1 Black Stone

Our story begins in a small town on a rainy day, in the Countryside in a corner shop. There was a young man tending to a customer in his place of work Co-op as a cashier.

The customer was found glaring at the ugly black haired man. "you listen hear you piece of shit, you will refund my jack Daniels whiskey right now or I'll talk to your manager and make sure you are fired!" the customer looks at his name tag "draco penhead, what a shit name you have!" looking at the customer draco said "look sir, I'm sorry I carnt refund your whiskey but you need to bring a receipt and you already downed half the bottle so there isn't anything I can do." the customer lurched forward violently and smashed the bottle on top of Draco's head cutting his forhead open. Draco leaned backwards with the impact whilst screaming in pain. "What the fuck is wrong with you old man! " draco said whilst clutching his injured forhead and replays in kind, by swinging his fist towards the old man's face and curving his nose inwards on impact the result was a spray of blood erupting from his face `ahhhh! ' "Manager help your staff are attacking me!" just as the manager walks in he managed to see Draco's fist planted in the old man's face and roars "what do you think your doing you idiot" without calling the police or hearing his staffs side of the story, the manager quickly fires him on the spot and tells him to get out, whilst helping the customer who was screaming a long list of swear words.

Draco left the corner shop in a hurry into the pouring rain whilst crying his eyes out from the throbbing pain in his head.

"why! Why did this have to happen to me, it's not enough that I'm living in a fucked up broken flat and missing a month's Rent. I had to lose my only method of making money too, I'm in my rights to defend myself but noo he won't even listen to the story first, considering that prick hit me in head with a bottle! If I could afford to sue the prick, I would have!" trudging along the well worn path on the way back to his apartment located in a complex with rain dripping from his throughly soaked hair. He see's something glinting on the side of the foot path in a patch of grass. It looked like a well polished pitch black stone.

Although most stones seem unremarkable , this one looks like a uncut gem, then a stone and most likely belonged in a museum gift shop, he was surprised to find something like this.

Thinking its probably only worth a couple of pounds and dropped by a kid. He picked it up to sell online later using his crappy ten pound mobile that he bought on ebay using the local library's computers. Putting it in his pocket he failed to notice a glint of red smoke inside the unremarkable gem.

When he reached the junction and turned left he saw a crumbling apartment complex that was mainly used by the unsavory sort and gets accosted on the way by hunched over hag grabbing his shoulders and shaking him "yo sck of shit u btter have me bling by morning, or ill have the lads gut you like a pig and feed what's left of you in the drains!" nodding his head in fear " yes Mrs thorn ill do my best" , he quickly walked faster in fear keeping his head down avoiding all eye contact with the thugs, he can see gathering on side of road rubbing what looks like a harley motorbike 'fucking freaks' he thought.

All but running up the metal staircase, he signs in relief seeing his front door and thumbles around in his pockets for his key. A man walking behind him slams his left hand to side of his head on the door and said "you better have that money boy and don't think about running understand", we will be watching you" walking off and leaving Draco badly shaking.

Draco finally opens door only to see what little possessions and furniture he has smashed to pieces all over his floor and piss stains on his mattress. Finally closing the door he couldn't help letting out a small sob. " I wish I had a new chance at life but dreams never come true they only get worse"

Ripping some of what's left of the curtains on the floor, he used them to cover his head where he still has a cut along his head to help staunch the bleeding.

'there's no point selling this stone now. What savings I managed to save from my job, has been taken from whoever fucked up my apartment'. Seeing no point to staying awake and feeling exhausted from his day the stress of knowing that this might be the last time he lives, he goes to sleep on the mattress on the floor.