My short stories

A billionaire's competition

This was the last thing Ryan was expecting. Only a few hours ago did he receive a letter from a multibillionaire known as Mr Goodall requesting a meeting with him, same day in a few hours. Here he was now, expecting something like a job interview or probably even a telling-off for stealing his stuff (though Ryan has never stolen anything in his whole life... well, except his mum's freshly baked cookies this morning).

No, this wasn't anything like what Ryan was expecting.

"Here's the coin I was telling you about," Mr Goodall said, showing him a unique-looking coin, ancient even. "In exactly 1 hour, I will tell the world exactly what I have given you. It is very valuable so please don't lose it."

Ryan fought the urge to roll his eyes. This tiny coin against the fountain in the billionaire's garden, the garden itself as large as a forest, even the mansion they are currently standing in, is supposedly so much more valuable. Right, of course.

Mr Goodall continues, "In exactly 1 week, I will leave my inheritance to whoever returns it to me. I will not accept it before then." With that, he tips his hat and leaves the room.

Ryan took a good look at this oh-so-valuable coin. On one side was a fancy £ symbol, very curly and very neat. Carved on the other side was a picture of a majestic dragon; the coin maker must've been pleased. Ryan places the coin in his pocket. Only an hour to hide before everyone begins the search for this coin, he thought. If I don't want to deal with who knows how many people, where should I put it? Pondering for a while, an idea suddenly came to him. He knew exactly what to do with the coin.

~~~

10 minutes to go before the announcement.

Ryan had decided to make his way back to his home town. He went to the old children's hospice where he volunteers regularly. The children all come up surrounding him with hugs and giggles. Returning all their hugs and a few words of how things were going, he went up to the 2nd floor of the hospice.

Unlike the ground and the 1st floor, this floor was extremely run down. Well, the 1st floor is not so bad, but still pretty antique. Most of the kids remain on the ground floor.

Ryan enters one of the storage rooms on this floor. There wasn't much, a few old boxes here and there, a couple of shelves hanging (though the bottom one was beginning to hang a bit), and an old bed with a dusty teddy. He places the coin on the shelf that was still stable then takes the teddy and places it over the coin. It looks completely natural, no one would think twice about it. Come to think of it, it looks so sketchy here that no one would even come up. Ryan quietly laughs to himself before leaving the room and returning downstairs to play with the kids.

~~~

Apparently, the billionaire tipped off to the people of the world where Ryan worked so he had to run before the kids ended up getting hurt. His boss let him have the week off to hide. And where was he hiding, you may ask? In the dark alleyways of his neighbouring town, disguised as a simple drug seller who doesn't have a single drug on him. Anyone who asks, he'll say he ran out.

A few days have passed by, though the week wasn't over just yet. Just 2 more days to go. He decided to let the hospice's owner know the whereabouts of the coin tomorrow. Right now, it was getting dark and cloudy. Poor Ryan was not looking forward to a soggy night out, but it has to be done.

~~~

News reporter: "The coin has finally been returned to Mr Goodall, multibillionaire of the century. The lucky winner of the large inheritance is the Rosemary Children's Hospice. Those kids are going to be thrilled when they see their new home, the WhiteRose mansion that has stood so majestically under Mr Goodall's care. You'd think the kid who was given the coin did this on purpose (insert very awful laugh of a reporter)! What a graceful angel! Enjoy your new home kids!"