The businesswoman stepped out from the hotel and made for the beach.
It was late in the afternoon and the stretch of sand along the bay would be almost empty. A late paddle wasn’t her usual thing, but the news was good, so this would be a celebration. She had just checked the current state of her bitcoin wallet and was feeling really pleased with herself. She regarded herself as being pretty savvy when it came to business finance.
The weather had been warm and the cool salty water felt very pleasant as it lapped over her feet. She splashed along in the shallow water for some time before deciding she should return to her room.
As she strolled back along the water’s edge, she saw something shiny tumbling in the surf. She bent and picked it up. It was a beautiful little bottle, green, with exquisite patterns etched around it. As she regarded it, she considered that it could well be quite precious.
Holding it up to the dying sun, she could make out a small piece of paper inside. It had a glass stopper that required some effort to pull free. She tipped out the paper and peered at it in the diminishing light. It was difficult to read. It was faded and appeared to be in some ancient style of script. She could just decipher the word replacement, but she couldn’t be sure.
Then, in the briefest of moments, the glass stopper rattled back into place and she was gone.
Nearby, a bemused young page from the court of King Henry VIII stood looking around.
The bottle, apparently of its own volition, was bobbing away, floating back out into the open sea.