Sandra McCollin and The Templeton Coin.

Dirty clothes piled up day by day on Sandra’s polka dotted lounge chair in her room. You can tell where Sandra is in life by how much clothes piled up. It was the third Sunday of the new year and she had finally hit rock bottom, from the looks of clothes now suddenly floating off the chair onto her sandy carpet. Sandra eyed her dirty clothes with envy of the reflection they gave to her, she too knew she hit rock bottom. Stretching her arms to the sky after tying her coiled hair into a barley-pony (a ponytail that barley made it) She opened her coral curtains that have been hiding her for weeks.

The sun beamed in immediately as she shunned away by the electrifying light, giving notice that she to in fact had become a vampire also. She checked her emails with the slightest hope that she had landed the job that would take her there. Take her from her hole in a wall to the mansion glued sticked to her vision board. Email after email of sorry to inform you but at this time we have chosen to move ahead with other candidates struck her inbox like a virus. She slammed her computer shut after peering at the dirty clothes sitting therenlaughing at her in confirmation. “That’s it” she thought as she shoved the clothes into a green hamper with force, anger, and frustration the clothes were still laughing at her as they smudged into the hamper.

It did not take long to get to the front door of her apartment, in fact she lived in a small studio apartment that needed maintenance from a two month ago call done. She stormed out the door as a 30-day demand for rent slipped under her bunny slippers and she started down the hallway. Trailing her hamper behind her she heard shouts from the neighbor’s apartments, banging on walls in Apt #207, blaring music with dainty cigarette smoking seeping out the door in another, and a baby crying three doors down from hers. The chaos of the long hallway that seemed like the longest walk of her end came to a halt, as she approached the Sandy Brooks Apartment Building Laundry Room.

She let out a sigh of relief as if she just escaped a jungle chase. The laundry room was small with two washers and two dryers’ side by side, there was a small window that let in a peep of sunshine that melted over the room. There was an aura about this laundry room that ease the tension inside of Sandra’s body, as she thought to herself that this might be the most peaceful place in the whole building. Even the clothes that were slammed into the hamper quieted their chippers, and you could not hear a peep from the swallowing hallway. She could breathe for once and it was ironically inside the laundry room that she dreaded for weeks.

Within the washer appeared a shiny silver coin resting beside itself. She quickly dove deep inside the washer’s belly to retrieve the abandoned coin. As she did not want to be the blame for the shut down of the buildings washing machine. Sandra examined the intriguing coin with Templeton written in perfect penmanship across the first side, on the other side of the coin a bird was shown carrying two arrows within its mouth. She was quite infatuated with her new discovery and after about a minute or so of flipping the coin in her hand she shoved it in the back pocket of her overalls.

Sandra carried on with her laundry chore, now shoving the clothing into the washer until the hamper was emptied. Sandra then closed the washer lid tight sending air blowing away the fly away hairs from her coffee freckled face. Reaching into her right pocket she drew out key card that paid for the luxury expensive washing experience. She soon realized that the insert key on the machine was no where to be found “huh” she sighed, “maybe they switched back to coin operating machines” viewing the insert coin here sign. Well, here is one to start you off old pal she said reaching into her back pocket and pulling out the Templeton coin propelling it into the slot.

The washing machine began sounding like nuts and bolts were popping out of place and the whole machine was about to spark up into roaring flames. Sandra stepped back for cover placing her arms in front of her like a shield and waited for the enrapture to happen. Suddenly cash began to shoot out of the machine coin slot like colorful confetti at a parade, turning her wincing into her jaw dropping as she covered her mouth from the loud screech she was about to unleash. The number on the machine changed from requesting $6.50 to counting the rippling money shooting out $100. $500, $1000.

Sandra’s eyes sparkle in disbelief to amazement then to disbelief then back to amazement, as she was showered in money the swept beneath her feet after landing in her hair. Money floated around the laundry room in a crazed tango dance before gently hitting the dance floor, as the numbers continued to go up $2,000, $5,000, and then hitting a whopping $10,000. Sandra began jumping up in down beginning to feel the essence of bliss as this was the most unbelievable magically thing to ever happen to her.

She did not know where to start, what to think, and what to do so she immediately started catching the money before it the floor. Shoving the money into any area she could find like in her ponytail loop, her overall pockets, bra, shirt, and then began slinging her hamper around the laundry room as if she were catching butterflies in a net. $12,000, $15,000, the machine began flashing the grand total of $20,000 as Sandra smiled generously.

A resident crept by watching Sandra in this lavish dance of her swinging her hamper around smiling ear to ear. As she turned around to see Tomas Henderson the varsity basketball homecoming king that everyone drooled over and Sandra pretended she did not, staring at her in fascination. Sandra stopped in her tracks from swinging her laundry bin and her smile decreased into a stale face with blushing cheeks, as she began sweeping money behind her with her foot. “I never met someone enthusiastic about laundry before, I guess everyone has a kryptonite?” he laughed.

While Sandra looked around to the money that lingered around the room ad her half-filled hamper then sharply back to Tomas. Sandra then began realizing that he could not see what she had possess the gracious windfall that she had succumbed to the endless money that filled the laundry room. Also realizing that THE Tomas had witness her wailing a hamper around and stuffing air into places. She began smiling again this time nervously “Yeah—I guess that’s me I just love laundry!” she stuttered back, he then laughed while shaking his head and walking off.

She hurriedly started stuffing the money into the hamper trying to collet the $20,000 that painted the room green. Continuously stuffing the money into her clothes, shoes, and any other area she can find. She heard another set of footsteps approach in the laundry room these ones were firmer and with purpose, still she keeps on maneuvering the money into unwarranted areas. “Just one second and the laundry room is allllllllll yours” she said lastly picking up the coin that made all this possible from the floor, before standing up to the sight of two men dressed in grey suits with dark shades on.

“Oh—Nothing to see here, just a girl and her love of laundry” she said anxiously as they viewed her standing with money flowing out of all the places, she packed it into. She grinned harder when she realized the men did not budge a bit, A woman with wide hips in a red suited dress drifted into the laundry. Her hair was bundled up like a bird’s nest on top of her head while her face glowed angelically. “Now boys settle down, we are not hear to scare Ms. McCollin due have some honor she has found a Templeton Coin!” The woman said as the men silently shuffled to the back of her.

“How—how do you know my name?” Sandra said confused. The woman smiled greatly “It’s my business to know the names that touch a Templeton Coin my darling, and I see you have made great contact” She said looking around the room then sweeping bills from the top of Sandra’s hair. “What exactly is a Templeton Coin?” Sandra replied twirling the coin in her palm. “Only Templeton bloodlines will come into possession of the Templeton Coin that brings great luck, prosperity, and power only showing its true essence to the Rightfuls.” The woman answered, “Whose decedent are you is the question?” she continued gesturing back to the men to hand her something.

One of the men placed a shiny black notebook in her hands. The woman turned it towards Sandra, and it immediately started to turn pages independently until it landed on a blank sheet of paper. The other man hastily grabbed Sandra’s hand and pricked her pointer finger then smeared it across the two pages. “Well-that’s-that’s quite interesting nothing has appeared?” the woman said sort of questioning herself. Sandra stood nervously not knowing what any of this meant, and what she had gotten herself into. “Come quickly” The woman said as milky portal appeared right in front of Sandra’s eyes, she blinked a couple of times to make sure it was real before the woman instantly reached back for her hand to take. “Wai—Where are we going?” Sandra said worriedly “well to Templeton of course!” the woman smiled mischievously.