Daily Flash Fiction Challenge

Winifred locked her fingers tightly around the necklace in her pocket. Tears welled around her innocent eyes as she pulled out the trinket. Her thumb stroked the intricate designs on the golden heart pendant while she ran the thin link chain through her fingers. She opened the clasp of the heart locket and stared solemnly at the photograph of her parent’s smiling blissfully. With a deep breath she closed the seal, wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and straightened her back before opening the door to the shop she was standing in front of.

The Mole Hole was a small secondhand shop cluttered with old junk that people didn’t want, or couldn’t afford not to get rid of. To Winifred, a girl of only eight, the shelves of overstocked miscellany were overwhelming. She tiptoed her way through an aisle lined with old movies and books to the back of the store, where she knew the owner was residing behind a counter.

The bearded man was leaning with his back against the wall, smoking. He gave her a severe stare, put out his cigarette, and walked past the counter over to her. The man had been purchasing the poor girl’s items for months.

Without speaking, Winifred held the necklace out to him. She closed her eyes as she felt the weight lift off of her palm. The man took the necklace into the back and inspected it closely before returning to the girl with two hundred dollars and the photo of the girl’s parents.

She looked at him expectantly, but he only shook his head. He watched the hope drain from her face and materialize into disappointment. He then watches her as she stuffs the money in her pocket and leaves his establishment, her head dipped slightly with melancholy.