Amanda (23 College Grad), To be a successful businesswomen, An ancient talisman

The Sunday flea market buzzed with the chatter of bargain hunters and the occasional squawk of gulls overhead. Amanda ran her fingers along a rack of vintage dresses, the floral patterns faded from decades of wear. She needed something - anything - to spruce up her tired work wardrobe on her meagre entry-level salary.

At the next stall, a display of costume jewellery caught her eye. Most of it was cheap tourist trinkets, but one piece stood out - an unusual bronze pendant on a delicate chain. The disc was etched with strange symbols that seemed to shift slightly when she tilted it in the sunlight.

"Where's this from?" Amanda asked the vendor, a grizzled old man who smelled faintly of tobacco and motor oil.

"Ancient piece," he said with a wheezing chuckle. "Powerful stuff for the right person." He eyed her threadbare blazer and the dark circles under her eyes. "Tell you what, love, ten bucks and it's yours."

Amanda nearly laughed. Ancient? More like mass-produced in some back alley workshop. But there was something intriguing about how the metal warmed instantly against her skin when she held it up.

"Five," she countered.

The man's yellowed teeth appeared in a grin as he took her money. "Hope you get what you're after," he said with a strange emphasis that made the hairs on her neck prickle.

Amanda almost laughed. Five dollars for what was probably some tourist trash. But the metal was warm against her palm, and when she slipped the chain over her neck, the weight felt… right.

The old man snickered as she walked away.

The Next Day

The office was deserted by 7pm, the only sounds the hum of the air conditioner and Amanda's frustrated sighs. She rubbed her temples, staring at the mountain of paperwork still left on her desk. Across the bullpen, the senior account managers' offices stood dark and empty - they'd all left hours ago for their family commitments or just to clock off on time. Another late night. Another mountain of grunt work the senior associates had dumped on her before heading home to their condos and wine collections.

Her fingers found the pendant again, still cool against her skin despite wearing it all day. The weight of it was comforting somehow, like a secret talisman against the soul-crushing grind of being the lowest person on the corporate ladder.

"I wish I was a successful businesswoman," she muttered to the empty office, half-joking.

The pendant grew suddenly hot against her collarbone. Amanda gasped as a brilliant light erupted from the bronze disc, flooding her vision until the world dissolved in a kaleidoscope of impossible colours.

When the light faded, she wasn't in her cubicle anymore.