Erick wasn't sure what he’d seen when he first saw it. He'd cut through the teen section of the department store with the intention of heading towards the area that sold men's clothes, he needed several new shirts for the job he'd be starting in a few days, and almost hadn't paid attention when the teenage boy had knocked over a pile of stuff. Finding it was none of his business, especially as it seemed like the boy would leave the things on the floor to be picked up by someone else, nineteen year old Erick had figured to continue on his way. But then, from the corner of his eye, something caught his attention as the boy made a noise that, to Erick, sounded like the noise of a dog yelping in surprise.
Slowed, he turned to look at the boy, and was taken aback as he couldn't understand what he was looking at. For the brief moment, he thought he was looking at a woman in her mid-twenties, yet, at the same time, he was looking at a teenage boy of about seventeen or sixteen who was obviously not human. Sure his eyes were playing tricks on him, Erick thought they appeared to be human, stood on two legs, that sort of thing, but also looked like they were some type of canine.
"Like if dogs had evolved to the point we humans are at today,” Erick thought to himself as the image of the woman became transparent.
But, before he could figure out what had happened, the teenage boy-dog-woman muttered something, turned, and wandered away. Wanting to tell himself it still wasn't his business, Erick almost continued on to his original destination, yet found he couldn't, as he was overcome with a feeling like he was watching something of wonder unfold. Sensing the decision had been made for him, he changed course and followed after the teenage boy, who, if Erick didn't know any better, seemed different somehow. Wondering how this was and what had changed, he watched as they stumbled toward the section that offered boy's clothing, and as they chose a handfuls of things and added them the stuff to what they already carried, Erick toyed with the notion that, if he didn't know any better, the person seemed shorter somehow.
"That's a load a nonsense," Erick tried to tell himself as he reasoned that people didn't shrink in size.
In front of him, almost as if they were in a daze, the person jerked away from the table they gotten the last article of clothing from and shambled away. Thinking he'd seen enough, that there was definitely something off and that he should just go about his business, Erick didn't. Continuing to follow after, he watched as they made their way toward the section that had the shoes, and took a pair in a way that, to Erick, it seemed like they were possessed or being controlled by an invisible force. Seeing both the teenage boy and that they actually appeared younger, Erick thought he must have been mistaken in thinking they were a young woman. But, before he could figure out why, he experienced another one of those weird images on top of another image in which he saw both a teenage boy and a younger boy, both of whom looked human and like a canine-human mix, and before his eyes, their ears seemed to actually begin to get bigger. Watching as they seemed to take on the floppy look some dog's ears had, Erick continued to follow after until he watched as they headed towards the changing stalls. Thinking this would be were he'd loose them, he gave a start when the person stumbled, lurched forward, and seemed about to fall flat on their face.
Without a second thought as to what he was doing, Erick sped up his pace. Closing the gap between him, he raised his hand to get their attention. About to ask if they were all right, if there was anything he could do to help, he never got the chance as they dropped to all fours, used their foot to reach up and scratch at their transforming ears, a sight Erick would have found comical if not for the situation, shake their head, and force themselves up. Dropping something as they did, and as Erick drew within a foot or so of them, they rushed into the section of the store reserved for trying on clothes, and Erick was certain that they were about to be sick.
His desire to help, if he could, still strong, Erick toyed with the idea that maybe he should find a floor attendant and alert them to the situation. But, even as he considered this, he saw the thing the teenage boy had lost. Picking it up, he saw that it was a necklace, "And a rather ugly one," he thought as, unable to help himself, he studied the image and the strange word printed on it. Figuring the boy would want it back, Erick headed for the changing stalls first for men to use. Seeing all of them open, he walked over to the section meant for little boys, and spotting one was closed, he tightened his hold on the medallion as he strolled toward it.
Partition all the way down to the floor to prevent someone from peeping under it, he could tell he wouldn't be able to push the necklace under the door. Stopping in front of the closed door, he wondered if he had the right one, as he also tried to sort out what he'd seen and how it was possible. Raising a hand to knock, he didn't wait to get an answer when he called out, "Um, excuse me. I think you might have lost something. It looks like a necklace, like costume jewellery."
He didn't know what he expected to happen, but was willing to bet the door would open and he'd see the teenage boy, who'd demand their necklace returned. To his surprise, he heard a thud, like the person inside might have run into the wall, or laid heavily against it, and after a moment, a voice that was a young woman's, a teenage boy's, and a little boy’s all at once, barked out, "Go away."
"But, I," Erick started to say, and was cut off when the same strange voice growled out, "I said, go away. Please, leave me alone."
Taken aback by this, and trying not to be offended, Erick slipped the necklace into his coat pocket. Thinking about people and how you couldn't do anything nice for them, he turned away. Starting to head toward his original destination, he thought he'd drop the strange amulet off at the service counter before he left, as well as alert someone about someone who might be ill in one of the changing stalls, and hearing what sounded like someone dropping heavily toward the floor in the booth, he almost changed course. But, figuring they wanted to be left alone, he exited the section for trying on garments, and promptly had all thoughts of the necklace and the strange encounter forced from his mind when he saw someone that left him confused about what he was seeing.
She appeared to be a girl in her teens, and Erick really had no interest in her, even if she did seem to be about two years younger than him. About to ignore her as he headed towards the men's section, he slowed when he was again overcome with the weirdness of seeing two images of people, one overlayed over the other, at once. Unable to keep himself from doing so, he stared as thought that what he was seeing was guy in his mid-twenties wearing a blue skirt and a tight, short-sleeve top that buttoned, whilst at the same time he saw a teenage girl who wasn't human, but like the boy in that she was a dog-person. Finding it odd that he was seeing two people at the same time he was looking at one person, as well as how the term for a dog lover suddenly took on a different meaning, Erick blinked and shook his head. The woman walking on, not even acknowledging his presence, Erick wondered to himself, "What the hell is going on around here," as he gave the teenage girl one last look before he stepped out of the main aisle and into the area he'd originally come in to browse.