0:00 Arthur slid the brass key into the lock.0:03 It turned smoother than forty-weight oil on cold rail iron.0:08 Last week, we talked about that locked cedar box in the attic that held a mirror instead of gold; well, Arthur’s obsession wasn't no cedar box.0:21 His treasure had taken forty years to track down.0:26 Forty years of cold coffee, skipped meals, and empty bank accounts.0:32 He had twenty-three of them already.0:35 Twenty-three carved ivory figurines, each one barely the size of a chess pawn.0:42 They sat lined up behind museum-grade glass in his study.0:47 Every single one was sculpted in the likeness of an old master craftsman.0:53 A watchmaker from Prague, squinting through a loupe.0:58 A bookbinder from Venice, his thumbs stained black.1:03 A glassblower from Murano, cheeks puffed out like an angry toad.1:08 Arthur had sold his house in London to buy the watchmaker.1:14 He’d divorced a good woman to afford the trip to find the stonemason.1:20 A man doesn't choose an obsession like that.1:24 It chooses him.1:25 He pushed the heavy mahogany door open.1:29 The seller sat behind a green velvet counter, waiting.1:33 "You brought the draft?" the seller asked.1:37 Arthur laid the cashier’s check on the green cloth.1:42 Four hundred thousand dollars.1:44 Every cent of his railroad pension, cashed out and surrendered.1:50 His hands didn't shake.1:52 A good brakeman never shakes when the train is rolling in, and Arthur was finally reaching the end of the line.2:02 The seller slid a velvet-lined rosewood box across the counter.2:08 Inside lay the twenty-fourth piece.2:11 The final piece of the legendary Guildmaster Set, missing since nineteen hundred and twelve.2:19 It was an ivory figure of a collector, standing by a tiny display case.2:25 Arthur took it between his thumb and forefinger.2:30 The carving was so fine, so delicate, you could see the tiny brass hinge on the miniature glass case.2:39 It felt cool against his skin.2:42 Lighter than he expected.2:44 Quieter than a crappie bed at dawn.2:47 "A full set," Arthur breathed.2:50 "The only complete set in the world." The seller nodded once, his face carved from the same hard stillness as the statues.3:01 "You gave everything for it," the seller said softly.3:05 "Your health.3:06 Your family.3:08 Your entire life." "A fair trade," Arthur said.3:12 He slipped the figure into his coat pocket and turned toward the door.3:18 The street outside looked distant, grey, washed out, like an old photograph left in the sun.3:26 His chest felt oddly tight.3:29 His boots felt heavy on the Persian rug, heavy as lead ingots.3:34 He reached for the brass handle of the front door.3:39 His fingers didn't close.3:41 He looked down at his right hand.3:44 The flesh looked pale.3:46 Almost milky.3:47 He tried to lift his boot, but the leather had fused flat against the wooden floorboards.3:55 A strange numbness crept up his calves, through his knees, settling into his hips with the solid, immovable weight of cold stone.4:07 He couldn't turn his neck.4:09 He couldn't blink the dry air from his eyes.4:13 Behind him, soft footsteps padded across the velvet-draped room.4:19 The seller gently reached into Arthur’s rigid coat pocket and lifted out the tiny ivory figurine.4:27 He placed it back into the velvet drawer under the counter.4:33 Then the seller pulled a clean linen handkerchief from his sleeve.4:38 "A complete set at last," the seller whispered, polishing Arthur’s ivory ear.4:45 And that was when Arthur realized he was not the twenty-fourth collector, but the twenty-fourth piece.
