(Idea taken from the Naryanne thread on the old site)
"Can you believe some of this stuff?" Karyn said, "What's this? 'Magic bookmark?' that's good, doesn't look like anything special, though." She said, holding a white bookmark with an image of an hour glass on it. "See any good costumes, Jon?"
"Not really, Karyn," Jon said. "I mean, there's some interesting outfits here, but I'm not sure I'd call them 'costumes', and even at 50% off, some of these prices seem a bit steep."
A short while later, the old man reappeared from behind the curtain. "See anything you like?" he asked.
"This is an interesting shop," Karyn said. "But I'm not sure we're willing to spend the prices you're asking."
"Ah, I see," the old man replied. "In that case, let me make you an offer. I'll loan you one item in this store, for oh... let's say, a week. You can try out the item, and if you're not perfectly satisfied, you can rent any costume here for an 80% discount. What do you think?"
Jon and Karyn thought a moment, and then Jon spoke up. "Well, the costume dance is just over a week away, so I guess we still have time to get costumes. I'm game, what do you think, Karyn?"
"Yeah, I guess," she said.
"Well, do you know what item you'd like?"
"This 'magic bookmark seems interesting," Karyn said. The old man grinned and pulled the bookmark out from behind the glass and showed it to Karyn.
"Yes, the magic bookmark. There's a terribly long and interesting story behind this one, but I won't bore you with it right now. But allow me to explain some things. First: The effects of this bookmark will remain in place until the week long trial period is over. Second: Used in conjunction with the book of your choice, this bookmark will allow you to live out your favorite stories. Fantasy, horror, romance, it's your choice. It can even be used to mix and match characters, themes, and settings. Simply hold the bookmark to the page describing what you desire, and the magic does the rest. A week long vacation like nothing you've ever experienced. Not a bad deal, if I say so myself." The old man was now grinning ear to ear.
"We'll definately take it." Jon said, his mind filled with possibilities.
"In that case, see you in a week." The old man replied, handing Jon the book mark.
"So, should we head to your place and test it out?" Karyn asked. Jon had a much larger collection of books than Karyn.
"Sure. We just have to figure out what book to use it on..."
