I wasn’t quite finished with the story I was telling by the time 2025 ended and so decided to continue it until it reached an ending point. Then I will start a new one. Besides, I kind of want to see where Penelope ends up. And so we have…
Day 194: She opened the little doors in the front and blinked as she felt the tingle of magic in her fingertips.
She opened the little doors in the front and blinked as she felt the tingle of magic in her fingertips. Penelope wasn’t sure what the magic signified. ‘It could be an antitheft thing or maybe something to keep chains untangled. As she spent a large amount of time that morning untangling chains and expected that much of the afternoon would be spent the same way as she sorted through the still wrapped mystery bundles, she had to admit the spell would have some appeal.
‘If it doesn’t have it, I might find one and add it.’
Curious as to what the magic might do she retrieved the necklaces and bracelets she spent the morning untangling. She choose a charm on a chain and made certain it was a charm she had many versions of in her jewelry stash.
“If the jewelry box locks me out then I want to still have at least one version of the charm handy.’ She chose one that was a little old-fashioned and too overly ornate for her tastes. It was clearly a quality piece with real gemstones instead of cut glass, but it also looked more like it belonged around the neck of someone whose age was pushing triple digits. If she were to wear it, it would stand out as strange.
She hung the necklace on one of the hooks inside the jewelry case and closed the door. Again, she felt the tingle of magic in her fingertips as the door clicked shut. She waited for something to happen. Something flashy or loud. It didn’t. She looked through the glass doors to the necklace inside. It was still there. It had not melted or disappeared.
‘It looks different though.’
Penelope stared at the necklace through the glass. It looked more or less the same but somehow different. It took her a few moments to realize what the difference was. “The necklace now looks like cheap glass and even cheaper metal.”
Penelope opened the doors, expecting the tingle as she reached in and took the necklace back out. The necklace emerged looking like platinum set with gemstones. She was certain the emeralds were real. There was a depth to them. “And even if they are not, the metal is certainly good metal.”
She hung it up again and closed the doors. With the doors open it looked as it had in her hand. As soon as the doors clicked shut, it looked like cheap costume jewelry that would probably make her neck green after wearing it too long.
‘I suppose that is an anti-theft device.’ Penelope opened the doors again and this time added all of the untangled items to the case, getting them out of the ay before she opened the mystery bags to see what they held. She left the doors to the jewelry case open so she could add things once they were untangled.
“I will need my notebook in case any of them have charms.” Penelope left everything where it was and went to retrieve her notebook. She would later look up what the charms did if she found any new ones, but she wanted an inventory of anything magical she found.
‘I also want to see how good the good luck charm really is.’ She thought. Penelope picked up her pen and notebook as well as her cell phone and went back onto the kitchen.
“Admittedly as I managed to get through that agent show down with no problems, I suppose it is a very good luck charm.”
Penelope set her notebook and pen on the counter with her cell phone on top. She boosted herself onto the stool and reached for the first of the mystery packages. As she pulled the package close, the phone rang.
Ten til Midnight 