Change Of Plans

His statement puzzled Leanne. All she knew about the vase was that her father purchased it in the 1930s. She didn’t know how much it had costed him but he was not a wealthy man so it wouldn’t have been a lot of money. Curiosity got the better of her. She decided she will attend the auction. Leanne noted down the date and address and hung up the phone.

The Distressed Drive

The day of the auction was finally here. Leanne was too nervous to drive so she was sitting in the front seat with Damon on the wheel. The drive to the venue seemed neverending and Leanne could feel her anxiety kicking in. A part of her was sad about not having their parents’ belongings around anymore. Soon they will have to finalize the sale for the house as well. And just like that, her childhood memories will be lost forever.

The Auction

After what seemed like forever, Damon and Leanne reached the venue of the auction. The room was packed with people, all the seats were filled and the rest were standing at the back of the room and against the walls. At the front center of the room, a man was standing at a podium, with a hammer in his hand. Leanne and Damon managed to find a spot to stand for themselves.

The Mysterious Men

Leanne noticed that at the front of the room two gentlemen were sitting on a sofa. They were dressed in neatly pressed suits, one with a trench coat and hat, the kind you only see on high priced lawyers. They seem to not take notice of anyone in the room and were busy talking to each other. Leanne realized the man with the hat was speaking Chinese. Her thought immediately went to the Chinese script on the vase and wondered if that’s what they were here for.

The Bidding Begins

There was a table at the front of the room next to the podium which displayed the antique collection. The man at the podium would pick up an item, show it to the entire room, call out an initial prize, and the people would start their bidding for the particular item. Leanne and Damon watched the people bid against each other for different items. Sometimes the item would be sold at the initial prize itself while some items caused a bidding war between people.

The Vase

Leanne and Damon were getting nervous because they both knew why they were here. The two gentlemen on the sofa had not made a bid at anything yet. The waiting was making the siblings anxious. When almost all the items were sold, the vase finally made its appearance. On spotting the vase, the two men sat up straight and alert, holding their number cards tightly.