, and that was okay.

Now my sister was just the polar opposite of me. Thin, athletic, attractive and popular. Everyone wanted to be around her,
including me, even though I was a few years older than her. She seemed to know a young age that her older brother needed her
support and looked out for me, like she was the elder of the two. So we were close, for a brother and sister. You could even
say that I looked up to her. Sure, we had our rough patches, but what siblings didn't.

When I was about five, I found out that I liked playing with sister Darlene, Darla for short. Mom didn't mind, she thought
it was cute that I loved my little sister enough to play with her all the time. Dad was less tolerant than mom was and was
always trying to get me outside. It helped gain a love for the great outdoors. Something I hold dear to this very day.

That's probably when it all started. You see, I've always wished that I had been born, as a girl. It's what they call
'Gender Dysphoria Disorder'. Not that I knew that back then. The feelings grew through high school, not that I did anything
about it, just suffered in silence.

As chance would have it, Darla made the mistake of succumbing to peer pressure and ended up pregnant in her junior year. The
senior, who was the father of said child told her she was on her own, since he wasn't going to give up his college
scholarship and a chance in the NFL just because she wasn't on the pill. What an asshole he was.

Mom and dad never made her feel bad, and simply said it was a part of life. There was no choice in keeping the baby, since
all life is precious. The option of putting the child up for adoption was discussed and discarded, our parents felt that it
was important to be responsible for your own actions. We all would help with the baby when she came. Yes, it was going to be
a girl.

*****************************

When Keara Katherine Lawrence was born on the 10th of March 1996, it change all our lives. And it really changed me from
then on. From that day I realized that I would never become a mother myself and felt very depressed. I vowed to be as close
as I could to my niece and to help raising her as much as possible.

Keara grew like the proverbial weed, and was talking and walking before we knew it. She would never call me uncle George,
preferring to just use Georgie, cause that is what my sister called me, and that was fine with me. Until one time when she
was three or so and she had me playing tea party with her, when something I said cause Darla to correct me by saying, "Now
Georgie, etiquette, please!"

Keara misheard what her mother said and thought she had called me 'Georgette', thinking it very funny since I was wearing a
sun bonnet at the time. From that moment forward Keara only called me Georgette, and when she got older she would call me
Aunt Georgette, or Aunt Georgie. I loved her for that, since she didn't know that would have been my heart's desire.

Our lives went on as they are want to do. You know what I mean, school, jobs, dates, and then more school, then college. Not
very many dates though. I was now 35 and working full-time, not that the job mattered, it was just a means unto an end. It
held no future and I didn't really like it much, except it left me with the time I needed to spend with Keara, who would
soon be 16, the same age as when her mother had her.

As much as her mother liked the outdoors, Keara was much more at home in the woods. She loved to fish, shoot archery and
played softball like a pro. She played both school and travel ball since she was eight, and looked like she would end up
with a full ride scholarship to college. Our family couldn't have been happier for her.

*****************************

We lost dad about a month before Keara's birthday, his heart had finally given out. He had left us a video he had made
telling us not to mourn his death, but to celebrate his life, that's just the way he was, you fix what you can and get by
with the rest. Darla and I were old enough to almost understand, mom helped us a lot. Keara for all of her almost 16 years
took it better than most girls her age, she would miss him, but would remember him for all the right reasons.

This was about the time when my life took a turn down a far different road. I was looking for a special present for Keara's
16th birthday, and found what I thought would be the perfect gift. After much searching, I found it in a second hand store
that carried jewelry. Some of the stuff was old and antique, verging on historical relics. And there was some fairly new
stuff.

It was a charm bracelet, woven with gold and silver wires. I say woven, but it looked more like braiding, the way it was
done almost looked like some old Nordic runes, which I liked as our family had roots back to there. What made the bracelet
special were the charms. There were charms for all of Keara's favorite things, like a fish, a bat and ball with a glove, a
crossed pair of arrows over a bow, and the head of a white-tailed stag. There was a star from a white crystal, a four leaf
clover in a green crystal and a pink crystal rose.

The bracelet sat arced in display from clasp to clasp with the four leaf clover in the center. The green crystal glowing and
twinkling as though it had a life of its own. I stood mesmerized for some time, until the shop clerk woke me out of my
state.

He asked, "Are you interested in the bracelet Sir?" Then, "The price is quite reasonable for something as old as this."

I said, "Old? It hardly looks more than a couple of years old." The tag beneath the bracelet called it 'The Lucky Charm',
that was probably because the green clover was in the center of the others. And now that I looked closer, it was obvious
that the crystal charms and the bracelet itself were older than the standard charms. "If it's so old, why is the no higher
than it is?" Seeing the price marked, after many slashes through them, showed a final price of $25.

The keeper stuttered for a moment, then, "Well, you see, I sell it and it keeps being returned, and no one ever says why
they are returning it. So I figured for so little a price, someone will just keep it and give it a good home. And it is
quite old, the best guess is it was made around 975ad and given to Erik the Red when he was banished from Iceland for three
years in 980ad. No one knows who actually made it, but that's the story anyway."

I said, "Well, I don't think I believe a wild tale like that, but for that price, I'm certain my niece will love it. So you
have a buyer."

"You won't regret it sir! Would you like that gift wrapped? I'm sure I have something that will look very pretty for your
niece."

After it was wrapped and I thanked him, I left the little shop feeling very good about myself, Keara would just love the
bracelet, and I am sure mom and Darla would love the shop keeper's tall tail.

*****************************

The day before Keara's birthday, her team had won a major tournament, and part of the celebration was her's and another
girls birthdays. Even though mom, Darla and I were there, we always went to all of her games. We decided to have our own
family party on our own at home, just a quiet day.

It was in the early afternoon when we had her open her gifts. She was happy with all of them. When she opens my gift, she
sat stunned by what she saw. She came to me and gave me a big hug to thank me. Darla and mom were very surprised by the
bracelet, and even a little shocked by the tale given by the shopkeeper.

Having eaten our pieces of cake and ice cream, Darla told Keara to go wash her hands and to clean the plates. She said, "Ok
mom, I'll do that. But Georgette, would you hold onto my bracelet, please?" Of course I said I would. She took the bracelet
off her wrist and put it on mine.

I said, "You know, I could have just held it for you!"

She replied, "I know, I just wanted to see how it looks on someone else."

After Keara goes to clean up, Darla asked me if I could change a light bulb she couldn't reach without getting out the
stepladder. It was in the bathroom, so I went to change it. I found out the floor was wet when I placed my sock clad feet in
the room. I yelled at Darla that now my socks were wet as I reached for the dead bulb.

Darla yells back, "That's why I need the bulb changed, so I can mop the floor, Sorry!"

And that was the last thing I heard her say. Cause at that moment, my hand with the bracelet on it reached the bulbs
darkened sphere. There was a large arc of electricity from the bulb socket to the bracelet on my wrist, and I was knocked
flat on my ass. Just before I lost consciousness, I thought, 'Just great, I go and get myself killed on Keara's birthday,
she's never going to forgive me.'

End of Chapter 1

Thank You for reading!

Goddess Blessings!