Gregg was a 19 year old that was starting his Freshman year at the local community college. After Gregg had graduated from high school he had gone against his parents wishes and spent a gap year traveling around the U.S. and Central America. During his travels Gregg mostly lived out of a camping backpack so his overall appearance was a little disheveled.
Gregg was almost 5’8” with shaggy brown hair that got lighter toward the ends due to a failed bleaching for his high school graduation. Gregg didn’t have much in way of stature, although he wasn’t out of shape due to his hiking he wasn’t a gym goer so he maybe weighed in around 160 pounds wet. Gregg had a few chest hairs that adorned his skinny body and over his travels had attempted to grow a beard that was now several patches of under and overgrown hair that smatter his chin and neck.
When Gregg had decided to come back home and attend college Gregg’s parents were happy to have him back, but his mother had already transformed his room into her hobby room. After two nights at the house sleeping on the floor of the room filled with glitter, fabric, sewing equipment, etc. Gregg realized that he couldn’t spend the entire semester like this. Gregg signed up to live in a dorm on the community college campus. This not only required that Gregg get supplies for his new dorm room, but coming to terms with living with 3 other people as well as getting a part time job to pay for any new clothes, sheets blankets and other stuff his new room would need.
Gregg’s mom had secretly fronted him some money as he went to the mall. Gregg had gotten a couple of interviews at the food court at the mall, and took the opportunity to go to the department store and get some supplies for his dorm room at the same time. After some lackluster interviews and some monotonous department store shopping Gregg got bored and wandered into an old antique looking shop. Nobody was tending the counter but a little bell dinged as he entered the store.
Gregg began to meander around the shop when he heard a voice from the back, “Just knock on the counter if you need anything, I’m back here moving boxes.” The voice was friendly but raspy like they had been inhaling dust for years working in the shop. Gregg began to look around, moving up and down the aisles of dusty knick knacks. Most of the stuff looked busted or like junk that’d you’d find at a garage sale. Then, as Gregg approached the front counter, he noticed a talisman on a chain on one of the shelves. Although the shelf was dusty the talisman was on a chain with no dust on it at all. Gregg looked at the design, it had a motif of swirling clouds on a night sky on it. The more he looked at it the more he couldn’t help but stare. The more Gregg stared at the talisman the more he was drawn to it and the more into a daze he went. Almost as if on autopilot Gregg picked up the Talisman and went to the front counter. He was met by a cadaverous older gentleman dressed as if he were a character in Newsies.
“How much is this?” came out of Gregg’s mouth in a monotone voice, Gregg didn’t even realize he was speaking until shortly after, he felt at the moment like he wasn’t in control, almost like he was drunk or dreaming.
“oh, that, just whatever you have in your pockets should work.” Replied the old man. Gregg put the talisman down and then started to dig through his pockets and put everything he had on the counter. The old man took no time to go through Gregg’s wallet, phone, a note from one of his interviews, a couple paperclips and a gum wrapper with a pre-chewed piece of gum in it. The old man took what little cash that Greg had, the gum wrapper and inspected the notes, took down his phone number from his phone as well as snapped a few photos of the young man while he was dazed and standing there. He then handed Gregg back the empty wallet and other odd items, including the phone, back to Gregg. “Ok, I think that was a fair trade – you can forget that you even came here, head straight home, go to sleep, and wear the talisman to bed.”
Gregg’s body automatically responded. Gregg, in a haze, woke up the next morning in his bedroom at his family home, but something was different.