Sanguine Tenacious Tidings

Purdy's Mistake

BCoF for August 5. 2020. BCoF prompt is about Opals:Weave us a tale about an opal heist.

Heist or Accident?

Purdy had caught a ride to the mining camp one morning. He thought it would be fun just to see how the mining was done. After all, today he was just another tourist looking for information about how to mine Opals. When he arrived he realized it was not a good day for tourists. When he inquired about the mining tours and other tourist attractions he was met with suspicion and even lots of hostility.

One shop keeper called the local law enforcement who took Purdy to a little under ground office and drilled him for several hours about why he was in the mining camp. Eventually Purdy was let loose with a warning to stay away from the mines. Everywhere he went he was met with paranoia and hostility. I don't know what's going on here but it doesn't make me feel safe. In the afternoon when people were resting from the heat he left. No sense waiting for the tourist ride to come back for me. Thought Purdy.

A piece of rock fell from the dusty rocky mountain as Purdy was stealthily moving away from the small mining village. If he could get away quickly he would be able to make good time on the camel trail that led into the desert. He stopped to pick up the rock. If he was followed it might come in handy as a weapon. Grasping the stone in his hand he trotted down the trail. The heat of the day would help cover his movements. Most people were resting until the sun went down enough to resume a scheduled work day.

Purdy was so glad he had brought lots of water. He trudged all day until he saw the greenery of the landscape as it hit the edge of the desert trail. He had fingered the rock in the palm of his hand all day. Now, he was pretty sure he would not need it. No one seemed to be following him. When he reached the wooded green section of the trail he sat down to rest and watch the desert trail that led to the mining camp. No one else was out and you could see the heat shimmer across the trail that led to this part of the landscape. Behind him he could hear the water as it fell from cool rocks into a river. All he had to do was follow the river. It would be cooler and well traveled. His escape was assured.

looked down at the rock in his hand. As he rubbed it in his palm, mountain grit and dirt began to crumble off it. In the end, pieces broke off and fell to the ground. As the mountain detritus crumbled away, it left a veined stone which caught the light and sparkled with color. Purdy held it up toward the sun. He rubbed it and exclaimed as the light danced and whirled causing him to draw in his breath as the stone produced a magical aura. "What have I found?" he exclaimed.