Local merchants regret selling cursed monkey paw to students

With virtually all area economic activity at a halt due to coronavirus restrictions, Jim and Mary Good of Good Find Antique Store in Niwot (666 2nd Ave.) said they are now having second thoughts about selling a cursed monkey's paw to a group of local high school students, who told the pair they needed the mummified relic for "research purposes."

"They said they wanted to examine the ugly thing as part of some video project or something or other," Mary Good said about the shriveled, disembodied hand. "Said they needed it to complete something called a TikTok or they wouldn't get their fancy diplomas. Next thing you know, there's a global pandemic, and all the schools and stores are closed, and there's nothing to do but stay home all day and watch Netflix."

The Goods first received the slightly singed paw several decades ago from Mr. and Mrs. White, a local retired couple who lost their son, Herbert, in an industrial accident. Jim Good said he remembered the Whites as hard-working, though a little "credulous," and said they received a rather large settlement from Herbert's employer after his mysterious death.

"I think they got enough to pay off the mortgage on their house," Jim recalled.

According to the Goods, the paw sat on a shelf in the store's back room for years, seemingly forgotten, until the students unearthed it late last year. Mary said they were initially reluctant to sell such an item to the teenagers, but decided to go ahead with the lucrative deal after the group promised to be "sensible."

"At the time, we thought it was a good way to end 2019," Jim said.

The Goods have since been forced to close their shop due to Boulder County's stay-at-home order, which asks residents to remain in their neighborhood, except to get "essentials," such as food and medicine. Mary Good said the unexpected respite has been "good for my health and well-being," but threatens the couple's pending retirement plans.

"After 35 years of doing the back-breaking work of running this store, we were finally ready to take up lives of leisure near our grandchildren," she said, adding that the projected month-long shutdown will wipe out their savings. "Now that's all on hold, and I don't know if we'll even have a store after all this."

As for the four students who purchased the paw, they've since issued an apology, saying that it was a "joke that got out of hand."

"We didn't, like, really think that the old monkey's paw we found at Good Deal Antiques was like, legit cursed or anything," local senior Will Jacobs said. "Like, we didn't actually think any of those things Mr. Good told us were true, you know. It's not like we believe in magic."

Jacobs said he and his friends stumbled upon the small, leathery artifact when searching through the downtown Niwot antique store for "stuff from the olden times, like the 50s or 60s," to use in videos on the social media network TikTok. The shriveled, four-fingered paw fit the bill nicely, and the resulting clip showing the four seniors hefting the hairy object and wishing for an extended spring break was viewed more than 3.5 million times through last month.

"I guess people on TikTok liked it," Jacobs said. "It, like, low key went viral."

Though the group was stunned and elated when St. Vrain Valley Schools first announced a two week district-wide closure on March 12, the abrupt "coronacation" hasn't exactly lived up to their expectations.

"I was like 'Oh my God, it worked, I can totally go skiing for two weeks' when I first heard about school getting canceled, but then I was like 'OMG, this is such a bummer'," senior Genie Grant said. "I've been stuck at my house, and, like, my dad is here all the time since his restaurant closed, my gross older brother is back from college, and, like, I have to help watch my little sister, who's like super annoying. Now I have to do these weird online classes, and it doesn't seem like there's any point."

Jacobs is also upset that prom, senior night and graduation- "the best things about high school"-are also potentially threatened, not to mention numerous athletic, music, and other events. He also worries he won't have much time to spend with his friends or girlfriend in person before he heads off to college in the fall.

"Bro, it's supposed to be, like, the best time of our lives, but it's a total bummer," he said. "I guess we'll have a good story to tell our kids, if we grow up to have any."

According to Jacobs, the monkey's paw is currently in a safe, but undisclosed location. He said he has no plans to use it again, but wants to be sure it doesn't fall into irresponsible hands.

"There's no telling what could happen if someone selfish used this for evil purposes," he said. "That might cause a real problem."