the perfect keepsake by which to remember the trip.
She looked up, intending to ask the shopkeeper how much, and was startled to see the little man’s weather-beaten face directly in front of hers. His dark eyes were narrowed down to slits and he stared at her with an intensity that took her by surprise.
“I, uh, was just wondering how much. For the pendant,” she stammered. Even though the man was tiny in stature, she felt intimidated by him.
Charlie quickly moved next to her and put a protective arm around her shoulder.
When the shopkeeper continued to scrutinize Lilli for an uncomfortable length of time, Charlie tapped the man’s arm to divert his attention. “How much for the necklace?” Charlie asked.
“I am sure you are not without knowing the rarity of such a piece, but I am obligated to point out it is extremely old, and valuable,” he replied, not taking his eyes off Lilli. Then, turning to Charlie and motioning toward his other wares, he said, “May I propose you examine something else.”
Lilli regarded the shopkeeper as he spoke to Charlie. Something about the intense little man made her want to leave. Suddenly, the pendant didn’t seem so important.
“What’s your asking price?” Charlie asked levelly.
The man considered for a moment. “The craftsmanship is unique, and therefore much sought after. There are those who believe the value of such an item cannot be measured in currency. I have not been able to determine the age of the piece, although it has assuredly passed through the hands of many generations.” A tiny smile curled his lip, which did not reach his eyes. “It has even been rumored by some to be cursed.”
Lilli blinked in surprise at the man’s words.
“A superstitious notion, nothing more,” the small man added quickly, in an apologetic tone. His smile disappeared as he continued, “I propose that seven thousand Dirhams would be the conventional payment for such a piece. However,” he said, bowing slightly in Lilli’s direction, “in the presence of such exceptional beauty, I might be persuaded to accept five thousand Dirhams.”
That settled it. Five hundred dollars! The pieces she’d priced at other stalls were nowhere near as expensive. Lilli tugged on Charlie’s sleeve when he did not immediately decline. “It’s way too much,” she said. “I’ll look for something else.”
“Regrettably, the price is not negotiable,” the shopkeeper said dismissively. He gave a little bow and turned his back on them.
Lilli turned to leave, but Charlie persisted. He pulled her back, smiling. “What the heck, it’ll look great on you,” he said, removing the cash from his money belt.
The feeling that she no longer wanted the pendant became stronger. “Charlie, it’s all right, really, I—”
“No, I want you to have it,” he insisted.
Before she could stop him, Charlie tapped the shopkeeper on the back. “Excuse me.”
When the man turned back to them, Charlie held out the money. The shopkeeper hesitated, looking back and forth at the two of them. Then, in one quick movement, he took the money from Charlie’s hand and pocketed the cash through the opening of his djellaba, the loose-fitting white outer robe he wore over his garments.
He placed the pendant in a midnight blue velvet pouch and handed it to Lilli. “Your husband has made a wise purchase,” he said. “I respect that it appears to be your fate to own it.” Without another word, he turned away from them to tend to his other customers.
Now that she had the pendant out of its pouch to look at it again, Lilli’s earlier misgivings disappeared. She hugged Charlie tightly as they walked away. “It really is special,” she said, slipping the chain around her neck. She liked the heaviness of it and admired the way the old silver twinkled against her navy blue top.
They decided the occasion called for another photo and Charlie handed his camera to one of the tourists walking nearby, who gladly snapped a shot of them against the backdrop of the marketplace.
They walked on in silence for a moment. Lilli said, “You don’t think there’s anything to what he said about the necklace, do you? I mean about it being, you know…”
Charlie chuckled, “Cursed? No, sweetie, I don’t. He said himself it was nothing but superstitious nonsense.”
She slung her arm around his waist as they walked. “I love you, baby,” she said as they moved to the next row of stalls.
“Yeah?” A mischievous glint lit up his eyes. “Good. You can show me how much later tonight.”
“Don’t worry,” she laughed, “I intend to.”
* * * *
After leaving the souks, they explored some of the medina on foot until just after sunset, when they made their way back to the square. It was dark by the time they returned to the Djemma El Fna, and the place was completely transformed now the sun had gone down. Row after row of food stalls had been set up, covering half the square and turning it into a gigantic outdoor restaurant. Smoke from the open-air cooking drifted around on the warm evening breeze, carrying the succulent scent of grilled meats with it.
They decided to have dinner here, where they could watch the action up close. The snake charmers were still there, but now they were joined by acrobats, fire-eaters, storytellers and musicians. Crowds of tourists jostled around the entertainers, moving from one attraction to the next.
After watching the entertainment for a while, they walked around the stalls to see what was available to eat. At every stall, the owner shouted out for people to come and sit down. Workers carrying menus called out the dishes and prices. Some places served only soup, others had grilled meats, salad, couscous and bread.
Suddenly, Lilli shrieked. In one of the stalls, she caught sight of a large pot of boiling animal heads. She allowed Charlie to lead her away quickly, before her appetite evaporated completely. Eventually, they settled on grilled sausage, salad and bread to satisfy their hunger.
Later, back in their suite at the riad, Lilli stripped down to her panties and flopped down onto the cushiony bed.
“That was quite a day, wasn’t it?”
“The best,” Charlie said, taking his time in kissing her.
“Mmmm. I’m going to try out that bathtub…” she said.
“And then?” He ran his hand up along the silky skin of her thigh. A slow round of lovemaking would be the perfect end to this day.
“Be right back,” she promised, kissing him lightly.
In the bathroom, Lilli drew water for her bath and finished undressing. While waiting for the large tub to fill, she looked in the mirror to admire the pendant once more. It really is special. She removed the necklace and glanced at it again before placing it on the shelf near the sink. Her heart skipped a beat and she let go of the pendant as if it was on fire. It went clattering to the stone floor. She thought she had seen something moving inside it, through the scrollwork. Maybe a bug or something had crawled into it. She hated bugs. She picked it up cautiously by the chain, but when she opened the bottom to look inside, she saw it was empty. Laughing at herself for being so
