Gemotions

The fluorescent lights of the pawn shop hummed, a monotonous drone that matched the thrumming in Elias’s temples. He flipped through a rack of dusty baseball cards, each one eliciting the same blank response. Baseball, he knew, used to be important to his grandfather. He just couldn't drum up any care about it.

He ambled towards the jewelry counter, the bell above the door chiming as he passed. Rows of tarnished silver and chipped porcelain dolls held no interest. Then, nestled amongst a pile of forgotten trinkets, a familiar glint caught his eye.

It was the ring. His grandmother’s. The one she’d always worn, until… until it disappeared. He picked it up, cold metal against his palm, and studied the tiny diamonds. A vague memory of his grandfather, beaming, came and went as quickly as it arrived. “How much?” he asked the bored-looking clerk.