It was late afternoon and the sun could been seen setting. It is during this time we set our eyes on a new cast of characters as they are walking home from school.
"I've never been so glad to hear the school bell before" sighed Tom Wilson as he walked down thew city sidewalk with his friends and sister. Tom was the son of Nate Wilson, a CEO of one of the larger companies in town. He attended middle school with his friends, Adam Hartford and Ashley Ryan. His younger sister, Sara, rounded out the young group.
"I hear you man. I can only hear Mrs. Thomas go on and on about algebraic equations. Makes me gag thinking about it" said Adam, before he strutted around, trying to imitate their math teacher. Adam's imitations always drew laughs from eveyone, and this one didn't dissappoint.
"As always, your impressions are top notch" noted Ashley. Ashley was the daughter of Nate's close friend, Brandon Ryan. She and Tom had known eachother since they were 3 years old.
"Look at that guys! Looks like there's a new store here!" shouted Sara, pointing towards the shops on the side of the road. Their neighborhood wasn't too far from here, hence why they walked to and back fron school. Anyway, they did notice that a new store had opened in place of the unoccupied space that had been there for months.
"Guess someone finally bought the place" remarked Adam. After taking a closer look, they noticed the name of the shop. It was called "Pandora's Box".
"Nice name, if not a bit foreboding" said Ashley, after taking a good look. The shop had a friendly look to it, but there was something in the air that made the teens a bit more than apprehensive.
"Oh, what are you scared of? Probably just chose that name to make it sound cool. Let's check it out" said Adam, not wasting another second before running to the front door.
"He's so impatient at times. To think he actually tries to make people think he's a jock" remarked Tom. At that, he heard giggling behind him. He turned to see Ashlet covering her mouth, ill hiding her amusement.
"You're one to talk about impatience" giggled Ashley, barely concealing her laughter. Tom huffed and continued to go join Adam. Ashley and Sara joined behind them. Adam opened the door and allowed the group to enter the shop. It looked fairly normal, not much different from most shops. It was certainly kid friendly by the looks of it, as there were toys in places and other such objects.
"Hmm, interesting place but not much for us" said Adam, possibly referring that kids their age didn't really need such things. Tom was about to agree when an older man walked out from behind the counter.
"Oh, hello children. So glad to have our first customers here" said the man.
"We're your first?" asked Ashley.
"Yes. We opened shop just a few hours ago. Of course, word hasn't gotton out far yet, so I'm glad that we get to see customers on our first day" grinned the man.
"You're welcome. Although, we're mostly just looking around. We really wouldn't know what to buy" said Sara. The old man's eyes glimmered slightly as they caught sight of Tom.
"You there boy" said the man, gesturing to Tom. "What's your name?"
"Tom Wilson" replied Tom, not quite sure what the man was getting at. The man grinned at the name.
"Are you Nate Wilson's boy?" he asked, causing Tom to wince slightly at how the man knew his dad's name.
"How did you know that?" he asked.
"Oh, I've known your father for some time. As he told you much of his life?" asked the man.
"Not too much. He's only talked about how his teenage years were a huge ruckus, especially when he turned 15. He would never really elaborate on it, only that he was happy when things settled down eventually" said Tom.
"Is that so? Honestly, I bet he wishes for some of that excitement to come back. You wish for it as well, correct?" asked the man. Tom raised an eyebrow. What was this man getting at? Did he know more than he was letting on?
"I suppose. Life does get a bit boring at times" said Tom. The man grinned to himself.
"Well, in that case, how about I offer you this? A special treat for being the first customer" said the man. He kneeled down and grabbed something from underneath the counter. Before he could explain, Adam spoke up.
"Personally, I don't have much interest in this. I'm out of here. Let's go you guys" said Adam. Sara turned to join him, but Ashley insisted on staying with Tom. Adam grinned to himself. Ashley always wanted an excuse to be with Tom. With that in mind, Adam and Sara left, leaving the two to deal with the man.
"What is that?" asked Tom. What the man pulled out seemed to be some kind of case, a box if you will. Tom didn't really know what was inside of it.
"There's something special in this case. Something that isn't seen often. I can promise you that your lives will take completely different turns if you embrace what's in here" said the man. Both Tom and Ashley raised eyebrows at that.
"Really?" asked Tom, a bit interested but still skeptical.
"Yes, and for being our first customer, I'm offering it free of charge. Just think of it as a gift for the good times I had with your parents" said the man. Tom was more skeptical now, as the man seemed to know his mother, Kate, as well. Just who was this man? Then again, the item was free and Tom figured he could bring it back if it didn't work out.
"Thank you sir" said Tom, embracing the item.
"Glad to hear it. I can assure you that you won't be dissappointed" said the man. Tom and Ashley said good byes before getting themselves out of the shop as quickly as possible.
They had no idea as to what they just brought into their lives.
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