Ana and Turquoise

The old silversmith smiled faintly as he picked up the bracelet from his wooden display table and handed it to Ana.  It was beautiful, meticulously imbedded with turquoise stones that formed a distinctive braided pattern along its length.  The turquoise design was completely unlike anything that Ana had ever seen, and it drew her towards the shiny adornment. 

“Did you make this here?” Ana asked.

“Yes,” the old man replied pleasantly. “Everything here has a purpose.  This was made for you.” 

Ana thought that this was an odd statement.  She and her boyfriend had simply been driving through the desert south of Mexico City when they stopped by the small, rundown shop.  She ignored it as the ramblings of an eccentric old man.

“Are you ready, Ana?” her boyfriend called out in an annoyed tone.

“The bracelet has the ability to bring you what you are sincerely seeking.  What do you desire?” the old man continued, ignoring her boyfriend.

An inviting flame flickered from the hot coals in the dark workshop, and, for a moment, Ana thought she saw the same flame in the old man’s eyes.  Suddenly feeling uneasy, Ana paid for the bracelet and left. 

Six years later, Ana sat at an outdoor café alone.  The relationship with her boyfriend had not worked out (nor had any of the other relationships since then).  As she sat, a flicker of light caught her attention.  She glanced over and saw a pleasant-looking man wearing a silver and turquoise bracelet.  She was drawn to it by the familiar braided turquoise pattern.  Without thinking, she impulsively leaned over to the stranger.

“Excuse me, that is a very unique bracelet.”

“Thank-you,” he replied, “I bought it a few years ago from a strange old silversmith while traveling with a former girlfriend.”

Word count: 298