The pub was packed, not a seat to be had as Pete wormed his way back to the bar to get a pint before the quiz started. Sam was working and she poured him the correct beer in the correct glass. He sat on his stool as the bell rang and a hush descended on the room.
"Question 1. Who was the second person on the moon?"...
The quiz proceeded at it's stately manner with only the occasional mass shushing the youngsters. Once the winners were declared and the prizes distributed the pub quickly thinned out.
Pete sat at the bar talking to Sam about how makeover shows such as DIY SOS had become the dearth of the antiques trade. Sam attempted to lift his spirits by saying it was cyclic and that his stock would literally rise again. They had got to know each other reasonably well in the last couple of weeks. Each realizing that the other provide an intellectual stimulation somewhat absent elsewhere in Harlech.
"I've also got this box that I can't get into clogging up the shop". Pete explained it's origins. Sam was intrigued and offered to pop in over the weekend and take a look.
Half ten prompt the next day she was there. They carried the chest outside for better light. Sam walked round occasional pausing to examine it more closely. She felt one of the handles and looked at some marks around it. She then pull the handle out about half an inch and rotated it. Nothing happened. She did the same with the other handle still nothing. She put them both back to the original positions. Pete was gobsmacked by all this and tried for himself, but yet again nothing happened. Sam stood upright and stared at the box.
"Right lets try both at the same time". They positioned them selves at either end of the , "Pull out on three.. one two three. Twist it... now." Pete end behaved as before but Sam now withdrew a wooden tube that was attached to her handle. Once clear of the box a complex ancient mechanism could be seen at what would been Pete's. Sam held the tube carefully and angled it to take a closer look, something slid and scraped the inside. The re-entered the shop and placed canister on the desk. An arced flap be made out and with the aid of a penknife that Sam had produced, she gently prized the edges.
The flap gave and opened by itself exposing it's mechanism and a curled manuscript sealed with cracked red wax.
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