Wicked chance - Chapter 1

James was merely browsing, enjoying the motley collection of trinkets, knick-knacks, and oddities as the mid-afternoon sun drizzled in splotches of light onto the cacophonous scene unfolding around him. It was such an extraordinary thing - the sheer amount of secondhand dreams resting in the open palms of weather worn vendors, their tattered histories crying out to be heard and treasured. How many hands had these objects passed through before they ended up here?

James was a single man and really didn't have a lot going for himself at this time. He lived alone in a quaint apartment situated in the middle of a sprawling city, working in data entry for a large firm. In his late twenties, he had grown weary of life's monotonous routines, which seemed to stretch on forever like an endless ribbon of asphalt. He thrived on exploration and the pursuit of the unknown; it was this very spark that had led him to the bustling flea market.

Stalls of merchants and craftsmen were sprawled out in no particular pattern, creating an intricate maze-like landscape of curious finds. Among the eclectic displays of wares, he stumbled upon a peculiar object that nearly knocked the wind out of him: an ancient scroll. The scroll beckoned to him, hidden away behind a dusty collection of leather-bound books collecting the sun's heat.