Want For Not

Want For Not: Part 3

It didn't happen often due to the unique charm of the shop, but it was always a possibility that we would get a drifter. By drifter, I mean a normal customer that somehow managed to enter the shop. By normal, I mean someone who typically yet naturally wasn't aware of the weird world and all the weirdness in it. Want For Not was one of those shops where you usually had to know someone who knew someone that could point you in the right direction. Average people on the street would pass by our door without even considering a second glance. Whereas, to someone who knew what they were looking for, our door stood out like a beacon.

Yet every now and then, the little bell above the door would announce the arrival of a curious mind who came to check out that dark spot in their peripheral vision that they couldn't seem to get a clear view of until they deliberately focused on it. By the expression on the man's face who entered, I could tell he was a drifter. Probably a inquisitive one at that. His nose scrunched up a bit, as if he were smelling something bitter. He just stood there by the door, looking around at everything, clearly lost and confused. I watched him from my place behind the counter. It probably wasn't the best customer service method, but I had to admit that there was a small part of me that liked to witness the look of bewilderment on their faces. It was sort of like seeing a baby deer stand up for the first time. That how did I get here and what do I do now type of look.

Just like with every other case, if he started to panic, I would try to make this as fast as possible. The last thing these thrill seekers needed was to buy things they didn't or couldn't understand. This time, Elise beat me to it. She approached from between a row of shelves just as I was coming to a stand.

"Good evening!" She wore a warm smile that was oozing with that customer service spirit. "Did you need help finding anything in particular, or have you brought something in for us today?"

Although he appeared to be a touch confused, he wasn't what I'd call uncomfortable or freaked out. "Light bulbs." He told her, "I was sent out for light bulbs. I don't suppose you have any here or would those be next to the..." He paused to look around again before pointing out, "That six eyed goat's head?"

"Seven." I corrected him from where I stood, "There's another eye on the back of its head, but I can't blame you for missing it."

"Right." He didn't sound bothered by the seventh eye. Nor did he sound bothered about the initial six he thought he saw.

"We don't have light bulbs." Elise let him know upfront, "Anything else you might need? Maybe we have that."

"Doubt." I told her, "Not many people have mummified mermaid infants on their shopping list."

"Actually," the man laughed, "While we're on the topic of mummification, you wouldn't happen to have any lotion or skin crème would you?"

"Fresh out." I told him, "Unless you need a sunblock with the amount of protection that would make a vampire comfortable on the beach.

"Doesn't hurt to get a snazzy hat or shades for that extra bit of protection," Elise saw her opportunity to push for more and I had to give it to her, she was a good choice to hire.

"I'll have to keep that in mind for later." He answered. He most likely thought I was joking about that whole vampire thing, too. Finally, he asked the question that had been written on his face this whole time, "Has this shop always been here?" Elise looked at me to take this one.

"Pretty much." Was the best answer I could give him. As for how long the shop had actually been here, I couldn't say for certain. The boss only told me that he had been in the business for "a long time." Whether that meant this specific shop or maybe a line of different shops, he didn't exactly say. I never pressed the matter because I didn't really care all that much to know the history of it all, and it wasn't exactly a requirement for me to know any of that information.