It was a perfect shade of red mahogany. It was topped off with just enough beautiful gloss to make it reflect perfectly when the light graced the surface, but not heavy enough to distract from the beautiful engraving on the lid. The butler would gently glide his index finger and middle finger across the engraving, feeling the 3D surface of the engraving even through his black leather gloves.
The delicate nature of each individual detail could tell you more about the man's expertise than any resume he could write up - it took decades of honing his skills to create something like this, and it showed in the final result.
It's ugly. That was all he could think of when viewing it. Despite its attractive appearance, all he could see was the human error woven inside of each grain of the wood.
After the butler had his fair share of looking at it, he would slowly close the lid of the protective case that was surrounding it, latching the lock soon afterward. He would slip it back into the velvet bag that he was given to carry it in, and decided to head back to the waiting widow who was waiting anxiously to see the result of the box.
On his way back to the mansion, he would walk past that antique shop. The one that was no bigger than a small studio apartment, but was filled to the brim with old furniture. You couldn't see the wallpaper underneath all of the things being hung up onto the walls, and there was only enough space for a small walkway to the counter.
He's walked past it several times, and every time he would stop in his tracks to take a look through the windows that displayed all of the clutter to anyone who walked past it.
Something felt off about this place.
He would take a moment to look at his pocket watch to see what time it was. He had more than enough time to make a stop here.
After slipping the metallic watch back into the spot made just for it, he would open up the door with his free hand. He'd take a step on the single piece of concrete that rested underneath the door to serve as a small step.
He wasn't sure what he was looking for, so his eyes would just skim over all of the clutter to see if anything would spark a reaction inside of him. Nothing had caught his eye just yet.
The old lady that sat behind the counter noticed that the butler was looking for something, so she would call out to him after waiting for a few moments to see if he'd pick up anything. She'd stand up with her wooden cane, trembling like a baby deer standing up for the first time.
❝ Are you looking for something? ❞
He would turn his head slightly towards the direction of the voice before his eyes would widen slightly.
He was almost caught off guard when he noticed it. He came in with no clue with what he was looking for, but when his brown eyes reached the small kitty charm sitting on the corner of the counter - he knew that was it.
He would respond to the shaky voice. He would walk down the narrow pathway that lead to the counter - only wide enough for a single person to walk through it at a time.
❝ Is this charm for sale? ❞
The old lady would look a bit confused about what he was referring to, as all of the objects that stood behind the item made it hard for her tiny size to see the item in question. She would peak over the counter slightly to see what he was pointing at before she would give a small dry chuckle.
❝ Yes, it is. It's for $2.50. ❞
He would look at it for a few moments. He couldn't tell if that price was steep for a cheap charm, or if it was a steal for an antique item.
Either way, he would open up his jacket to grab the card that was tucked away inside of its inner pockets. She would grab the card from his fingertips and then rung up his sale. She would put the kitty charm inside a small wooden bag before handing it to him with his card.
❝ Is that all you want today? ❞
A small pause floated between her question and his response.
She would give him a warm smile before she would sit down in her seat once again.
❝ Well, have a nice day, sir. ❞
After reaching the room that the owners of the mansion provided for him, he would sit the bag onto his nightstand. He would slip off his jacket so he could hang it up into his closet Despite this mansion having so many luxuries to offer, this tiny servant's quarters got very warm.
After he hung it up inside of his closet, he rolled up his sleeves just past his elbows. He would let out a heavy sigh before the bag on the nightstand caught his attention in the corner of his eyes.
Something about it didn't feel right. Though, he couldn't put his finger on why it felt off.
He'd make his way over to the bag, spreading the crumbled top so he could reach down inside of it. He'd grip onto the charm and bring it out of its brown bag containment.
It looked like a normal charm. Nothing about its appearance was unique to him. Though, it did feel slightly weighted when he tilted the charm sideways.
He would turn the charm upside down to see if anything poured out to the palm of his hand. And something did. Ashes. Despite the warm temperature of the room, he felt a sudden coldness wash over him.
He whispered a bit confused as he rubbed his index finger to dig through the ashes to see if anything was hidden underneath. Why were there ashes inside of this charm?
