Alex got off the bus, grunting under the weight of the books in his bag. Thankfully, his house was down hill. walking toward the center of the street, (which the bus passed and refused to drop him off in front of his house,) He noticed there was a commotion at old man Morgan's house.
It was known throughout the neighborhood that Mr. Morgan had passed recently, and that relatives were trying to sell the house. The man had apparently led an exciting life but was rumored to be crazy in his later years. A rumor supported by the family members...
On a whim, Alex walked over to see what was going on and found an estate sale in full swing on a Tuesday afternoon. He meandered up with mixed emotions, part of him was excited to find something cool, part of him was overjoyed he had birthday money, part of him didn't want to part with his hard-saved birthday money, and part of him was afraid he'd regret looking.
Mr. Morgan was apparently a hoarder because despite having tables up half the driveway, the garage was still packed floor to ceiling. Alex meandered around for a few minutes before he happened across a display of hunting knives and an awesome looking short sword. Alex knew for sure he wouldn't regret getting any of these and spent several minutes deliberating over his options.
Selecting his item, Alex proudly walked up to the frazzled man in his 50's running the register. "Hey, I'd like to buy this." Alex set the short sword down and reached for his wallet. The man picked it up, and read off the price tag on the item. That will be "35 dollars" he said flinching, as though he was expecting a haggle war to begin.
Alex pulled out his money and set it down. The man seemed to look at Alex for the first time and visibly deflated. He looked down at the sword, "Aw kid, I can't sell this to you, its a weapon and you're too young."
Alex didn't want to give up yet, "But I'm American and every citizen has the right to bear arms." Alex said with a proud grin... thinking he caught the man.
The tired looking man smiled sadly, "Yes, you're right... you have the right to bear arms... and the right to vote... once you reach the age of majority, which is 18."
It was Alex's turn to deflate. The man was talking but Alex barely heard him, something about having his parents buy it for him. Alex put his money back in his wallet. "Hey kid, I feel bad 'cause you're the only one so far who hasn't tried to talk me down 50%. Take something from this box, I can't afford to let anyone leave empty handed. As it stands, this is going to take forever." The man gestured to the massive quantity of stuff in every direction.
Not wanting to be rude, Alex grabbed the top item, mumbled thanks, and continued home. All he was thinking about was the short sword he'd never be able to get.
Getting inside he dropped his bag and for the first time he realized what was in his hand...