Right On Target

5

It was Taylor Swift--the elven giantess herself loose in a Target after hours while he was supposed to be stocking her CD. Alex's eyes widened in his state of shock.

"Shh!" Taylor shushed him, holding a finger up to her lips in the universal "shh" symbol. "No one can know I'm here," she whispered.

"Why are you here?" Alex whispered back frantically.

"I'm doing a 1989 Secret Session and you're invited!" She was clearly very enthused but seemed dejected when Alex failed to realize what that meant. "It's like a party where I invite people somewhere and play my new album for them before it's released? Haven't you seen it on the news or Rolling Stone or something?"

Alex shook his head. "No, but don't you realize I have like a hundred copies of the CD in that cart? I could just open it and play it now if I wanted."

"No, no!" she said. "This is a"--her voice became very, very quiet--"Secret Session!" Her eyes were open to maximum openness now.

"It's just you in a Target," Alex countered.

She sighed. "Yeah but you get to hear the album."

"Look," Alex countered. "I just want to stock the shelves so I can go home. You can play me the album while I work if you want."

Taylor's face lit up with glee. She was so excited. They walked back to the cart. Taylor pulled out her iPhone and played the first track, Welcome to New York, through the speaker as they walked. She sang along to the song and danced like a chunti waiting in line for ice cream at the ice cream truck.

When the song ended, Alex feigned excitement, clapping his hands violently. He could feel his eyelids starting to go downtown to Sleepyville but he still had so many more shelved at the front of the store to stock. He was ready for the sweet release of sleep.

Little did he know, he would not be sleeping a wink that night.