Another Fine Myth by Robert Asprin

“Then none of these things have any real magical powers or curses?”

“Now, I didn’t say that. Occasionally, you stumble across a real item, but they’re usually few and far between.”

“But how can you tell the real thing from a fake?”

“I take it that Garkin didn’t teach you to see auras. Well, that figures. Probably was afraid you’d take his treasure and run. Okay, kid. Time for your first lesson. Have you ever daydreamed? You know, just stared at something and let your mind wander?”

I nodded.

“Okay, here’s what I want you to do. Scoot down in your chair until your head is almost level with the table. That’s right. Comfortable? Fine. Now I want you to look across the table at the wall. Don’t focus on it, just stare at it and let your mind wander.”

I did as he said. It was hard not focusing on a specific point, so I set my mind to wandering. What to think about? Well, what was I thinking about when the candle almost lit. Oh yes. I am Skeeve. I am powerful and my power is growing daily. I smiled to myself. With the demon’s aid, I would soon become a knowledgeable sorcerer. And that would just be the start. After that….

“Hey!” I said, sitting upright.

“What did you see?”

“It was … well, nothing, I guess.”

“Don’t give me a hard time, kid. What did you see?”

“Well, for a second there I thought I saw sort of a red glow around the ring, but when I looked at it squarely, it disappeared.”

“The ring, eh? It figures. Well, that’s it. The rest of the stuff should be okay.”

He scraped the rest of the loot into a sack, leaving the ring on the table.