The bell above the door jingled as I walked inside the strangest store I have ever seen.
A wooden sign above the entrance said MEMORIES FOR SALE. I stared at it for a few seconds before stepping inside.
The store was small, but every wall was covered with shelves. Glass bottles, old photographs, and tiny boxes filled the shelves. Each item had a price tag attached to it.
One bottle’s tag said ‘Your First Day of School – $5.’
Another said ‘Winning the Championship – $20.’
“Can I really buy memories?” I asked.
The shopkeeper, a short old man with a huge mustache, smiled. “Of course. But not everything in this store is for sale.”
I walked around, looking at all the strange memories.
Then I noticed a small blue box sitting on a shelf in the back. Unlike everything else, it did not have a price tag.
“What’s inside that?” I asked.
The shopkeeper quickly walked over. “That? Nothing important.”
That made me even more curious.
I opened the box before he could stop me.
Inside was a tiny golden key.
“What does it open?” I asked.
The shopkeeper sighed. “I was hoping you wouldn’t ask.”
He pointed towards a locked door at the back of the store which I had not noticed before.
The golden key fit perfectly inside the lock.
I turned it.
The door opened, revealing a room filled with hundreds of glowing objects. Some looked like stars, while others floated around in the air like bubbles.
“What is this?” I asked.
“These are memories that haven’t happened yet,” the shopkeeper said.
I stared at him. “That doesn’t make sense.”
He laughed. “It doesn’t have to.”
I reached toward a glowing bubble. The moment I touched it, I saw myself standing on a huge stage. Hundreds of people were cheering while I held something above my head.
“What am I holding?” I asked.
The shopkeeper shrugged. “That’s your part to figure out.”
The bubble disappeared and I stepped back.
“Can I see another one?”
The shopkeeper shook his head. “No. You only get to see the future once.”
I left the store, thinking about what I had experienced. I had no idea what I had been holding, and why everyone had been cheering, but I had a feeling that I was going to find out one day.
When I turned around, the memory shop had completely disappeared.
All that remained was the golden key in my hand.