High Hopes, Raw Deals

Betty had had high hopes for today, and when all was said and done, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

Her grandmother’s fine china–a complete set in near mint condition–had fetched only an already opened pack of gum. Her vintage Barbie doll–gently used, with original accessories as well as the box it came in, still intact–brought her just a single bent pipe cleaner.

And, probably most insulting, her complete set of first edition Harry Potter novels–each signed and personally inscribed by J.K. Rowling herself–earned nothing but a medium-sized wad of dryer lint.

Shuffling dejectedly through the parking lot, looking for her car so she could head home and forget about the raw deals she got, Betty realized she never should have taken her treasures to a place called the Diminishing Returns Swap Meet.