The bracelet

Please indulge this fashion moment. It's not merely fashion: it also partakes of wild travel-adventure, and therefore might be entertaining.

Right. Today I have a charming outfit: a green knit-and-eyelet cami, of a the latest sixties-ish full cut; black high-heeled Mary Janes; khakis; and a loose black short-sleeved swing cardigan. That's a lot of solids, so I figured the outfit could do with sparkly green earrings and a chunky bronze bracelet to liven things up. All the teenager stores were selling these bracelets last summer when exotica was in, so I stocked up.

Amelia noted the bracelet this morning.

"Thank you! I thought this outfit could do with a nice pagan bracelet."

"It's not so much pagan as Celtic looking--especially with your ring and green shirt." She was referring to my Celtic engagement ring, which is very pretty and if you haven't seen it, I should be delighted to show it off next time I see you. :-)

"Ooh, cool! So it does!"

"Did you get it anywhere interesting?"

"Mm, not really. I think it came from a teenager store at the mall."

"You could pretend it came from the Philippines."

"Ooh, yes, from a street vendor." I like getting jewelry from street vendors in interesting places; not that I have, much.

"No, how dull. You must have gotten it from a political person."

"Probably so. I must have banged him on the head and absconded with it. Do political persons in the Philippines wear much jewelry?"

"Probably not. I expect the political person gave it to you to soothe your screaming. You were very loud and only gold would satisfy you!"

"That's true. I didn't do so much banging as screaming when I was in in the Philippines. I hear I did a lot of screaming. I was very small."

"Or maybe you got it from a tribal person," she suggested.

"Hmm. There are a lot of Muslim tribal people in the Philippines. Maybe it came from one of them--from a Muslim person who hopefully don't know I was the daughter of missionaries! If I was just an ordinary unbeliever they might let me get away with it, but if they knew we were missionaries it'd be all over."

"No, I don't like that theory. I'm sure it came from head-hunters."

"Head-hunters?"

"Yes, are there head-hunters in the Philippines?"

"If there aren't, there must have used to have been!"

And there you have it, folks. I got my bracelet from historical tribal head-hunters in the Philippines, when I was very small. :-)