Gemotions

The fluorescent lights of the pawn shop buzzed, each flicker a tiny threat. Amelia wiped her clammy palms on her jeans, the rough denim a small comfort. She hadn't slept in two days, every creak in her house a footstep, every shadow a lurking figure.

The ring. She'd seen it in the online listing. Her grandmother’s ring. The listing showed the date of the auction, and suddenly, everyone she’d seen that day seemed suspicious. Her colleagues, her friends, even the grocery store clerk with the oddly shaped mole.

She’d spent the morning trailing the shopkeeper, the owner, a woman with tight lips and a severe bun, convinced she was in league with whoever took it. She felt a tickle at the back of her neck. Was someone watching her now? She turned, but saw only dusty shelves and tarnished silver.

Amelia’s eyes darted around the room, searching for the ring, bracing for the inevitable. The ring was a beacon, attracting unseen forces. She just knew it. Each tick of the clock was a step closer to…something. She just had to have it back before it was too late.