1 Insurance

It was a great day. The afternoon sun was out, although being partially covered by the clouds. The wind was somewhat blowing softly across the entire city, making sure that the heat of the sun did not inconvenience anyone.

Many people were strolling on the roads appreciating the weather, along with the fact that it was one of the less busy days in the city. Yes, it was a great day, but not for everyone.

In front of a pawnshop, stood a young man.

Raiden Creed was hesitating whether to go in or not, knowing that whatever happens, he would feel bad.

But he had to make a choice.

'For my family.' He convinced himself.

*Kling...kling...kling*

The chimes on the door sounded out, notifying the clerk of a potential customer.

"Good morning, Sir. What can I do for you?" The lady gave a professional smile, secretly assessing the teenager.

He was quite... handsome? Not yet, just cute. He had dark brown hair, fair skin and a cute nose. It was clear he had still yet to finish puberty. And his eyes clearly showed that he was hesitating. A lot.

"Yeah. Umm... I want to get my necklace appraised. And... umm... can... can it be done by today?" Raiden spoke with uncertainty. He took out his necklace slowly from under his shirt showing it to the lady.

It was a gold necklace with a blue pear-shaped gem pendant encased in a black vine. It was quite beautiful with its gem shining an electrifying blue. Inside, you can clearly see a lightning shaped inclusion giving it a much more unique feel. On the black vine, his name was engraved, [Raiden Creed].

"Certainly. I can confirm the authenticity of the gold immediately, though I can only do a basic test for gemstones. Not to worry, I am a certified gemologist approved by the GIA. May I take a closer look?" The gemologist lady said, holding out her hand.

He hesitated, again, for a moment, before reluctantly unclasping it from his neck and put it in her hand.

The thing was, Raiden's father passed away a few weeks ago. And before they had finished mourning, his late father passed on his debts. His life insurance was not enough to fully pay it off, still leaving quite a large sum to cover. Although the remaining debt was not that big to consider selling the house, his mother had to work overtime to cover up their living cost and tuition fees of him and his siblings.

They had already borrowed much from family and friends and greatly reduce the debt, and his mother was able to pay of the compounded interest and some of the original amount. But it would still take a year of work just to stabilize the interests and then be able to go back to what it was before.

He wanted to help. Though it may not be significant, he wanted to at least show his support to his mother. So, Raiden sold off most of his consoles and collection of Pokémon games, save for some to let his brothers play with.

He had already saved up a few thousand dollars but felt it was not enough. And so here he was, trying to sell his most prized possession, a necklace he got from his grandfather. He knew grandfather would understand, though he wasn't alive to confirm it.

The gemologist lady first examined the necklace, looking for the stamp that signifies its purity. And there it was near the clasp. It was labeled, '991 24k'. The necklace had a purity of 99.1% gold, almost pure gold!

Then she did a few tests. She pinched it, weighted it and looked with a magnifying glass. At one point, she took out a testing stone, and rubbed random part of the necklace onto it. Then she put a few drops of liquid and watched for changes in its color. The teenager was nervously watching her do her thing, thinking about whether his grandfather gave out a fake.

Nodding her head, the lady then examined the pendant. Taking out a scope and a guidebook, she turned off her desk lamp and examined closely. She watched it under different angles, frequently consulting her guidebook.

As time progressed, a frown formed in her face, making the teenager hold his breath. The silence built up a tension that lasted for quite a few minutes until the lady broke it as she looked up and spoke.

"Well... The necklace weighs 43 grams and has a purity of 24 karats. According to the minimum buying price, each gram is worth 50 dollars and brings the total to about 2 thousand dollars."

Raiden was elated. He thanked in his mind his grandfather in the heavens. He had prayed that the geezer would not give him a fake.

"Then, what about the pendant?" He asked expectantly.

"It is quite... difficult to examine." The lady said, somewhat confused.

"Huh? Why?"

"According to what I've learned and the guidebook, there is no such gem that has a luster quite like this. At first it may seem like a blue topaz, but it has a different shine. It has a similar shine to a labradorite, which glows with labradorescence and may glow an electrifying blue. But labradorite is a somewhat opaque gemstone. It is quite rare and has high value, but it is quite unlikely to be.

Also, its crystalline formation is quite different that it grows not in one direction but from the center. But some, if not most, evidence reveal that it's a type of natural glass.

In summary, it may be a blue topaz, a labradorite or natural glass. But in its center is a flaw. This lightning shaped flaw decreases a lot of its value, though many would still like it due to its shape. It's quite intriguing.

It weighs more or less 100 carats, disregarding its casing. I calculate that if it is blue topaz, it would be around 250 dollars, maybe 300 due to its color. If you're very lucky and it turns out to be labradorite, it would sell up to 4 thousand dollars! And if it's just glass, at least it would still reach around 50 dollars." The lady gave a detailed explanation and even helped speculate the price.

"4 thousand dollars?! It's worth that much?!" Raiden was shocked. He never knew what he wore everyday was 'that' valuable.

"Maybe. But it is very unlikely." She reminded once again, knowing that the boy may be disappointed.

"Hmnnn...." Raiden was caught in a greater dilemma. He really wanted to help, he did. But he thought that if it was really precious, then maybe it was a family heirloom and he would be an unfilial son if he sold it away.

"Hey kid, if you would sell it to me right now, I can give you 300 dollars. If its blue topaz, at most it would sell for 250 dollars, which would put me at a loss. And I'm doomed if it's just glass. But hey, I'm willing to take the risk." Her attitude suddenly shifted, but it was clearly her sales talk... talking.

He wavered for a moment, but he made his decision. "Ummm... no. I'll sell the gold necklace, but... I want to keep the pendant."

The gemologist lady resigned. "Sigh… oh well. I will give you 2 thousand dollars for the necklace. I'll also throw in a 70% sterling silver necklace for your pendant."

What came after was a series of paper signing and receipts. Half an hour later, Raiden exited the pawnshop sighing with a mix of resignation and relief. He made a beeline towards his home where his mother was waiting. Today was a Sunday, the only rest day of his mother.

When he arrived home, it was already 4 p.m. but his mother was asleep. So, he tried not make a noise and went back to his room. He then proceeded to add up all his savings and counted them all bill by bill and coin by coin. It amounted to 3,753 dollars and 75 cents. Quite a lot of money for a teen. He then took a nap, excited for dinner when he would present his gift.

Soon, evening came, and he was woken up by his younger brother for dinner. The family of five ate a hearty meal, while joyously sharing their day. But only Raiden noticed the exhaustion on their mother's face.

What came after dinner was of course the chores and the dishes. Every sibling had a role to play and an area to clean, and they did it without complains. This was one of the very few positive changes the death of their father brought to them.

Raiden then went up to his mother and told her to wait before going up to his room then back, this time carrying with him a box. He presented it to his mother, who cried when she saw what was inside.

She did not notice that her son had already matured to be able to save up a large amount of money, just to help their family. It hurt her to think just how much it affected her son, that his attitude changed completely.

His siblings noticed the commotion downstairs and joined them. They cried and hugged each other, and they all promised to support in any way possible.

After a long while, they returned to their rooms for the night, as it was already time for bed.

Raiden was lying on his bed when he once again examined his pendant. It was very beautiful, as it still shone a dim glow even in the dark. Then he saw that there were minus and plus signs on the opposite ends of the pendant.

'Minus... plus... lightning?' His curiosity grew. The child inside him once again came to life. The only thought that came to mind was...

'What if?... just, what if?'

He rose up and went to his desk table. Grabbing some wires, leftovers from their extension wire school project, he plugged it in a socket and imagined trying to charge a battery.

'What was it again? Black for positive and red for negative? Let's try...'

When Raiden put both wires on the pendant, nothing happened.

'Maybe it was the other way around.'

So, he tried to switch the wires and what happened next surprised him! Not. Nothing happened.

'Maybe it just needs more time.... Ahahahaha. I know it's not real. I just-'

At the corner of his eye, he saw the pendant glow for a moment. What happened next was-

BOOOMMM!!!!!

A gigantic bolt of lightning went through the roof and struck the pendant and it with him!

The last thought in his head was:

'Ahhh.. I'm dying... At least I can help mother with my life insurance.'

And thus, the end of Raiden Creed.

Or not.

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