Modern Monsters

Makhel the Orc

Female Reader x Male Monster

You used to love visiting your grandmother when you were little. Living on the coast of a small town in Maine meant you got to spend all summer swimming, going to the carnival, the beach parties, and downtown had the neatest little candy shop.

Your grandmother's house was nice too. The big, elaborate Victorian mansion was one of the biggest buildings in town. Your grandmother won awards for her gardening and holiday decorating. It was the best place to be.

The keyword here is 'was.' Your grandmother grew old and was unable to keep up with the huge place. She stopped gardening, and she stopped decorating. The once great building was like her, withering away and slowly going into disrepair.

The town was much the same way. Gone were the days of carnivals and beach parties. The downtown area was nearly deserted, and the wonderful like corner candy store was long gone. It was nearly a ghost town these days.

Your grandmother had been sent to an assisted living community, and you were tasked with getting the house back into shape so it could be sold. You knew a thing or two about repairs and remodeling, but you knew you'd need more than just help when it came to this old place.

The exterior needed to be painted, and the porch needed repairing. It was starting to decay, and it wasn't safe to linger on. The roof probably needing fixing too, new tiles for sure. You didn't even want to think about what needed to be done beyond that.

Inside it wasn't too bad, just a bit old-fashioned. You would have to go through everything your grandmother left behind, get rid of it, sell it, whatever. Once the place was empty, you could paint, deal with the floors, and- You shudder once you consider all the work going into this place. You start to wonder if the budget your parents gave you was even going to cover the kitchen.

You huff, setting down your bags as you look into the place that once was your childhood getaway. A lot of things were gone now, taken by your grandmother to her new home. Some things remained, but they were faded and dusty.

You decide to start researching the town and see what was left. You would for sure need a repair store. To your horror, the closest repair store was an hour away near the mall. But once you search a little harder, you discover a Mom and Pop style hardware store still clinging to life downtown. You never would have found it, considering it had no social media presence let alone a website. You only found it by seeing reviews.

Downtown isn't the lively place it used to be. There had once been all sorts of shops with the candy store. There had been a Five and Dime, an actual shoe cobbler, a bakery, and not just one but two toy stores. Now, there was a pawn shop, several empty storefronts, and insurance bureau, a bakery that looked like it was never open except on obscure days and hours, and the tool store.

Inside it was dusty and old, almost like stepping back in time. The shop smelled like a bag full of rusted nails mixed with dirt and coffee. It was the kind of place that, walking in with your specialty sneakers, was a huge faux pas. The only shoes allowed in here were boots caked in mud. You needed overalls too for some reason.

"Oh, welcome," you hear a voice near the back.

Looking up, you see an orc come out a room carrying a very heavy looking sack on his broad shoulders. "Need any help?" He sets the bag down, and you swear you felt the floor move.

"Just checking out the place," you say. "I uhm," you walk up to the counter. "Maybe, in the future, I'm going to need a lot of help."

The orc tilts his head, his long, dark braid falling off his shoulder. "I usually get old hands in here who say they know better than me." He smirks, "I like that."