Sitting in a shadowy corner of the dying mall is a thrift store that carries an unusual and diverse set of wares. They have children’s toys, pet supplies, clothing, plates, and much more. One thing that most of the customers and some of the employees don’t realize is that every item for sale in the shop has a curse on it. On the rare occasion that the owner is confronted about why he would knowingly sell cursed objects she shrugs his shoulders and simply says that one person’s cure may be another’s blessing.
Franklin is a new employee, just 18. Told to show up at 1 pm, Franklin arrived at 12:45, much to his managers annoyance. She waved and told him to familiarize himself with the store for a few minutes.
He wandered up and down the aisles. The aisle full of clocks was interesting. There was a grandfather clock at the far end and all types of clocks along the shelves. Digital alarm clocks sat next to coocoo clocks. There were also pocket watches and wrist watches scattered around. Several had sings on them that said ‘do not touch’ and one said ‘do not wind’, which Franklin thought was interesting.
He shivered at the creepy dolls in the toy aisle but he was excited to see some toys from his childhood on the shelves. There was an old speak and say sitting on the shelf with a little sign that said ‘do not pull sting’ in front of it. Franklin was contemplating if he should ignore the sign when he heard a familiar voice/
“There you are, I was hoping to bug you on your first day.”
Franklin turned away from the toys to see his best friend James.
“Hey dude, I start in a few minutes,” he said.
“No worries,” James said. “I won’t stay long. You know, I never realized this place was here.”
“Yeah, same,” Franklin said. “But while I was scouring the town for jobs, I came across their ‘help wanted’ poster. It was pretty easy to get the job, said most employees move on to other things after a few weeks.”
“I hope it’s not because they hate the job,” James said. Franklin Shrugged. “Any way, I think I’ll browse around for little. I’ll see you at the hot dog place after you shift.”
“If I’m still able to stand,” Franklin said. “My shift ends at 10.”
“You don’t need to be on your feet to choke on a wiener,” James said with a wink.