| Fan Fiction |
by Acc.
"Xiao Zhen, how old are you?" The old lady asked as she observed the young girl in front of her. The girl's petite frame was wrapped in thick layers of clothing, her skinny face was flushed red from the cold and a pink scarf was tied neatly around her fair,smooth neck. Behind the pair of black geeky glasses were a pair of beautiful chestnut eyes. Not pretty, but very pleasant. The old lady nodded and looked at her husband.
"23." Xiao Zhen replied, barely above a whisper. She looked at the weird old lady, then shifted her gaze to her husband, they were looking at her with a glow in their eyes. A glow of excitement...
She had gone on a group tour to Japan and met this elderly couple. For some reason she could not explain, the elderly couple befriended her the moment they set their eyes upon her, it was like as if, they knew they were going to meet her. For the past few days, she had been with the couple, just like how a granddaughter would to her grandparents.
"Are you attached?" The old man asked curiously. Hebe shook her head.
"Nope." and paused for a second, before adding timidly. "Never been in one..." She bowed her head low uneasily, ignorant of the couple's excited gazes.
"We're thirsty, can you get us something to drink??" The old man continued, in a bid to shun Xiao Zhen out of sight. He turned to his wife as the girl left their table. "How?"
"Not bad, very pleasant and sweet. I think she's the one."
"You think she's the one?" The old man questioned, as if doubting his wife's decision.
"Yes." The wife said without hesitation and reached into her coat pocket.
"You really want to give it to her? You better pray you made the right choice... It's our treasure." The old man nagged.
"It's her, I can feel it." The old woman assured her husband.
Just then, Xiao Zhen came back with 3 bottles of juices in her hands. The moment she sat down, the old lady brought a jade pendant to her neck and commented, "This pendant looks good on you...", she placed the pendant in Xiao Zhen's hand.
Xiao Zhen examined the pendant closely and gasped.
"Wow! What an exquisite piece of jade!" She held the pendant against the light, "It's crystal clear..." She held the necklace in her hand and felt its cooling touch in her hands.
"Do you want it?" The old lady asked.
"Huh?This must be really expensive..."
"If you really like it, we can give it to you..."
"GIVE??!!" Xiao Zhen gasped. "But it;s genuine jade, it must be a very valuable antique, I wouldn't dare accept it..."
"We'll sell it to you then?" The old man looked at her, and as thought he could read her mind, he added,"at a good price too, you can afford it,I'm sure..."
Xiao Zhen examined the pendant, it must be really expensive... but she liked it so much she could not bear to put it down now. She nodded at the couple and asked them, "How much are you willing to sell? It's a really intricate piece of jewellery, do you bear to sell such an antique?"
"We own an antique store, a jade like this, we have plenty..." The old lady lied. "So?" She smiled at her.
Xiao Zhen hesitated for a second, then nodded at the couple. "How much can I buy it for?" The couple exchanged glances, then the old lady raised her index finger at her.
"$1000?" Xiao Zhen asked. $1000 is a pretty good price. In fact, too cheap for a jade like this. She smiled and brought her bottle of juice to her mouth.
"No.$1" Xiao Zhen choked on her drink and coughed furiously.
"$1??!!!" Is there a problem with her sense of hearing? Did she hear the lady's words correctly?$1?
"Yes, $1." The lady repeated.
"Bb...but $1 can't even buy you a proper meal. This jade can provide you with at least years of good food..." Xiao Zhen explained unbelieveably and looked doubtfully at the couple.
"The jade is ours, we can sell it at whatever price we want." The lady replied firmly, with no intention of changing her mind. She held out her wrinkled hand, "$1,please...No turning back."
Xiao Zhen stared at the old couple. What is wrong with them? Selling a piece of antique at $1?
"Hurry,hurry! The tour guide's gathering his tourists..."
Xiao Zhen sighed. Fine, $1 it is. It's a good bargain. She reached into her pocket and dug out a copper coin.
"It's a rather plain pendant, it would be perfect if you have your name carved on it...Xiao Zhen, come with us tonight. I know of a reliable and skilled artist here who can do that for you." The old man said.
Before Xiao Zhen could open her mouth to protest, the old couple stood up and walked towards their tour guide, leaving a puzzled Xiao Zhen behind.
- - -
Somewhere else, chaos were all over the place.
"Look for that pendant! Find it back, and catch the culprit! I'll never let the thief off!!!"
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Author's note: Yeapz, the end of Prologue. despite having second thoughts about the story, decided to go on with it anyway, hope I can finish this story and dun get writer's block along the way. Comments are very welcome!
Acc.
[18 Mar 2005]