I will talk to you about a tiny little object that occupies a special place in my collection of spinning tops (the reason why I collect that sort of toys for children should be the topic for another essay). It's not an heirloom but a kind of antique, which is not particularly old or valuable. This one is a finger spinning top about four centimeters long and made of brass. I came across it in a small shop in Portobello Market a few years ago, and the man who ran the stall told me that it was from the end of the nineteenth century.

I don't remember exactly how much it cost but I do remember that I found it too expensive and, therefore, I initially decided not to buy it. Fortunately, my wife was with me; if it hadn't been for her, now I wouldn't own the piece. She thought that it was special enough to deserve paying the money we'd been asked for -let's say around twenty quid. Eventually, she bought it and gave it to me as a present.

Now the top is in my showcase, surrounded by many other ones -nearly two hundred, most of them much bigger. But the one that I've talked to you about is special: it brings back memories of an unforgettable stay in London.

Diego Gutiérrez del Valle