The bright summer sun beat down on the green lawn.
Smoke rose slowly from the hot outdoor barbecue grill.
Elena adjusted her apron while keeping a close eye on the food.
Her younger sister Sarah walked over with a harsh look on her face.
Sarah held a sharp metal skewer tightly in her right hand.
She pointed the skewer directly toward ten-year-old Mia.
Sarah: You were sneaking around my purse near the patio furniture!
Mia: Mom, help me!
Mia quickly recoiled and hid right behind her mother's back.
Elena: Lower that sharp object right now, Sarah!
Sarah: Your daughter stole my gold watch from my leather purse!
Elena: Mia would never take anything that does not belong to her.
Sarah: She was standing right next to my bag two minutes ago!
Mia clutched her mother's skirt with tight fingers.
Tears welled up quickly in the young girl's blue eyes.
Mia: I was just looking for the juice boxes under the table.
Elena: See, she was just trying to get a cold drink.
Sarah: You always make excuses for her bad behavior, Elena.
Sarah: That antique watch is worth over ten thousand dollars.
Elena: That watch belonged to our late grandmother Clara.
Sarah: Grandma gave it to me before she passed away in May.
Elena: Grandma never gave you that watch, Sarah.
Sarah pointed her finger angrily toward Elena's face.
Sarah: Are you calling me a liar in front of the whole family?
Elena: I am telling the truth about what happened back then.
Sarah: You have been jealous of my inheritance since day one.
Elena stepped forward to shield her daughter completely.
The ambient yard breeze rustled the leaves of the oak tree.
Several relatives stopped talking and turned around to watch.
Uncle Robert set down his cold drink on the wooden table.
Robert: What is all this loud screaming about over here?
Sarah: Mia stole Grandma's gold watch right out of my bag!
Elena: Mia did not steal anything from your purse, Sarah.
Sarah: Search her pockets right now if you are so innocent!
Elena reached down gently to comfort her crying child.
Elena: Empty your pockets, sweetie, so we can clear this up.
Mia slowly pulled out two small paper napkins from her shorts.
There was nothing else inside her small side pockets.
Mia: See, I do not have your watch, Aunt Sarah.
Sarah: Then you must have dropped it somewhere in the grass!
Sarah stomped her foot on the manicured green lawn.
Her face turned bright red under the harsh afternoon sun.
Elena: Check your own bag again before accusing a child.
Sarah: I already checked it three times before coming outside!
Sarah grabbed her brown purse off the white patio table.
She dumped the contents onto the clear surface with a loud bang.
Keys, cosmetics, and papers scattered across the smooth wood.
Among the spilled papers sat the heavy golden antique watch.
Elena: It was inside your bag the entire time, Sarah.
Sarah gasped slightly as her face turned pale with embarrassment.
Sarah: Someone must have slipped it back inside while I was turning around!
Elena: Nobody touched your bag except you, Sarah.
Sarah: You set me up to make me look crazy today!
Elena: You did this to yourself with your ridiculous false accusations.
Uncle Robert walked over slowly with a serious look on his face.
Robert: Apologize to little Mia right now for yelling at her.
Sarah: I will do no such thing in my own mother's yard!
Elena: This is not your yard, Sarah, and you know that well.
Sarah narrowed her eyes tightly at her older sister.
The tension in the backyard grew thicker by the second.
Elena knew that something much bigger was hidden behind this anger.
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