//------------------------------//
// Prologue 
// Story: Crystal Ballerina 
// by BlueSkyHeadLeft010 
//------------------------------//

	It was just a routine stop to the local gas station to top off my SUV for the road...
Nothing was out of the norm as I inserted the nozzle into the slot and started pumping the ethanol liquid into my ride...
My stomach grumbled a bit as I paid with my debit card and put up the nozzle, so I decided to reward myself with a bit of a treat for the road...
I checked my watch to make sure I had enough time... It wouldn't be another hour until I had to go to all women's baseball game. I should be able to grab a kit-kat for the road and maybe go by a fast food joint for some actual grub later...
I locked the car with my keys and headed over to the store.

The doors slid open and chimed a familiar greeting to the employees to let them know I was here as I walked in...
The aroma of half burnt coffee and day old donuts greeted me as I went over to the candy bar section and found what I was looking for...
I reached over and grabbed a kit-kat bar when I noticed this old guy coming towards me with dirt ripped up jeans and a t-shirt that said "will work for pie". I rolled my eyes as the guy passed me and looked over at the butterfingers before eyeing the kit-kat bars towards me...
"Hey would you be willing to trade that last kit-kat bar you have there?" The guy asked me, a certain hunger in his eyes...
I shrugged, "depends... What you got?" I grinned, hoping for some cash or something so maybe I could buy a drink too...

What he had wasn't cash, it was a rock. A shiny rock the size of my fist, but never the less a rock... "I found this beauty today." The man said grinning, "I was thinking of selling it, but hey girls like jewelry right?" He chuckled as he held the rock out towards me..
I realized now that he was holding a Pearl in his hands, (I was never good at geology, ok?), and I nearly shoved the bar at him as I grasped onto the Pearl eagerly...
"Thannnnnnnnkkkkkkkkkksssssssssssssssssss kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-" His sentence got cut off as I blinked around and noticed that time was slowing down around me.
I panicked of course, but it didn't help much as I too started to slow and fade out. The last thing I did was scream, but it came out more as an un-completed yell as darkness overtook me.