Watch Out For The Weirdness That Lies Beyond The Garden

I’m sweeping up some clippings after an afternoon of gardening outside the small front of my house.

A man and two women stroll past, talking jovially, but I can’t understand what they say. Weirdly, they stop a few feet from me. The guy stares at me and then clicks fingers at me.

Man: “What is that?”

He points at me.

Me: “What is what?”

Woman #1: “The watch — what is it?”

Me: “It’s a watch; tells the time.”

I go back to sweeping.

Man: “Let me see.”

He snaps his finger and reaches out his hand.

Me: “Nope.”

I pick up my tools and walk back to the house.

Woman #1: “You come back here! We want to know where you got that from.”

Me: *Lying* “A watch shop. What is it to you?”

Woman #2: “People around here, so rude.”

Me: “Please and thank you will get you far ‘around here.’”

I chalk it down to rudeness, maybe a failed robbery attempt. I put it out of my mind, and I don’t see them around for a few days.

Then, I get a note through my door.

Note: “I want to buy your watch, £5. Not worth any more than that.”

It wasn’t until I checked the local social media pages that I discovered that these three had been approaching people all over the neighbourhood, poking around people’s open garages, and looking in the back of cars. They’d been looking to rip people off, lying about the value of things and trying to buy cheap.

It turns out that they did me a favour in a way; I got the watch valued and it was worth way more than I thought. I still have it, but I don’t wear it to do the gardening anymore!