Shop

I run a shop in the middle of nowhere. A quaint little shop filled with all sorts of trinkets. Little yarn balls hung from the ceiling, tangling themselves into a mixture of colours that extended their grubby hands everywhere.

There were also lovely green plants that snapped whenever I went near them, their dinner in hand.

Everyday, I would walk around the shop, checking everything. Making sure the yarn balls didn't tangle themselves too much, that the plants were fed properly, that the area was clean and lovely, giving a sense of security.

I pride myself on atmosphere. It was important for the customer to feel at home here, so that they would want to stay and perhaps buy something. Though, the shop was usually empty, one of the many reoccurring downsides to running a shop in the middle of nowhere.

Every once in a while, a person comes into the shop, usually lost, looking around the shop confused.

Taking advantage of their confusion, I would usher the person to sit down on one of the many wooden chairs and tables that were scattered round the shop for greater comfort, then run to the kitchen to make them a smoothing cup of tea to bring their nervousness down.

While they are drinking their tea, I'll run my sales pitch. I'm a shop owner, in the end. Helping these people will not benefit me if they end up not buying anything. The tea is expensive, so I better get the most use out of it.

"Welcome to the shop, how may I help you? We've got everything you want, from a scrap of yarn to potions to skin clearing lotions. Maybe you want wings, to take flight through the beautiful night? Or a plant which can prance, or maybe do the bellyflop dance? Whatever you may want, we'll provide, you just need to decide."

Honestly, a horrible rhyme, but when you are down on your luck, lost and hopelessly confused, you'll take anything that may help you, including a strange rhyme. Which is most of the people who come here.

The person in the shop this time was a lovely little girl, looking up at me with hopelessly lost eyes. She held her cup of hot chocolate, yes, I give hot chocolate to little kids, and timidly asked for something to help her mom sleep at night.

"Of course, I can get that for you! Let's see… a potion to help with sleep… or maybe a necklace? Or a bracelet? Oh, how bout a doll?" I held up a small doll and shook it, its body shaking along as though it was dancing to the beat of music.

The little girl nodded, reaching out her hands to hold the doll I gave her. I smiled, before ringing her up.

"Now, what are you willing to pay?" I ran the numbers happily. "Since it's a sleep doll, one of many, I'll give you a little discount, so remember to come again, ok? Just give me a memory you don't really want or need, then the doll is yours.

With those words, the little girl paused, her hands holding out some paper currency, hesitation painted on her cheeks in the form of the most lovely red blush.

I laughed, patting her on the head. "Little girl, what you use outside this shop doesn't work here. What matters here are memories, you see? Don't worry, I won't take a valuable one, it'll just be something small.

Now, its important to coax them properly, so that they would still want to buy the item. Else, how would I run a store this remote?

The little girl seemed to think about it for a while, before shutting her eyes and nodding. Satisfied, I smiled.

"It'll only take a little. Now, think of the most inconsequential memory you could think of. I'll focus on that one and take it away. Then, the doll is all yours."

She nodded once more, her eyes still tightly shut.

I placed my finger on her forehead, closing my eyes as well.

The little girl popped up in my head, licking a ice cream happily. It was mint, I mused, its flavour unique on my tongue.

Viewing that memory, I extracted it from her head, placing the precious memory in a bottle that I took from my pockets. The white fog slowly entered the bottle, flashes of the memory swirling at the bottom of the bottle.

The little girl slowly opened her eyes, the doll still clutched tightly in her hands. I smiled, rubbing her hair for the last time, bottle held in my other hand.

"Payment successful. You can go now, little girl. Remember, just put the doll near to your mom, and she should sleep like a baby tonight."

The little girl smiled, bowing to me. She walked to the entrance again, disappearing through the wooden door, never to be seen again.

Hopefully, never to be seen again. People only get here if they're desperate enough to try something ridiculous, like magic. The next time she comes here will only be if she was once again so desperate. Enough to try magic once more.

I meet a lot of people in my long long life. Some are so desperate they give up everything for a little magic, while others come over and over again, losing themselves with every memory.

Walking to the back of the shop, I held the bottle preciously as I opened the door that led to my memory room.

Bottles of every size were laid out on shelves, greeting me with their swirling colours. I stalked to the corner of the room, placing the bottle on a empty spot. The bottle gleamed on the shelf, happily flashing the memory.

I wish more kids like her appeared. Having to see desperate adults with their problems hurts me the most.

Walking around the shop, I cleaned up the cup, throwing it into the sink in another room of the shop. Hopefully, more people will come soon, watching memories were the best thing in the world.