A Visit to the Antique Shop
An autumn breeze nips at your nose as you head down Main Street in your favorite small town. The holiday season is around the corner, and you have a full day planned for finding gifts for your loved ones.
But first, you need breakfast to start your day! You walk up to the open window of a bakery and tell them your order.
Select one of the options below to start your first challenge!
If you order a breakfast sandwich...
"Pay" 425 words.
If you order a bagel and schmear...
"Pay" 275 words.
If you order a gluten-free donut...
"Pay" 350 words.
You take the last bite just before you step into your first stop, a charming little place called Vintage Treasures. Dimly lit and cozy, a wave of nostalgia for a bygone era you never knew comes over you. You're sure you'll find some hidden gems here. It'll just take a little hunting.
Select as many of the options below as you like!
Browse the selection of home decor.
Old lamps, tea sets, and vases sit pretty on mismatched wooden tables. While circling, you make note of times frozen on the old clocks: 4:10, 10:24, and 9:18. And that gets you thinking of a dare you can try yourself...
Write 100 words in 4 minutes.
Write 240 words in 10 minutes.
Write 180 words in 9 minutes.
Browse the artwork and sculptures.
You find one painting with the prettiest color palette you've ever seen! (Click the link to see!)
Add up all the single digits in the hex code for at least three of the colors and multiply by 10. Sprint to that many words.
For example, one particularly pretty shade of purple has the hex code 3D2645. Adding the single digits would give you 3 + 2 + 6 + 4 + 5 = 20, and multiplying it by 10 means you'd be writing 200 words.Browse the jewelry and clothing.
A tree-shaped jewelry stand catches your eye. Upon closer inspection, one of the necklaces on display is a locket! Inside is a folded-up note: Write 100 words in five minutes for good luck. If that fails, write an extra 50 words.
And, yes, we are going to include the classic trying on clothes montage we know and love! Sprint for 15 minutes.
But, of course, you can't pass up perusing the books! Surveying the shelves, you notice one of the books doesn't look like the others. You take it off the shelf, open it, and are surprised to see handwriting instead of typewritten text.
Write at your own pace until you make a typo.
It only takes a few lines of reading before you realize this is someone's diary. It must've been mistakenly donated. You take it up to the register and explain what's happened, but the owner gets dollar signs in his eyes.
"It seems that it's very precious to you, but who knows? It could be something of historical significance. I can't let it go for less than a thousand words."
Try to haggle.
"500 words," you try.
He laughs. "900."
"650."
He rubs his chin and squints at you. "Let's say 750, or you don't get it at all."
Accept the price.
The owner was actually expecting you to haggle, and he's a little thrown off by your capitulation.
"I'll tell you what. If you can write 700 words in half an hour, I'll let you have it for that. If you fall a little short, just toss another 150 words on top of whatever you manage. I don't have all day."
Diary in hand, you leave the antique shop... And you have no idea what to do with your little discovery.
On a whim, you check the back of book. You're in luck! There are two addresses—one in green ink, and one in purple. One of these might be the owner's address!
Which address will you visit?
Visit the address in green ink.
It's a 12-minute sprint to 190 Hillcrest Drive, where you'll write 190 words as you wait for someone to answer the door.
The older woman who answers the door giggles at your story. "Yes, that's the Faustina I know and love. She misplaces things all the time. Being her best friend means getting creative! When she lost her date book a few years ago after I moved, I wrote my new address in the back of her diary for her. I can give you her current address if you like."
Visit the address in purple ink.
It's an 8-minute sprint to 210 Forest Avenue, where you'll write 210 words as you wait for someone to answer the door.
The young woman who answers the door tells you, "Oh, this is my Abuela Faustina's handwriting! It's one of her old diaries. She wanted me to have this and all her others when she passed, so she wrote my address in it. She must've donated it by accident. I was just about to step out, but let me give you her new address—it's not far from here."
At long last, you arrive at the owner's house. A silver-haired woman answers the door and beams when she sees what you're holding. She calls out over her shoulder, "Angelo, you can stop looking now! This good Samaritan found the darn thing!"
You tell her you're just glad you could help the diary find its way back home, but she insists on giving you a little something for the trouble. She has you spell out your first and last name for the check. Write for as many minutes as there are letters in your name, then enjoy the reward of a job well done!