When I finally finished my apprenticeship with Enzo Benedetti, the greatest locksmith I’ve ever known, he sat me down on an old teak chair in his office. He gave me a cigar, a glass of port, and three pieces of advice:

1. Never open a lock shop across from another smith.
2. Always keep a record of every key you cut, every single time.
3. Never, under any circumstances, should you take a house call for a rich man.

The third one tripped me up.

“The Gift Horse’s Mouth” was originally published in Dark Matter Magazine’s 2023 Halloween Special. It can be read in full on Dark Matter Magazine’s website.