The house smelled like juniper on the warm fall day. The whole setting was so warm and comforting as the couple stepped in from the street. The front of the building said Antiques and Collectibles, which is what drew the couple to go in. They were on their honeymoon, an American couple in England. They had stayed away from the larger cities and decided to take in the rich countryside instead.
As the couple stepped in, besides the fragrant air, all the antiques and collectibles of all shapes and sizes that were crammed, neatly, into the building captivated them. The shop had to be much bigger than it appeared on the outside. The couple split up and looked around, admiring the beauty of the various pieces. The woman noticed one piece in particular, a necklace with a single am amethyst on it.
“Tony, come look at this,” she called to her husband.
“Where are you, Barb?” he called back, looking down a couple of aisles.
“Over here.”
Tony followed her voice to her side and looked at the necklace, unimpressed. “It is a rock. A rock on a chain,” his tone indicated a little sarcasm. He looks at piece again and notices the price tag. “A rock on a chain with a large price on it.”
“A rock on a chain, worth more than its weight in gold to some.” An older woman with an ageless face steps into view. Her soft brown eyes could put anyone at ease and her demeanor was that of a nice old grandmother. To look on her was to find comfort and relaxation.
“To who?” Tony simply could not believe the rock was of any value.
“To those who like it. Your wife seems to have taken quite a liking to it,” her voice and eyes were so soft. Tony looked over to his wife, Barbara, and smiled. The necklace did look good on her, almost art deco, but good. “If you want it, get it,” Tony gave in to his wife and the old woman.
Barbara smiled and with a little gleeful hop went over to the register with her new treasure. The storeowner rang up the necklace and asked her for 50 Euros. Barbara sat her purse down on the counter to get her money out when there was a crash at her feet and a small child running off with her purse. It took a second for Barbara and Tony to realize what had happened, then Tony was running off after the kid.
Tony easily caught up with the kid who threw the purse down and ran off. Tony calmly brought it back to his wife. Barbara was so shaken by the even that her hands were shaking so bad she had a hard time just taking the strap of her purse. She reached for the zipper to pull out her wallet and found that a very difficult affair as well.
“Go and take the necklace. It belongs with you and you had quite the scare here. You deserve it,” the old woman said with a calm and concerned smile. Her hand touched the top of Barbara’s in concern and the soft skin seemed to put Barbara more at ease.
“Thank you,” Barbara almost whispered. Tony led her out of the store and they went in search of a lunch and a hostel to spend the night.
Once at the hostel Barbara and Tony went to the check in station to turn in their passports and get a room. Tony pulled out a chain from inside his shirt and placed his passport on the counter in front of the teenage hostess. The girl snapped her gum boredly as she checked the passport and identification. She then turned to Barbara for her passport, “Ma’am?”
“Oh yeah, I have it right here,” Barbara suddenly realized she had to turn in her passport too. She set her purse on the counter and went to grab her passport. It was not next to her wallet as she had thought it was. Not worried, Barbara checked another part of her purse. It was not there either.” Maybe it was under her wallet she thought. Barbara took the wallet out of the purse and checked there as well.
“It has to be here somewhere,” she mumbles as she starts to take everything out of her purse. Panic finally sets in as she realizes that it is not in her purse. Barbara flips her purse and dumps everything in a single panicked motion. Compacts, lipsticks, tampons and piles of various other pieces of stuff come out of the purse and land on the counter and floor. The passport does not come out of the purse with everything else though. “Where could it be?” Barbara’s voice trembles as tears ruin her eyeliner.
Tony thinks and comes up with a quick possibility, “Maybe we left it at the last hostel. We were in a hurry to get out of there because we were running so late. Why don’t we call there, maybe they have it.”
