The music became louder and was blasting throughout the shop. The tiles on the floor were black and white. Multiple drawings and paintings were hanging on the walls. There was a front desk but nobody was there. The music was coming from a stereo sitting on the desk. I poked my head above the counter and rang the small bell that seemed a little fancy for a place like this. A curtain opened from behind the desk and a woman of around twenty years poked her head out.
She didn't seem to notice me at first, maybe because I was so small. But when she did notice me she stepped out from behind the curtain and went behind the desk.
"Hey there little guy," I looked at her and waved. "you looking to get a tattoo today?" She giggled.
"No, I just heard the music," I pointed to the stereo.
She looked where I was pointing, "oh, so you like the music eh? They play some pretty cool stuff on this station. My favorites are 19dust and No Fire."
"Who's playing on there now?" I stared at her.
She shrugged, "I'm not sure. haven't heard em' before. But anyway, What're you doin' here? You know kids your age can't get tattoos right?"
"Sorry. I didn't know this was where people got tattoos. I was just curious. Please don't call the police!" I covered my face.
She laughed, "Pfft. Call the police? I don't see why I'd need to do that."
"Oh. Okay," I stared at my feet.
"Here, why don't you come sit over here and watch as I take care of some costumers. There's somebody coming in in a little over ten minutes." She pointed to a leather seat and motioned for me to sit down. I sat down then started staring around the room looking at all the art.
I had been sitting there for a little while when I heard the bells on the door jingle and a tall man walked inside then stood by the desk. The lady walked out from behind the curtain and sat him down in an odd chair. Then the process of getting a tattoo had begun. The entire time the man looked like he was in pain. He never yelled out or anything though. I sat and watched as the intricate design of a dragon began to form on his back.
~~~
After the man had left I noticed it was getting late so I decided to go back to the post office.
"You got any place to stay tonight?" The girl stood up and walked over to me from where she was standing at the desk.
"Kind of," I looked at my feet again.
She looked at me with a concerned look, "kind of? What's that supposed to mean?" I shrugged.
"Mkay. Well if you don't got anywhere to stay I guess I can set up a place for you upstairs. Come on follow me." She began walking behind the desk then vanished behind the curtain. I followed. There was nothing else behind the curtain except for a stair case. We both walked up it until we reached a door.
When we entered, there was a small, dimly lit room that smelled like lavender. There were pillows everywhere.
"Just have a seat anywhere. I'll set up a sleeping spot for you over here," she walked over to a pile of pillows and made a nice nest with blankets and pillows. "You can sleep there, and I'll go get some food from the fridge."
I walked over to the nest and curled up. The blankets were soft and the pillows were the most comfortable thing I had ever lied on in my life. I closed my eyes then noticed my stomach growl.
"Here, I have some chicken left over from yesterdays dinner." She handed me the chicken. It was fried, warm, and crunchy. She ate a salad.
After I finished my fourth piece of chicken I walked over to the kitchen sink and washed my greasy hands. Then a returned to my warm nest and once again curled up underneath the blankets and sinked into the many pillows.
"Goodnight--," she paused, "whats your name?"
"Ryan. What's yours?" I replied.
"I'm Cleo, nice to meet you Ryan."
"Nice to meet you too Cleo."
"Goodnight."
"Night."
YOU ARE READING
Ryan
Acción(On Hold for a Bit) When Ryan, a five year old boy living in a gang filled city, finds his abusive parents both dead he runs away. With nowhere else to go he lives on the streets where he meets a sick old man who teaches him how to survive and also...
