Jim wandered through the mall glancing in the windows of the dozens of shops he passed. Nothing really caught his eye though. There was nothing which jumped out at him and yelled 'Buy Me! I'm perfect for Sharon!' He was fast running out of shops and was getting desperate, her birthday was today, but at least he didn't have to give her his present until the party on the weekend.
Finally, Jim came to a halt at the end of a row of shops, he'd looked everywhere and hadn't been able to find the right gift. At that moment, though, he spotted another store, a dingy little place that looked about a hundred years old. The old-style hanging sign out the front said 'Carver's Antique Jewellery, Established 1699.' Deciding he had nothing to lose, Jim went cautiously inside. A little bell tinkled above the door as he opened it.
"Ah Jim, I've been expecting you." A tiny wizened old man bustled towards him from out of a back room. "We must hurry, I'm about to close."
"But it's only 3 o'clock… and how did you know my name?" Jim asked, taken aback.
"How did I know your name? Like I said, I've been expecting you." The little man grinned at him, having revealed exactly nothing. "Now come over here, we only have a moment." He motioned Jim towards a display case in the corner, filled with hundreds of sparkling pieces. The man opened the case and picked out a pair of tarnished earrings set with large dusty blue stones. "Here," he took Jim's hand and placed them on his palm. "These are exactly what you're looking for. I'm sure Sharon will simply love them, and you."
"What? But…" Jim didn't know what to say.
"Yes, yes, I know. Don't worry, everything will be fine. Now off you go!" He turned away and made for the back room again.
"Wait! What are these?" Jim called after him.
"What do they look like?" The man turned and replied. "They're silver sapphire earrings. I'm sure Sharon will find them quite magical." He grinned.
"These dirty things are solid silver… and the stones are sapphires?! They're as big as my thumbnail! These must cost a fortune! I can't afford them."
"I'm not asking you to pay for them. I owe Sharon a favour or else we wouldn't even be talking, so just take them. …Well actually I owed Sharon's great-great grandmother a favour, but I've been so busy recently. Anyway, give them a bit of a polish and they'll shine up good as new. Now, I really must be off." The tiny old man disappeared into the back of the shop and Jim suddenly found himself back out in the mall and the shop was nowhere to be seen. Looking down at the earrings in his hand again, Jim pocketed them and headed for home.
Sun Jul 17 02:42:48 2011