8 March 2012
Seeking diversion on his lunch break from his soul-sucking job, Alex stumbled upon a store which didn't seem to belong in the 21st century. A bell jangled noisily as he entered the establishment, a place which smelled musty and was dimly lit. Light scarcely seemed to penetrate the windows, as dirty as they appeared to be. Looking about the shop, Alex saw strange and one of a kind items; a stuffed and dusty raven stared sightlessly at him from a shelf, and backing up Alex was startled to bump into a large standing statue of the jackal-headed Egyptian god, Anubis. Filthy jars on a counter appeared to contain unidentifiable herbs and powders. Alex was about to exit the strange store when its proprietor shuffled out from behind a curtain.
"Can I help you, young man?," asked an ancient Chinese gentleman who peered at Alex from above thick lenses perched on his nose.
"No, I was just curious about your store," responded Alex. "I doubt that I could afford anything that you sell here anyways. I'm sorry to have bothered you."
A faint smile passed over the features of the old man. "I trade in antique miracles here," he said. "Some things are for sale, while others I share freely." The old man looked into the younger man's eyes. "Advice I could give you, but what you need most is this," intoned the storekeeper. He bent slightly at the waist as he reached below a counter to extract a rectangular oblong box that appeared to be made of ebony. Placing the box on the countertop, he pushed it towards Alex. "Please consider this...a gift!," the old man said with a gesture towards the box.
Alex fingered the catches on the lid of the ebony box, and raised it to look inside. A strange look crossed his face as he peered within the box to see some kind of small mummified animal there.
"What is this, some kind of sick joke?," asked Alex with a mixture of surprise and revulsion in his voice.
"Actually, it is more powerful than you can imagine," replied the old man. "It is a fox, and it has served me well," he continued. "But I am old, and you have need of him now," concluded the elderly man. "Take the box with you...I insist!," said the proprietor firmly.
Not wishing to offend the old man, Alex thanked him and tucked the box under his arm. He would store it under his desk that afternoon upon returning to work.
(End of first installment)
The Curiosity Shop • Opuss № I