Robb's Chapter, Page Four

PREVIOUS PAGE

The appraiser was an old man named Ed, someone Robb had met when Robb’s parents were both still alive.

It’d been at a bazar event the Falling Rocks community planners had thrown. He’d appraised some old civil war coins they’d found and had given them the estimates for how much they’d have been worth. A friendly guy. Robb’s mother didn’t trust him, but Robb thought he was an alright enough kind of guy.

            He was there, at his kiosk, hunched over something on the table, looking bored. He glanced up, “Robb, in a second… I will be right with you.” He had a thick southern accent. Robb knew he came from Florida; he had moved to Falling Rocks sometime during the Vietnam war.

            Robb waited. He glanced over his shoulder. The crowd of kids had moved to the fountain. They were talking amongst themselves. One of them looked back at him and said something that Robb didn’t understand. The rest of the crowd laughed.

All of them were looking at him by the time Ed said, “I’m good.”

“I found this in my garage,” Robb said, pulling the pendant from the bag, “I think it was my mom’s.” He held it up so that it twisted on the chain.

Ed stared at it with a blank expression. He grunted. Cleared his throat. Poked it with his finger. Rubbed his chin. Many things that made him appear thoughtful.

“Well?” Robb asked.

“Well,” Ed said, “What you’ve got right there, is dangerous.”

“What?” Robb asked.

Ed laughed at his expression, “What you’ve got there… Is proof of membership. Take a look at those parrot haired punks.” Ed inclined his head in the direction of the kids by the fountain. When Robb turned to look, he saw that they were all looking back. “I’ll bet they each have a similar item. Maybe a ring, or maybe a necklace.”

“Membership of what?” Robb asked. He turned

“You can ask them yourself,” Ed said. He pointed.

Robb turned back around and saw one of them, a tall skinny boy with long blue hair, walking over. “Hey,” Robb said, once the kid had closed the distance enough that Robb felt it was appropriate to start a conversation.

NEXT PAGE