Minerva gently smiled at her, "I can pay you more than it is mentioned on the price tag granny. Please."

The old lady sighed with a helpless look. "No, you good girl. No harm to you. Mirror not good. Cursed!"

Minerva immersed herself in extensive research, not only as a professional commitment but also as a hobby. Despite her thorough exploration of the world's wonders, Minerva held steadfast disbelief in superstitions. To her, the answers lay in reason and evidence, and she approached her studies with a rational mindset that rejected the influence of unfounded beliefs.

"It's fine I can handle it. Don't worry granny. I love that mirror, please sell it to me", she said with pleading eyes.

Seeing that she was stubborn, the old lady decided to sell it. She bent down and took the mirror out from a locked compartment under the counter.

Minerva laughed, "You hid it after I took a liking to it?"

The old lady smiled lightly in response. She billed the mirror, covered it with kraft paper, and placed it inside a paper bag with the shop logo on it. She carefully handed the package to Minerva.

"Treat Carefully", she said with a mixture of caution and concern in her look.

Minerva shook her head understandingly and received the package from her.

"Thank you, Granny. Buona giornata.", she said with a bright smile making her cute dimples appear.

Minerva turned to leave but the old lady caught her wrist and pulled her back.

"Remember! Never lose it. Bad luck. Death in 3 days."

She shot her a warning look.

Minerva nodded, "I will take good care of it."

The old lady was still not satisfied. "Wait! Don't leave."

She released Minerva's wrist and gestured to wait, then bent down to unlock the lowest chamber under the counter. She took out a small wooden box with detailed carvings and placed it on the counter. Upon opening the box, she found a collection of several small items, each unrelated to one another.

The old lady rummaged through it and finally pulled out two things, one old leather pocketbook and a beautiful chain made of trinkets. She stuffed them into Minerva's hands.

"Take this, helpful"

Minerva took a look at them. The chain had a variety of trinkets, which looked to be from various parts of the world, and a charm vial with some sand at the center of it. The book was pretty old but sturdy. The leather cover had some designs carved on it. She gave her a puzzled look.

"Wear this all time. Mirror lost, read book. Be careful", she said with worry-filled eyes.

Observing her concern, Minerva accepted the items and took out some money from her purse to pay for the book and trinket chain.

"How much for this Granny?"

The old lady gently pushed the cash back to her softly tapping on her hands, "On the house. Good girl. Take care. Don't lose the mirror."

She bid farewell, turned around, and walked towards the door, playing with the suspended wind chimes on her way. The old lady watched her disappearing figure with worry-filled eyes. She joined her hands and prayed for Minerva's well-being.

Overjoyed with her new mirror, Minerva treated herself to a cold coffee. The bustling streets were alive with people.

"Still no messages", she thought to herself, gazing at her mobile phone with a touch of disappointment.

She strolled, one arm casually supporting her handbag and the paper bag containing the mirror, while the other cradled a lidded cup of cold brew, complete with a straw for sipping. Passing by, she couldn't resist joining in the joy of children playing with bubbles along the road.

With a few more steps, she was back at the Trevi fountain. Just then her phone rang and she picked it up.

["Hey, Martin! You guys done settling the stuff?"]

["Yup! We are now looking for you. Where are you milky bear?"], he asked with a loud voice to compensate for the noise around.

["Right where we parted"], she replied.

["Perfect timing! We have arrived too. Wait! I believe I spotted you. We'll head your way."]

["Really? I couldn't find you."]. Minerva's eyes darted around.

["At your 11'o clock"], Martin waved his hands as he walked towards her.

["Yep"], Minerva ended the call, "Now I see you guys!!"

"Hey! Where are our drinks? You only got for yourself", Margaret pouted her lips like a sad kid.

Despite being a few years older than Minerva, Margaret always retained the heart of a child.

"I wasn't sure how long you both would take.", Minerva continued with a mocking smile, "Moreover I thought I could finish it before you guys came, so you might never know"

Margaret furrowed her brows. Minerva chuckled at her expression.

"Okok! Calm down, Let's get you something to drink as well."

Margaret relaxed and laughed at her comment. The trio then opted to explore the neighborhood together. They strolled through the area, browsing around and selecting souvenirs - a collection of mementos for their friends and family. As time passed, the sky gradually darkened, and the shops illuminated, casting a warm glow everywhere. The fast food shops opened up and the aroma of food filled up the place.

Margaret and Minerva looked and each other with a knowing smile and then slowly turned towards Martin casting a cunning smile.

"I know this look. This isn't a good sign. What are you scheming?"

Minerva pointed to a fast food joint across the road, a little far from them, bustling with customers.

"Martin, do you see the shop over there."

"Yeah.... I do...."

As the words left his lips, he quickly grasped their intentions and vigorously shook his head, "No, that's not happening"

Margaret stepped in between Minerva and Martin, and with an angry face placed her hands on her hips, "Oh come on! The food there must be tasty, or else why would there be these many customers?"

"Well, then you go and get it. Why should I?"

Margaret gave him a death glare.

"I mean it is too crowded, it would be difficult to get", he stuttered.

"Please Martin, I would go if I could. With my broken Italian it was difficult to get the cup the coffee from earlier. Moreover, that place is crowded, you are the only one fluent in Italian."

Minerva and Margaret looked a him sadly. Martin looked at the sad faces and sighed,

"Okay! What do you feel like eating?"

"I am fine with anything. Margaret, what about you?"

"Same here. I'm open to anything. Just don't get the same thing for all three of us. Let's savor different flavors.", Margaret replied.

"Okay! You guys go and hog some place for us to sit. I'll go grab something to eat."

Martin turned around and left for the crowded fast-food joint.

Minerva and Margaret found a place to sit and waited for Martin.

"You said something caught your eye at the Antique shop. Did you get it?", Margaret asked.

Minerva's eyes glowed at the mention of it.

"Yeah! Yeah! I got it"

She unwrapped the package and presented the mirror to Margaret.

"Wow! It looks gorgeous", she said, carefully holding the mirror in her hand, "How much did it cost?"

"Huh! Don't even start about it. The old lady initially refused to sell this, claiming it was cursed. She insisted that if I lost it, I might die in three days. It took some convincing for her to agree to sell it to me."

"What???" Margaret asked, her expression completely terrified. While Margaret didn't blindly believe in superstitions, she still held beliefs in things like God, blessings, curses, and the like.

"Oh, come on! It is just an old myth the old lady shared."

"Are you sure if it is just a myth? What if the old lady wasn't lying? What if this mirror was cursed?", Margaret asked Minerva.

"Of course, she wasn't lying", Minerva replied.