I love shopping for gifts, but not when it’s for someone I don’t know. Why was I the one chosen to buy the gift for our new boss? If he hates it, they’ll just throw me under the bus.

As I walk down the sidewalk mumbling to myself, I look up and happen to catch sight of this small and eccentric building. The shop sign reads “Abigail’s Odds and Ends.” I don’t know why I decide to walk in, but I do.

The moment I take a step into the building, I begin to feel warm and cozy. I feel like I’m at home.

As I look around the shop, an old lady beckons me over to the counter.

She doesn’t say a single word. Instead, she gestures to the display case in front of her.

Instantly, I am mesmerized by a pocket watch on display. The color changes at different angles. The intricate details create so many different images that flit across my eyes. One moment I see a butterfly and the next I see an eagle. 

“I want to buy that one,” I say dreamily.

The lady picks it up and places it in a bag. I try to hand her my money, but she does not accept it. Instead, she speaks for the first time.

“You have already paid my child.”

She then turns and heads to the back of the store. Slightly confused, but eager to get a closer look at the watch, I leave and head home.

I get a block down the street before the temptation overwhelms me. I move over to the side and reach into the bag.

The moment my hand grasps the watch, a tingling sensation runs up my arm. The tingling soon turns into a sharp pain.

My arm is on Fire!

Tears fall down my face. My vision begins to get blurry.

Before I fully succumb to the pain, I see Abigail standing over me. The watch is in her left hand, and her right hand is reaching into my chest.