creative Prompt #300 - Creative

[comicfan]

You were shopping in mall and came across a little jewelry store. Considering you were there with friends you figured you would wander around even though you had no desire to buy anything. As you were walking down the counter the merchant spotted you and motioned you over to show you something. When you got near he immediately pointed out a ring, saying it would be “perfect for you.” The thing is when you seen it for some reason you really wanted it. What made the ring so “perfect?”

[JamesSavik]

The Legacy

 

 

The Curio Shoppe on McArther Boulevard had been there as long as anyone could remember. The old man that ran it lived in a apartment on the top floor of the building.

 

It was a regular stop for Caleb Williams who had going there since junior high. Now on his 21st birthday he was home from college with a couple of friends and making the rounds in the town.

 

When he pulled up to the shop, his friends gave him a look.

 

He shrugged and said, "Give it a look. I think you'll be surprised."

 

When they entered the store, a bell on the front door announced their entry.

 

As soon as they were inside, there was a hiss astonishment from Rick and Joe actually whistled.

 

In the front of the store there were rows and rows of chest high bookshelves that were filled with old books of all sorts.

 

Exquisite antique furniture was displayed in the space behind the bookshelves.

 

Magnificent paintings, coat of arms and wall hanging of all sorts filled the wall spaces.

 

The old man that ran the place was napping behind the cash register.

 

Caleb approached him and said, "Good afternoon Mr. Jenkins."

 

The old man opened his eyes and said, "Caleb! Good to see you laddie. It has been a while."

 

Caleb nodded and said, "I'm home for my birthday and I'm showing some friends around."

 

The old fellow grinned and said, "I'm glad you brought them by."

 

Rick said, "This place is magnificent. The stuff in here must be worth a fortune."

 

Mr. Jenkins stood up and dusted off his apron. He said, "Everything here is absolutely authentic. The Armoire over there is pre-revolution. That table is original Queen Anne."

 

Joe said, "Pre-Revolution?"

 

Mr. Jenkins said, "That would be the French Revolution- before 1789."

 

Joe began looking through the book shelves and said, "Oh my God! Is this..."

 

Jenkins grinned and said, "Origin of the Species- 1st Edition. It's one of the few that escaped the book burners."

 

Caleb said, "I told you this place is amazing."

 

Jenkins said, "I am a great lover of history and I like think of myself as torch bearer."

 

Rick asked, "Torch bearer?"

 

Jenkins laughed and said, "The torch of civilization. History has given us all so much. The more you study it the more amazing it really all is. Too many people have a perspective that starts with their birth and they don't really care what happens when they are gone. Our civilization is inheritance bequeathed to us by a long line of men who actually tried to build a better world. If I can share this perspective..."

 

Caleb said, "You should hear the stories of the pieces that he has in here. Tell us about the Suit of Armor standing back here."

 

Jenkins got a far away look in his eye and said, "That piece is proper plate mail made for the Marquis of Lyon in 1567 by the grand master armorer Francois Lebeau of Paris. It wasn't completed before the Marquis death and was taken by his son. It was never on the field and was part of the estate until it was moved to Switzerland in 1940 when France was occupied by the Nazis. It passed through seven owners until I got it in 1970."

 

RIck asked, "How much is it worth?"

 

Jenkins grinned and said, "It is priceless. It's equal can be found nowhere except for a few museums. I've never seen better."

 

Caleb said, "Some things just aren't for sale. One's heritage is priceless."

 

Jenkins grinned and said, "Well said Caleb, well said."

 

Rick asked, "There has to be a value for insurance purposes."

 

Jenkins nodded and said, "Yes, there is valuation of my collection on file with Loyld's of London. They are the only insurer who would do it justice but... I'd rather not talk money."

 

Joe said, "Rick, come here- you've got to see this!"

 

Rick grinned and excused himself.

 

Jenkins said, "Caleb, unless i miss my guess, this is your 21th birthday?"

 

Caleb nodded and he said, "Come back here, there's something that I have to show you."

 

Jenkins went back to the jewelry case and went behind the counter.

 

He opened a jeweled box and pulled out a ring. "Many years ago I served your father..."

 

Caleb exclaimed, "You knew my father?"

 

The shock struck him deep. His mother and her family had always said don't ask whenever he asked about his father. They had said that when he was old enough that he would be told.

 

Jenkins expression grew pained and he said, "I served his house for most of my life and continue to do so. You are now of age and it is time for you to come into your own."

 

"Your father had many enemies. He was hunted for many years and finally killed when you were very young. We placed you here far away from prying eyes to allow you to grow up safely. It is time for you to take your name."

 

Jenkins handed him a signet ring and put it on his hand: it was gold with an inlaid coat of arms with a double headed eagle.

 

The old man said in a quavering voice, "This is your heritage Alexander Romonov, Duke of Moscow, Marquis of Kiev, Count of the Black Sea and Earl of Saint Peterburg. You are the true king of the Russian Empire and if by life or death, I would serve you majesty."

 

 

Edited February 7, 2014 by jamessavik

[comicfan]

Interesting James. I like the way you took the ring and turned it into his family history, and Russian to boot, with all the world looking there with the Olympics.

Edited February 7, 2014 by comicfan

[joann414]

Interesting and entertaining take on the prompt, James.  I love to read about heritage, especially, royalty of sorts.   Loved it

[Aditus]

I want a 1. Edition of 'Origin of Species', or at least look at it. To be in that store... A good story with an surprising end. The true king of the Russian Empire just imagine.

[Lisa]

Wow, I just got chills.

 

Great story, James! =)

[wolfwriter]

The Ring

Even though my mind wasn’t really in it, I went to the antique mall with some friends. Jeremy wanted to get Jimmy something for their three year anniversary next month. It made me think about the fact that in a few days Michael and I would be together for four years and I wanted to do something special but had been procrastinating because I didn’t know what to get him.

 

While Jeremy was looking at bracelets and necklaces, I decided to wander around the store even though I really had no desire to buy anything. I had about a month to decide on what to get for Michael but I knew that whatever I got him he would love it.

I had stopped and looked at some bracelets but nothing seemed to call out to me. I looked around and saw that Jeremy was paying for his purchase.

 

As I headed back to where the rest of the group was standing this older gentleman waved me over to where he was standing behind the counter. When I got over there I noticed that he was standing in front on the men’s ring section.

 

“I think you will like this,” he stated as he pulled out a tray with different types of rings on it.

 

“I’m really not looking to buy anything, just here with some friends,” I replied as I looked down at the tray of rings.

 

“This ring was bought by my boss from an estate sale in Omaha, Nebraska,” he said as he held out one of the rings.

 

The ring was simple but beautiful.

 

“The ring is twenty four karat gold with diamond set in the center,” replied the salesman.

 

“What is the design that is on the sides?” I asked.

 

“There are leaves etched into the sides of the ring.”

 

I don’t know why but this ring was calling to me. When I looked around for my friends I saw that they were headed in my direction.

 

“Hey Tim, what are you looking at? Thinking of getting something for Michael?” asked Jeremy.

 

“Well I was thinking about what to get for Michael for our anniversary but I hadn’t thought about jewelry until he showed me this ring.”

 

“Are you thinking of proposing?” asked Jeremy.

 

“I think so. I love Michael with all my heart and want to spend the rest of my life with him.”

 

“Personally, I think he would love this ring. You know that he is a sucker for anything that is an antique,” responded Jeremy.

 

“I know and even though I wasn’t planning on doing any shopping, I think I am going to get this ring and propose on our anniversary in just a few days.”         

[Dolores Esteban]

Here's my attempt. The story's incomplete.

 

The Ring

[Aaron Penrose]

My response: 

 Black Diamond

 

Thank you, comicfan, for a great prompt! I ended up really happy with this.

Edited February 10, 2014 by Aaron Penrose

[Mann Ramblings]

Here's mine!

 

https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/story/mann-ramblings/promptramblings/12

 

It's actually a continuation of my last prompt response. Who knew?

[Slytherin]

Here's mine!

 

https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/story/mann-ramblings/promptramblings/12

 

It's actually a continuation of my last prompt response. Who knew?

Already ??!!! I am impressed   must check it out...

[Valkyrie]

Oliver

 

“C’mon, guys! You just have to check out this store!”  Kyle grabbed my arm and pulled me into the little jewelry store.  I didn’t have much choice, but to follow.  I didn’t know Kyle all that well.  He was a friend of Maggie, a waitress I worked with.  I hadn’t lived in Stockbridge very long.  Why I decided to move to the middle of nowhere is beyond me, but there I was being dragged into a jewelry store at the mall by someone I knew for a sum total of a couple hours.   Maggie squealed and dragged Kyle and me off to show us something that caught her eye.  “Oh, Ollie! Don’t you think this is perfect for Kyle?”  She held up a necklace that would, indeed, be perfect for Kyle. 

 

I smiled and nodded.  The two friends became engrossed in discussing Kyle’s wardrobe and what the store had to offer that complemented his style.  Normally, I would be all over that conversation since I’m a bit of a diva when it comes to fashion and accessories, but I wasn’t feeling my usual exuberant self that day.  I wandered around the store, idly checking out the merchandise.  I had no intention of buying anything.  I had my tip money from yesterday’s shift, but I wanted to be as conservative as possible.  I’d only been working at the diner for a few days and needed to save all I could for rent.  Paying the security deposit had taken pretty much all of my savings, so my tip money was all I had. I was keeping my fingers crossed that I could earn enough to cover next month’s rent.  Lost in my thoughts, I wandered around the store until I heard someone clearing his throat.  I looked over at the counter and the salesman was smiling at me and motioned me over.  I headed over and tentatively smiled back at him. He was kind of cute…if I was into middle-aged men.  He held up a ring and said “The minute I saw you, I knew you had to have this ring.  It’s perfect for you!”

 

I gasped and my eyes widened as I put my hand out and the salesman placed the ring on my finger.  It was silver with pink gemstones embedded around the middle.  It was glittery, sparkly, and pure ostentatiousness and it was absolutely perfect for me.  I sighed and handed it back to the salesman.  “I absolutely love it, but I can’t afford it right now.”

 

I heard Maggie behind me exclaim “Oh no!  You are not leaving here without that ring! It’s absolutely perfect for you!”

 

I looked down dejectedly.  “It’s either the ring or my rent, Maggie.  I can’t spend that kind of money right now. “ 

 

She opened her purse and took out her wallet.  “How much?” She asked the salesclerk.  The price he gave her was very low.  Apparently it was on sale. It was a great deal.  Maggie handed him her credit card as I started to protest.  She held her hand up.  “I don’t want to hear it, Ollie. I’m buying this whether you want me to or not.  This ring just ‘screams’ you! It would be a crime against nature to not buy it for you!”  Maggie was a force of nature herself.  Telling her “no” was not an option.

 

I had to look away because I didn’t want her to see me tear up.  After all the crap I’d been through over the past few months, it felt amazing that someone cared enough about me to buy me something just because I liked it.   After the purchase was complete, I hugged her tightly and whispered “thanks”.  As we left the store I made eye contact with the salesman and he gave me a smile and a wink. 

 

 

 

I was in a really good mood when I started work the next day.  I was finally waiting my own tables and didn’t have to share tips with another waitress.  I was feeling much more optimistic about being able to pay my rent.  My subdued mood of the day before was gone, and I had my sashay back in my step.  The owner of the diner, Alice, walked over to me as I dropped off the order I just took.  “Table 5 is ready to place their drink orders, Oliver. “  She gave me a leveled look.  “Remember what I told you, honey.  NO flirting on the job!” 

 

I swallowed. “Yes, ma’am.”  As I headed over to table 5 I realized why she gave me that reminder.  Oh Em Gee!!!  I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a table of hotness in my life!  Table 5 happened to be perfectly named because there were five stunning specimens of manhood sitting there.  My really good mood just multiplied by like a thousand.  

 

“I’m Oliver and I’ll be your waiter today.  What can I get you fine gentleman to drink?” I asked, looking them up and down appreciatively.  They all looked amused and gave me their drink orders.  The last one to give me their order was a blond man that was beauty incarnate.  He had longish hair pulled back into a loose ponytail, fine features, and the greenest eyes I have ever looked into.  He had a three-inch scar under his left eye, but it did nothing to detract from his beauty.  I clutched my order pad to my chest and sighed.  Then it registered that he was giving me his drink order.  “Oh my god!  Chocolate milk?  How cute is that?  I figured you for a coffee kind of guy.” 

 

He smirked at me and winked.  Oh my god, he winked at me! With those stunning emerald eyes…  I swear I honest to god swooned!   “If I drink coffee now, I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

 

The man next to him was a gorgeous hunk with short black hair and tribal tats that covered both his arms and went right up his neck. He elbowed blondie and snickered.  “Yeah.  He needs to make sure he gets his beauty rest.”

 

“Oh, honey you are positively divine!  If you get any more beauty sleep I think we’ll all die of heart failure!” They all laughed and I turned bright red. 

 

“Oliver!” I jumped as Alice called my name.  She was heading over to the table.

 

I started to panic as I remembered what she told me about flirting with customers.  “Oh my god  I am so sorry  I’m not supposed to flirt with customers  this is my first day on my own and I really need this job and oh my god she’s going to fire me!” all came out in a giant rush of words. 

 

Blondie put his hand on my arm.  “Relax, Oliver.  I’m not going to tell on you.” He gave me a warm smile.

 

“Tell what?” Alice asked. 

 

“Oliver forgot to ask if Jody needed a refill for his coffee.” 

 

Apparently Jody was the guy with the tats since he held up his coffee cup as proof.  I slinked off to get his coffee and blondie’s chocolate milk.  Alice gave me an appraising look.  I don’t think she bought it, but since the customers were covering for me I was safe at the moment.  “You have an order up, Ollie.  Remember what I said about flirting!”

 

“Yes, ma’am.”  I said contritely.  I brought table 5 their drinks and whispered “thank you!”  I got five warm smiles in return.  The last coffee cup I filled belonged to a big bear of a man.  He was bald with a full brown beard and was all muscle.  He had tats on his arms, too, but not as many as Jody.   I wasn’t really into bears, but he was a hottie in his own way. 

 

“That’s a nice ring.  It’s perfect for you.” 

 

“Awww…that’s so sweet!  Thank you!”  I stopped and put my hand over my mouth. 

 

“OLIVER!” Alice shouted at me. “You have an order up!”

 

I rushed over there sheepishly and apologized. I brought the order over to table 10, which was the polar opposite of table 5.  These guys were large and loud and rude. As I started setting the food down in front of them, one of them said “This isn’t what I ordered.”  He shoved the plate at me and mashed the food into my shirt. 

 

I gasped and jumped back.  “I’m sorry the order was wrong, sir.  If you let me know what you ordered I’ll make sure the kitchen corrects the mistake.”  I was trying hard not to shake, but it wasn’t working very well. 

 

The man snickered at me.  One by one they all claimed the food wasn’t what they ordered and they all mashed their plates onto my chest.  I didn’t think my humiliation could get any worse, when one of them said “we don’t want a fag anywhere near our food. Go get us a different waitress.”  I turned and started walking away, fighting back the sobs.  I ran right into blondie.  He put his arm around my shoulders and let me away from table 10. I saw that the rest of his friends were all in front of the table.

 

“Why don’t you pick on someone who can actually fight back.” Jody looked at them and cracked his knuckles.

 

The bear was next to Jody and picked up one of the plates and mashed it into one of the guy’s shirts.  “Let’s see how you like this fag near your food.”

 

Blondie brought me over to Alice and I started to sob into her chest.  She brought me into the employee bathroom and told me to clean myself up. I splashed cold water on my face, and cleaned up the food on my clothes as best I could. When I returned, the sheriff was arresting the man that started everything and the rest of table 10 dispersed after their leader was led away in handcuffs.  Alice went into the kitchen and returned with a glass of water for me and an ice pack for the bear.  He placed it on his hand and looked at me.  “Are you ok, little guy?”

 

I took a ragged breath in and nodded my head.  “Yeah.  Thanks to you guys.  I really appreciate what you did for me.”

 

“Our pleasure.  Assholes like that need to be put in their place, especially when they pick on sweet young things like you.” 

 

I blushed.  “Thank you.”  I was starting to change my mind about bears.  He headed back to table 5 to join the rest of his friends.  I took a drink of my water and started to head back to do my job. 

 

“What do you think you’re doing?”  Alice’s voice stopped me cold. 

 

“My job. “

 

“Oh, no, sweetheart.  Take the rest of the day off.  You’re still shaking and you’re a mess.  Go home and get cleaned up and calmed down.  Your job will still be here tomorrow.”

 

“Thank you, Alice, but I want to stay and finish my shift.  I need all the work I can get or I won’t be able to pay my rent. “The ice rattled in my glass as I took another shaky sip. 

 

Alice gently took the glass out of my hand.  “Ollie, you’re in no condition to work right now.  Don’t worry about your rent.  Everything will work out. Now go home, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

As I turned to leave blondie was standing in front of me.  He pressed some cash into my hand.  “Take the day off Ollie.  This ought to cover your rent.” He squeezed my shoulder and gave me a reassuring smile, then walked out of the diner with his friends.  I gasped when I counted the money he had put into my hands, five crisp one hundred dollar bills.  I definitely didn’t have to worry about rent now!  I shoved the money into my pocket and practically ran out the door.  I was in danger of breaking down and sobbing again.  I was so overwhelmed by the support of the hunks of table 5, my boss, and by Maggie’s generosity the day before. 

 

“Hey Ollie!”  I stopped dead when I heard my name.  I turned around to see the bear walking towards me.   “Do you need a ride home?  You seem too upset to drive.”

 

“Thanks, hun,” I smiled shyly “but I take the bus home.  I don’t have a car.” 

 

“Well you’re not taking the bus home today.  I’m giving you a ride home. My name’s Ben, by the way.” 

 

Normally I would have been offended at being given an order like that, but I took one look at him and knew he was offering nothing but kindness.  As I opened the door to his truck, sunlight glinted off my new ring. 

[comicfan]

My take on the prompt - https://www.gayauthors.org/story/comicfan/apromptaweek/6