Instalment number three
Hey Blog! I notice that it has been a very long time since I updated you on this story, so here it is: The Story of the Box!
The trinket seller’s vending box
The trinket seller took the box, and kept it for a long time. He stood on pavements, and alleys, and gained quite a reputation. For almost twenty years the box held trinkets, watches and knives and imitation jade ornaments and fake pearls, and two removable shelfs were made in it, to hold all these items. Most of his customers were sailors, getting things for their loved ones at home, or poor people trying for a bit of glamour when they went out to dance. In time, the box was used at his home, to put clothes in, and even afterwards, when it was used for its proper purpose again, it still smelled faintly of mothballs. His children knew it as “Dad’s chest picked up at the hotel” but it was mostly referred to as “Dad’s trunk”. When his eldest son came into the trade, the box passed to him, which was ironic as he had bashed and dented it several times when he was quite young! Many times he demonstrated the sharpness a hatchet, or clasp knife, by carving a gentle line on the lid of the box. A number of cuts were picked up this way, and in time, the board on top had to be replaced. However, this did not help the lines on the decorative edging around it. One day, he told everyone that he would sell a great quantity of items on the same day next week. He duly bought a large amount of trinkets, and sold them for a big profit. While counting the cash, he observed a man with three anchors tattooed on his arm coming fast towards him. When he reached the spot, he asked if he had anything left to sell. As the trinket seller did not, he said so, and the sailor was just turning to go, when he said:
“That your box? Fancy selling ‘er to me, three doubloons and a stick o’ baccy to go with it for ‘er?”
“Why, yes, I’ll sell, but keep your tobacco, I can do without it. The box was my father’s, to be sure, so take good care of it.”
The sailor assured him he would do so, and the box changed hands once more, on a long, long, journey that would take it many times round the world, taking with it some cuts and several scratches.
Instalment number three Read More »