Week 2 Story: Derwin's Curio Shop
Hidden in an unbreathably narrow alley off Coroner Street and tucked snugly between Unholy Spirits & Liquor and Ink'd Tattoo Pub, Derwin's Curio Shop seemed almost normal. The faded wood paneling and crooked metal lettering on the front of Derwin's retreated behind the bright, blaring neon signs of the boozery and tattoo-bar. Shadows and cigarette smoke and the echoing, uneven slap of feet on cobblestone hung in the air above Derwin's, no matter the time of day.
The nondescript, dull exterior belied the exotic interior of Derwin's Curio Shop. Inside the cramped, single-room shop were peacock feathers, astrolabes, dusty hardcovers, a stack of impressionist paintings, East-Asian postcards, long shards of wood recovered from Mediterranean pirate ships, porcelain busts, unopened Cracker Jack boxes, signed baseball cards, Revolutionary War-era muskets, hand-carved statuettes depicting Hindu deities, ancient Chinese manuscripts, and communist propaganda made during the height of McCarthyist hysteria--nothing priced, all negotiable, and all of dubious authenticity. But Mr. Derwin claimed everything in his shop was a "true authentic." And Jeannie believed him.
"How much for the baseball card?"
"Which one, valued customer? There are many to select from."
"That one? The one with the Yankees hat. Mickey. My boyfriend loves the Yankees. I mean, I think he does. I'm not really into sports." Jeannie paused, her face creasing with sudden worry. "The Yankees are the team from New York, right?"
Mr. Derwin grinned. "Of course! Mickey Mantle is a New York legend. This rookie card is extremely rare—and extremely valuable."
"How valuable is 'extremely valuable,' exactly?"
"Priceless. Cards like this one have been sold for millions. But for you, valued customer, I'll sell it for the unfathomably low price of one thousand dollars. A bargain! But that is my mission, you must understand. I opened this shop to help people like you, so you can buy things you ordinarily cannot dream to afford. I am a peddler of luxuries who sells to the everyman."
Jeannie stared intensely at the card, seeming to bore two eye-shaped holes through it. "Well, I get paid on Friday. And it is our anniversary next month..."
So Jeannie paid for the card and watched as Mr. Derwin carefully extracted the card from its thin plastic showcase and vacuum-sealed it "for authenticity." She left the shop carrying a small paper gift-bag, inside a vacuum-sealed rookie card of Mickey Manley—Mr. Derwin's son-in-law who played little league for a single season, and nothing more.
The bell at Derwin's Curio shop chimed, signaling another valued customer.
"Hello, valued customer," Mr. Derwin boomed. "How may I assist you this day?"
A short man—a very short man—appeared from behind a teetering stack of books. "I'm looking for a baseball card. A special card."
"You're in luck, valued customer! Of those I have many." Mr. Derwin pulled a stack of showcases from behind the counter—the same stack on display when Jeannie bought her card.
The man approached Mr. Derwin and examined the plastic showcases, scrutinizing each card.
"I would like this one," the man said, pointing to the card of Roberto Clementina. "Such a tragedy when he died, wouldn't you say?"
"Of course," replied Mr. Derwin hastily. "Such senseless violence."
The man nodded. "Such a talent, lost in an instant." Abruptly the man turned to leave, picking his way over knickknacks scattered on the floor.
"Where are you going?" called Mr. Derwin.
"To the newspaper," replied the man, "and then to the police." He opened the door, the bell tinkling against Mr. Derwin's shocked silence. "Oh, and you should know: Roberto Clemente—not Clementina—died in a plane crash."
The man left, and the click of the door closing echoed across the cramped, mountainous terrain of Derwin's Curio Shop.
The next day, a headline in the local newspaper: "Curio Fraud Exposed"
The bell never rang again.
Author's Note: This was an adaptation of "The Cunning Crane and the Crab," retold with human characters and real-world scenarios. I didn't want to include death in the literal sense, as it appears in the original story, so the death of one's savings and one's business seemed more appropriate and relatable for a modern retelling.
Bibliography: "The Cunning Crane and the Crab," The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse. Source.
The nondescript, dull exterior belied the exotic interior of Derwin's Curio Shop. Inside the cramped, single-room shop were peacock feathers, astrolabes, dusty hardcovers, a stack of impressionist paintings, East-Asian postcards, long shards of wood recovered from Mediterranean pirate ships, porcelain busts, unopened Cracker Jack boxes, signed baseball cards, Revolutionary War-era muskets, hand-carved statuettes depicting Hindu deities, ancient Chinese manuscripts, and communist propaganda made during the height of McCarthyist hysteria--nothing priced, all negotiable, and all of dubious authenticity. But Mr. Derwin claimed everything in his shop was a "true authentic." And Jeannie believed him.
"How much for the baseball card?"
"Which one, valued customer? There are many to select from."
"That one? The one with the Yankees hat. Mickey. My boyfriend loves the Yankees. I mean, I think he does. I'm not really into sports." Jeannie paused, her face creasing with sudden worry. "The Yankees are the team from New York, right?"
Mr. Derwin grinned. "Of course! Mickey Mantle is a New York legend. This rookie card is extremely rare—and extremely valuable."
"How valuable is 'extremely valuable,' exactly?"
"Priceless. Cards like this one have been sold for millions. But for you, valued customer, I'll sell it for the unfathomably low price of one thousand dollars. A bargain! But that is my mission, you must understand. I opened this shop to help people like you, so you can buy things you ordinarily cannot dream to afford. I am a peddler of luxuries who sells to the everyman."
Jeannie stared intensely at the card, seeming to bore two eye-shaped holes through it. "Well, I get paid on Friday. And it is our anniversary next month..."
So Jeannie paid for the card and watched as Mr. Derwin carefully extracted the card from its thin plastic showcase and vacuum-sealed it "for authenticity." She left the shop carrying a small paper gift-bag, inside a vacuum-sealed rookie card of Mickey Manley—Mr. Derwin's son-in-law who played little league for a single season, and nothing more.
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"Hello, valued customer," Mr. Derwin boomed. "How may I assist you this day?"
A short man—a very short man—appeared from behind a teetering stack of books. "I'm looking for a baseball card. A special card."
"You're in luck, valued customer! Of those I have many." Mr. Derwin pulled a stack of showcases from behind the counter—the same stack on display when Jeannie bought her card.
The man approached Mr. Derwin and examined the plastic showcases, scrutinizing each card.
"I would like this one," the man said, pointing to the card of Roberto Clementina. "Such a tragedy when he died, wouldn't you say?"
"Of course," replied Mr. Derwin hastily. "Such senseless violence."
The man nodded. "Such a talent, lost in an instant." Abruptly the man turned to leave, picking his way over knickknacks scattered on the floor.
"Where are you going?" called Mr. Derwin.
"To the newspaper," replied the man, "and then to the police." He opened the door, the bell tinkling against Mr. Derwin's shocked silence. "Oh, and you should know: Roberto Clemente—not Clementina—died in a plane crash."
The man left, and the click of the door closing echoed across the cramped, mountainous terrain of Derwin's Curio Shop.
The next day, a headline in the local newspaper: "Curio Fraud Exposed"
The bell never rang again.
—————————————————————————————————
The real Roberto Clemente. Source.
—————————————————————————————————
Author's Note: This was an adaptation of "The Cunning Crane and the Crab," retold with human characters and real-world scenarios. I didn't want to include death in the literal sense, as it appears in the original story, so the death of one's savings and one's business seemed more appropriate and relatable for a modern retelling.
Bibliography: "The Cunning Crane and the Crab," The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse. Source.
Hey Alex! I loved your retelling of The Cunning Crane and the Crab. That story stuck out to me as well, and I liked how you kept the core of the story the same but changed the context of it so entirely. I especially liked the time you spent setting the scene, and the detail you put into it.
ReplyDeleteHi Alex! I really enjoyed your version of The Cunning Crane and the Crab. Like Abby said, the context of the story changed so much, it was almost like an entirely different story! I also really love how you set the scene, you were very descriptive and I could picture the scene almost like I was there. I love when people put that detail into describing the scene, it really fuels my imagination.
ReplyDeleteHi Alex! I really enjoyed reading your story. I felt very bad for the character, Jeannie, for falling for the trick of the shop owner. You paint a very good picture of the location of the shop and also how the inside looks. I really got a feel for the place. I could picture every detail very vividly. This is a great accomplishment for a storyteller! I wonder if there could have been more dialogue from Jeannie before she decides to spend the money on the card. A thousand dollars is a lot of money to spend on something you do not know a lot about and she decides in the story rather quickly. Perhaps adding more dialogue that lets you see more of the shop owner convincing her would be beneficial. I also love how you death in a more metaphorical sense. Overall, it was an excellent story and a very fun read.
ReplyDeleteThis was so fun, and I enjoyed your version of this story a lot! I love a modern retelling. I can tell that you stuck to the essence of the original story but were able to have fun with your own version of it as well. Your description about the shop was great too. I really enjoy when I can clearly picture the scene in my head and I definitely could with the way you wrote this! The way you set up the narrative was cleverly done. Great work!
ReplyDeleteHey Alex! I absolutely loved how you retold "The Cunning Crane and the Crab" story. You kept the general storyline but made it your own by making it a more modernized story. I liked how you used human beings as your characters to relay the message of the story that way. I also liked how you did not kill off any characters. I feel like it is not morally right to kill someone for their wrongdoings.
ReplyDelete