"What's wrong, Sam? Are you having second thoughts?"
Sam didn't look up, or answer. He began to shake.
The other man looked at him, and went pale. "Sam! Should I get someone? Are you hurting?"
Sam slowly lifted his head from the smooth, cool wood of the desk. "No I'm fine, Mark. I just don't think it's worth it."
Mark frowned. "What isn't worth it? Julie is a wonderful girl. You do love her, don't you?"
Sam took the handkerchief from his tuxedo pocket, and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Of course. It's not just marriage. I meant life. We try so hard to be happy, but in the end it doesn't matter. We just die."
Mark sighed. "You're right, one day we'll all die. But we're alive today, and you're starting a new chapter of your life. Why the dark thoughts?"
Sam looked around his childhood room. "I guess I've been spending too much time in this room since I came back to town last month. It's got all of my old trophies and stuff, and it reminds me of when I didn't have a care in the world. Every time I open the door, it's nonstop wedding plans."
Mark forced himself to grin. "Well after today, both of those things change. A couple of weeks in the Bahamas will do you good."
Sam nodded. He stood, and took a leather belt out of the drawer. "I hope so. I've been thinking along these lines for too long. I almost called the whole thing off more than once. It would've felt great to use this time off as a sabbatical - just find a nice quiet hotel room somewhere and sleep."
A ray of sunlight hit the buckle, making the woman on it seem to glow. Mark walked over, and took the belt. "Where did you get that buckle? I've never seen anything like it. That girl is more gorgeous than a supermodel."
Sam shrugged. "I found it in the garbage bin of a fast food place, while I was visiting Mexico. I was throwing away my lunch wrappers, and like an idiot, dropped my wallet in with them. I guess that's how this beauty ended up in there too."
Mark whistled. "Lucky find! I thought you'd sworn off fast food, too. Mind if I take it for a couple hours, to look it up online? I'd like to get one for myself."
Sam frowned. "I guess an hour is okay. Just don't lose it or anything, and bring it right back. Sooner if at all possible. Oh, and I'm still on the bandwagon. The fast food was because I didn't want to miss my flight."
Mark chuckled. "Sure, just keep repeating that."
He took the belt, and left the room.
A half hour later, Mark sighed. "Nothing on any of the auction or sale places, this must be an antique or something. Maybe I should do an image search. Sure is boring sitting here, though. Sam was right, life can be overrated."
He took a picture, then put the belt back on. "Maybe if I can't find one, I can talk him into giving it to me. Or I could always make him. I know for a fact he wouldn't want Julie to hear about that time in California. Or I can just claim I lost it."
He hit enter, and three of the suggestions had pictures of the same buckle. "Ah, here we go! Not exactly what I was looking for, but they're a start. If I can't find one for sale, I'm definitely keeping this one."
As he read, he gasped. "The Hope Eater is Master metalsmith Milner Voores' most famous creation. It was highly sought after until reports began to circulate about one owner after another passing soon after acquisition of the item."
Mark quickly removed the belt, and flung it across the room into a trash bin. "What was I thinking? Blackmail my best friend? Steal from him? I'd never do that. I never believed in stuff like this, but those weren't my thoughts."
He continued reading. "Said to have been given the power to drain hope, rumor says that the Hope Eater will use the owner's hopes, ambition, and joy to fuel a curse. According to those who knew him, Voores was an amateur warlock.
He reportedly put the curse on a woman who poisoned her identical twin sister (Voores' fiance) sixty years ago. The woman was found in a coma, dehydrated but otherwise healthy, several days later. It's common knowledge amongst the hospital staff that she screams in terror at least three times a day, but is otherwise unresponsive."
Mark looked at the other two sites. "This guy is a monster. I've got to let Sam know, after I make sure he can't ever get near that buckle again."
He printed out the webpages, then reluctantly fished the belt out of the trash. He held it at arm's length, keeping the buckle as far away as possible.
He walked to a neighbor's driveway, and opened one of the large plastic trash cans. "This is ridiculous! It's a work of art. I should just keep it, and tell him I threw it away."
He tried to slip it in his pocket, but the papers prevented it from fitting. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he shouted, and threw it in. Mark stood there shaking for a full five minutes before he carefully hid it amidst the garbage, replaced the lid, and left.
He walked into his friend's house. "Maybe I should shower. That thing is evil!"
As he climbed the stairs, he heard a contented whistling coming from Sam's room. He opened the door, and saw his friend hooking up a game console.
He grinned. "Hey Sam, I didn't know you still liked to play on the Flashstation. I'm the king of Alien Wasteland though, even you can't come close to beating me."
The two sat down, and Sam handed him a controller. An hour later they both got up, still laughing.
Sam smoothed his tuxedo. "That's the most fun I've had since I got back! Say, did you ever find yourself a buckle like mine?"
Mark stopped laughing. "No. I'm pretty sure there's only one like it. And that's one too many."
Sam cocked his head. "I was going to say, if you really like it, you can have it. What did you mean by one too many?"
Mark quickly told him what happened, then handed him the papers.
Sam nodded. "I felt different as soon as it was out of my possession. I didn't realize what made the difference though, until you told me. I thought it was the talk we had before you left."
Across the road, a dog crept into the neighbor's yard unseen. It made its way over to the trash bins, and knocked one over. The lid came off, and the contents spilled out. Amidst the trash which rolled out of the bin was a leather belt, with a buckle that seemed to glow in the sunlight...
Cover image made in Canva Pro using their gallery