Junk Treasure

Walking down the textured hall, located off the service doors of his local mall. Jeremiah approaches the Lost and Found. Keeping to himself, as one of the workers passes, he spies the giant steel blue bin. The mother-load of discarded items from the entire mall. The last stop on a long road of the bygone. Lost, broken, unwanted and forgotten objects languish before the dump.

Peer over the rim, he starts digging. The plain colored jacket makes him inconspicuous to the people around him. His thoughts race as he rummages through the discarded objects. He fills his oversized pockets with potential treasures, and useful articles. A beanie there, a pocket knife here, some little girl accessories. “Now what's this?” Something near the bottom catches Jeremiah’s attention. Before he had time to examine it, a worker started yelling, interrupting his scavenging.

“Hey, you can't be doing that,” shouted an anonymous backroom worker.

Interrupting Jeremiah digging, he left as swiftly as he came in. His pockets filled with potential and lost hope. Stepping outside, he noticed a sudden overcast of dark clouds that obscured a relatively nice day.

Coming home, Jeremiah walks into the dilapidating two bedroom house with his wife and little girl. Stepping out of his old 2002 Chevy, he made his way to the double locked front door. He strides straight into the little room off to his right, just past the kitchen. The pocket size room was intended as an office but doubles as extra storage. Dumping the contents of his jacket on the wooden desk. He first moves to examine the pocket knife. With a little effort, he could resell it for at least $20. Next his eyes caught on two little girl accessories. One a sparkly pink headband, with white lining, yellowed with age; and a lavender hair piece with a frilly flower composed of shimmering beads adorned on the soft elastic. Undamaged except for a few missing beads trailing from a broken string.

A second later, Lydia walked into the room from the back part of the house.

“What you have there?” she asked her husband.

“Oh something I was hoping you're beautiful hands could fix for Scarlet.” he replied a little bashful.

He rubbed the back of his neck and handed over the two headbands. She gave them a good glance. Turning them over in her hands, feeling them out.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

She looked at him smiling. Gave him a kiss, and headed back to her bedroom where the sewing machine and materials resided.

Back to the desk, his eyes lingered on the black leather wrapped bundle with a protrusion on its side. Picking up the mass, he hoped it would be valuable, like jewelry, he tugged on the string binding the bundle together. After removal, he examines the print of the leather. The pattern seemed almost familiar. Under close speculation with a magnifying glass he couldn't be sure of which animal. While observing with magnification, the light reflected off the hide. Light made it seem as though the edges of the imprint glimmered rainbow. It seems to be full grain leather. The leather had an irregular squamous looking design, with a soft, smooth texture. The leather was not stiff but flexible, with one end cut perfectly and the other side jagged and burnt looking.

Carefully he unwrapped the scrap of leather. Inside the contents contains a hand fastened matching small black leather notebook. He quickly thumbed through and discovered it was not in English. Most of the notebook's contents are blank, except for a few pages with writing. The second object captivated his attention most of all. The protruding part of the bundle seems to be some sort of metal object. It was no larger than a small tangerine with the colors of gold, silver and black. He picked it up. The metal item was cold to the touch, indicating real metal. He could only describe the molding of the figurine as a mighty fortress, with a combination of castle and skyscraper. With pillars of high straight metal with points on the top, accompanied with several smaller pillars in a strange arrangement. The structure is set upon a thick band of gold. Underneath was an inscription of five strange consecutive circular pattern characters, letters perhaps or numbers. Either way, it was a language he didn’t know or recognized. Despite the object's size, it was heavy between his two fingers, like it was made of solid metal. When he held it in the palm of his hand it seemed impossibly light, as though it was hollow in the middle. Strange, he thought. This object seems old, like it has seen more than its fair share of humanity. Yet impossibly futuristic, with its intricate design of beautiful interlocking lines of silver and black. The lines in the towers were so smooth to the touch, it’s impossible that there are indentations. Upon looking at the odd trinket, there are clearly depressions scaling up the tower's edge. Not sure what kind of metal it’s created of, or what it is exactly, the value of the object seemed undeterminable. Gazing aloft the magnificent artifact, he felt a strange kinship. The metal tower was no jewelry, still, he believed it is of great value. Tomorrow he will go to the pawnshops with the Lost and found potentials to see how much he could get for his findings.

His daughter Scarlet, bounded into the room. Dressed in pigtails and pajamas he realized it was time to put his six-year-old daughter to bed.

“Story time”, she said in her pleading, daddy come with me now, voice. Her cute little rosy cheeks were flushed. Meaning she gave mama the run around tonight. Where has the time gone? He rewrapped the metal artifact in the leather; sliding the leather book into one of the side drawers of the desk, for further examination.

Early the next morning he gathered what was now his hopes for cash and headed to nearby pawn shops. Each shop catered to a different assortment of people. One was more guns and knives. Another sold musical instruments, TVs, appliances and other tech. The third shop desired more risky and rare items. He intended to humor each store managers’ specialties and also ask how much they would give for the metal tower.

Pulling up to the first store, he realized the gas tank was empty. Hopefully, with the cash today he would be able to buy a full tank and food. He was hoping with the metal trinket he could do a lot more. Jeremiah sold what he could to the first place and showed the manager the metal tower. The manager didn't offer much but he was interested in the fine piece of leather. The second store manager was not interested at all in his rare finding. Finally, he headed to the third pawn shop, a little out of town, and his best chance. He walked into the store; cameras blazing on every corner, pulled out the bundle and showed the pawn shop owner what he’s had. Two cameras behind the store owner’s head pointed at Jeremiah and the exchange. This guy is serious about his security. The store owner, Freddy, took a look at the item. He narrowed his eyes at the piece then widened them and put it down.

“I’ll give you $100,” Freddy said dead-faced with little emotion and no confrontational tone.

“Come on. You can do me better than that,” Jeremiah said with a slightly irritated plea in his voice.

It was the best offer he had all day. But he knew, just knew, it was worth more than that, at least $300. And the leather, such a nice piece of leather.

Freddy spoke, “I can't give you more. I don't know what it is. When I take on the objects, I assume the risk. What if nobody wanna buy it? Na. I just can’t do more without a buyer.”

He sounded genuine.

“All right”, Jeremiah said, still determined, “Will you ask around for me?”

“Sure,” Freddy said, “I got the video.”

Jeremiah left, a little disappointed, but not undetermined. He had been in this situation before. He would wait and see if a buyer turned up.

A few days later, Freddy called saying he had a potential buyer, and to come in ASAP. That this buyer was willing to pay big.

The next day Jeremiah headed out to Freddy’s pawn shop. When he got to the front doors, they were locked with no lights on inside. There was a closed sign hanging in the door frame. Was this a joke, he thought? He felt like he was being watched. Not five minutes later he got a phone call. Unknown number. He answered. It was Freddy saying that the buyer wanted to meet at Grover Park, about 15 minutes away from where he was now. The guy wanted to do this deal in public. Jeremiah got an uneasy feeling, but he couldn't say no.

He pulled up to the park and got out. He spied Freddy by a hill with a portable table already set up and a tall, dark coated man next to him. Freddy seemed a little jumpy, almost nervous but trying to play it off. Freddy did all the talking. He told Jeremiah to take out the object and place it on the table. Jeremiah did as he was told. The prospector took a gloved hand and examined the metal tower and reluctantly put it down.

“$5000,” he said in a deep tenner.

Jeremiah's head was spinning, $5000. That was so much for something he found practically in the dump. For some reason he didn't want to give it up. He had grown obsessed over the metal trinket and felt almost guilty selling it. Feeling guilty about selling an object had never happened to him before. This whole arrangement made no sense. This guy was serious; too serious, and a little frightening.

In the next second, without thinking, Jeremiah said, “$25,000”.

The strange man seemed to consider this. With a bead of sweat trickling down Freddy’s forehead, his eyes flitting back-and-forth between the buyer and the seller.

“$20,000,” said the strange man portraying a slight smile on a face that had seemed to never show expression. “Final offer, unless you have more that you found with this trinket”.

He seems to be looking into Jeremiah’s soul. Jeremiah didn’t want to give him the book. He seems like a man who could find and take whatever he wants, and he wants this. Better to just let go of the metal tower. Plus, it was so much more than he ever imagined he would get for the object. They could finally replace the roof, the broken porch door, pay off loans and buy proper clothes. Jeremiah stuck out his hand to shake on the deal. The man did not return his hand.

Jeremiah asked, “So how are we doing this? Cash, money order?”

The man seemed to nod to no one, “It's already been added to your account, Jeremiah.”

Jeremiah's eyes widened with horror. How had he known his name? Better yet, how did he have his account information? The mysterious man promptly took the metal tower, wrapped it in the leather and walked off. Jeremiah quickly looked at the balance on his phone. He couldn't believe it, $20,000 added in his account. Freddy knows to keep these deals confidential. Freddy looked relieved and not in the mood to explain himself. He quickly started folding the portable table. Jeremiah, feeling a mix of emotions, walked back to his car, got in, and drove home in a daze.

He told his wife about this substantial monetary gain in their bank account. Lydia couldn't have been more thrilled. She talked excitedly, already making plans with the money over dinner. Scarlet chimed in as well. Jeremiah felt hollow. He went through dinner in a haze and went to bed, dreamless.