The Lucky Coin

A single worn copper coin hangs from a plain, dark cord passed through its hole like a humble pendant. The coin is smooth at the edges from years of handling, always faintly warm against the skin, and bears an unfamiliar smiling face stamped on both sides as if the same cheerful likeness was struck twice. In torchlight, the smile seems to catch the light a heartbeat too long, and faint runes only visible at the edge of vision shimmer around the rim before fading.