The Coin

The car drove fast down the hillside and pulled into the driveway. A tall, slender man got out. His name was Charlie Banks. He looked at the estate of his departed mother, Alexandria and a tear came to his eye. He walked up to the door and was greeted by the butler, Jarvis.

"Hello. I've been expecting you, sir. Glad to see you. I know Mrs. Banks was so proud of you."

" Not so sure about that." said Charlie with a frown. I haven't talked to her in ages. But ....it is what it is."

" Yes. Sir. " said Jarvis who explained the current situation. "You have a visitor, sir. She is in the living area. Shall I get her for you? It is your sister, sir."

"Mary. My, it has been such a long time....uh...yes. Bring her in here please."

A beautiful young woman with long black hair walked into the room and saw Charlie. Her eyes grew wide with surprise. She ran to him and put her arms around him.

"Charlie!" she spoke with excitement.

Charlie didn't seem as impressed. "Yes. Mary. It's me."

The two started filling each other in on how their lives had been since Charlie had left town. It was over 20 years ago when Mary was just a little girl. He decided that Somerset was much more interesting than Colchester. He started a newspaper in the fall of 1884 and had much success. He was about to plan a vacation when he heard of his mother's passing. Mary explained that she was to be wed to William Sandsbury of Devon, some time in the fall.

" That's wonderful, Mary...." Charlie paused for a few seconds. " I am truly sorry that I have not reached out in all these many years."

" I understand. You were busy...and time slips away. Mother didn't help things either."

"Yes." Charlie sighed. "She was upset because I didn't care for her obsession with that coin she found. She claimed it had powers or something."

"Yes. She still talked about it, I had thought she had it put away in a keepsake under her bed for years. I always wondered though, why she would leave early in the morning with it in her hand."

"Let me see if I can find that dreadful coin. It was such a cherished possession for her, and I guess I should take some interest in its history."

Charlie walked up the long staircase and into his mother's bedroom. Under the bed, he found a pink, velvet box with a symbol on the top. It was a dragon with a ring of fire. He started to open up the box.

" Wait sir! I would not do that!" screamed Jarvis, running into the room frantically.

"Heavens, Jarvis! Why not?" asked Charlie.

Jarvis looked as though he was in a daze as he remembered the story that Mrs. Banks told him long ago.

" The year that you left Colchester, your Mother was extremely lonely ,sir. She often spoke of you and was very grieved about the passing of your father, though it had been several years. I suggested that she go shopping and visiting antique shops. She thought it was a splendid idea. So, she happened into a shop named Veterum, that had antique furniture from the 1600-1700s, vases, jewelry and various nick-knacks and all of that. She found an old coin, a rare touch piece. It was said to come from Henry VIII. A very rare item indeed. It is said to bring good luck, protect from evil and cure diseases "

"So why I can't I open the box? If it is such a lucky coin?" asked Charlie.

"Well, sir. The coin was cursed. Supposedly a witch name Marjorie Jordene placed some kind of spell on it. It was said that whoever was in possession of the coin, the first person they saw that day would die. The only way to break the curse was for the possessor to have a pure heart, and they must hold the coin in their hand as the sun rises and speak the words 'Jordene I banish thee Jordene.' This will make it safe for the person holding the coin for that day. Since the curse is also temporarily broken when it's owner dies, the next person to possess the coin will carry the original curse, so that whoever they see first that day will die."

"So why didn't the owner of the antique shop cause my mother or anyone to die when they saw them? She possessed the coin?" asked Charlie.

"Your mother said she was blind." Jarvis explained.

"So why didn't she get rid of the coin?"

" Part of the curse was that the owner could not willingly give away the coin. In order to change owners it had to be lost or stolen." Jarvis looked at Charlie with a sad look. "She was worried that you would try to get the coin without knowledge of the curse."

"I understand." said Charlie.

That evening as Charlie sat down for dinner with his sister Mary and her future husband, Sandsbury, he was very inquisitive about her beau.

"What do you do sir, Sandsbury, for a living that is?"

" I am a businessman, sir." he said. He smiled. "I am very good at what I do, I must say."

"And what is that?"

"Business." he said.

Charlie wondered why he was being so vague in his responses, but he brushed it off. After Sandsbury said good night to Mary and departed, he and Mary talked in the hallway before retiring to their rooms.

" Are you sure of Sandsbury. I find him very...Suspicious...I guess you could say?"

"Suspicious? You are being silly. An over-protective brother, indeed! Good night to you."

Mary was exhausted and fell asleep immediately, but Charlie could not sleep. He decided to take a midnight stroll down the path behind the estate. He felt more at ease and starting feeling bad about what he said about Sandsbury. He figured he would apologize to Mary in the morning.

As he made his way back to the Estate, he heard screams coming from Mary's window.

"Help!" She screamed.

Charlie ran inside and found Mary crying and she was frantic. She was relieved to see her brother but could not sit still.

"A man...he broke into the house...and he was taking things...He tried to grab me and I screamed. Oh...I am so overwhelmed...." she cried.

" Try to calm down Mary, It is ok. I am here. You are going to be fine, Thank God he didn't hurt you."

The hours went by and neither Mary nor Charlie could get any rest. Charlie didn't see where the burglar had taken anything until he noticed the box in his mother's room lying on the floor, opened. It was the box that contained the coin.

"Someone has taken the coin!" sounded Charlie. Mary frowned and they both realized the danger that awaited anyone that would be seen by the new owner.

Charlie looked around the room and saw a handkerchief on the floor near the box. It had the initials 'WS' embroided on the corner. Charlie gasped as he ran up to Mary.

"Sandsbury was here! He took the coin. Here is his handkerchief.

"No...no...it can't be! "

"Oh, but it is true, dear Mary."

Mary in disbelief, ran to her room, not accepting what her brother had to say. "I shall go to the authorities in the morning." he thought.

In the morning as he talked to the constables at the station about what had happened the previous night a loud commotion interrupted in the nearby room.

"We've got him!" said a constable, with a man in a long coat and brimmed hat. "He has been breaking into homes and stealing for months!"

"Who is this fellow?" asked Charlie.

"Wadsworth Shackleford. The biggest thief in all England!"

"Oh my. I suppose this handkerchief is his." asked Charlie.

"Not mine!" said Shackleford.

"Likely story!" said the constable. "WS...come on now!"

"What about the coin?" Charlie asked. "He took a coin."

"We didn't find any coin, sir. He must have gotten rid of it when we were chasing him."

As he left the station, Charlie felt bad yet again about his sister's lover. He had misjudged him. Still there was a feeling that he could not shake. He became nervous and almost felt weak as fear came upon him. He wondered about the whereabouts of the coin.

Suddenly from a nearby alley, a familiar face appeared. It was Sandsbury.

" You're a pretty slick fellow, I must say, Banks. You were always a bright lad. Your mother always bragged on you when you were gone. A pity she passed away. Perhaps it was payback for my father's death."

"What?" asked Charlie, surprised.

That's right. You see. Your dear mother had dealings with my father. He was her banker. He knew all about that coin. He always coveted it's power...it's mystery and not to mention it's worth...at least ten thousand pounds. She would not let him even hold the coin. He snuck into an open door one morning in hopes to get a peek at that coin, but fell dead as your Mother walked in. I guess she startled him. I blame her for his death. And now I guess you can blame me. For you see...I now have the coin. I waited for you to show up. I stayed in the alley all night until my friend Shackleford told me you were at the station. His brother Wadsworth and I run a little burglary ring and figured it was time for something huge. A shame his brother had to be the fall guy, the guinea pig if you will. I set him up well. Never planned on it until I realized I left my handkerchief behind."

"Sandsbury....you..."

"Enough of the chitchat. It's time for you to die....Hmmm. Why aren't you dying? I have the coin right here."

He reached into his pocket to retrieve the coin, but found nothing. All of his pockets were empty. He found a hole in his right pocket.

A young lad darted out of his home nearby and ran up to Sandsbury, holding the coin in his hand.

"Did you lose this, sir?" he asked.

Sandsbury gasped and fell over lifeless.