The Orb

        The boy waited concealed in the shadows. A man came, eyes alert, watching, noticing every small detail. He knocked on the door and watied, not seeing the boy. The door opened, the man entered. Once the door was closed the boy peered through the window. A single dim light shone in the room as the men sat at a table. The boy watched as their lips, reading what they said.
        "You have it?" asked the lips, silent through the window.
        The newcomer pulled a small box from under his cloak. The other man reached for it, but it was pulled from his grasp.
        "Where's the money?" the newcomer asked.
        The man pulled a suitcase form under his chair setting it on the table."Let me see," he motioned to the box.
        The newcomer opened the box, keeping it just out of reach. Inside was a large green stone, pulsing with light.
        "The Orb," the man breathed, eyes gleaming with greed.
        "Now you," the newcomer said, noticing the look.
        The man opened the suitcase revealing the gold bars that filled it. A quiet trade was made.
        The boy tensed, waiting. His eyes quickly scanned the widnow, noticing the easy clasp.
        The newcomer stood. "It was a pleasure doing business with you."
        The boy opened the window and slipped in, thowing a knife in the lantern spilling the oil and extinguishing the light. The man threw a knife, but it was too late. The small boy was no longer there.
        Silence filled the room. The man searched for the door. Finding it, he opened it, letting moonlight touch the room. The orb was gone, the gold was gone, the gold was gone. The newcomer lay dead by the window, the man's knife sunk in his chest.
        "Noooooo!" screamed the man in agony, devastated at his loss of the powerful orb.
        Meanwhile, back in the streets, a young boy slipped through the shadows carrying his treasures back to his master.

The greatest treasure is love. Power does nothing but corrupt.

Back Artopia Home