Max walked into a shop in a mall. The mall was usually packed on a Saturday, but it seemed to be nice and empty. Max was planning to get some friends together to play some board games. They were all from around 13-16 roughly.
Anyways, Max walked into many stores. A Geeky Video Game store, a miniature figurine store, a Dungeons and Dragons Store. Even a board games store. None of these stores had anything intriguing to show. Max usually organsised every other weekend to have a board game evening. This one was going to be the most important one since it was on the 22nd of December, the shortest day of the year. Or as some others would know it to be ‘The Winter Solstice’.
Max walked with no hope of finding the perfect game for the day. This was when Max noticed a small shop, hidden in a corner or the mall. It didn’t seem obvious before, but with the lack of hope Max guessed it was the last option.
Inside the store were many odd looking trinkets and bottles of liquids. At was after looking around for a minute or so, Max noticed a box with an engraved pattern on it, and a rune of some sorts.
Max tried to reach for this box, but it was too high up on the shelf. Then a hand grabbed it, the hand was grey and old. Max looked at this persons face and saw an old man with a crooked nose and bushy eyebrows. “Sorry for putting it so high, I guess my height proceeds yours. I assume you were trying to grab this,” he placed the box onto the counter. Max could only say, “Uhh, thank you,”
“I seem to have frightened you, let me, in return give you a discount on that,” he turned over the price tag and it suddenly read $2 instead of $26,
“How did you, that’s.. well, that’s quite a discount,” said Max, flustered,
“It’s absolutly fine, I’ve been trying to get rid of that game for a while, it takes up so much space,”
“Well, thank you,” said Max sincerely,
“Do not worry, have fun,” he said with a smile, “and remember, it’s just a game,” he winked,
Max returned home, staring at the box, waiting for people to arrive. The box looked so intriguing that Max hovered a hand over the latch.
Then, the doorbell rang..