Chapter one "Here you go Sasha" Tim said, handing over a can of soda to her. "Oh, thanks!" It was the last lesson of the day, PE, the sun was beating down on us. I was sweating like mad and my mouth was dry as my grandmother's dead nails. We just finished dong laps around the campus and school ended once we were dismissed. I ran to the vending machines in the canteen to grab a cola just in time to catch Tim handing a soda to Sasha. I don't know what to feel, envious for that mouthwatering can of cola, or envious for Tim's kindness. Despite the canteen being empty, her presence with him was more then enough to make it feel cramped. I didn't feel thirsty anymore. I turned back in the hallway i came from to head for the water coolers near the bathrooms, I slung my black back pack over my shoulder. A pin got caught in the wall and loosened itself from my back pack and fell on the floor. The sound of the metal hitting on the ceramic floor was louder then the whole world dancing with tap shoes on. I cautiously turned around and bent over to pick up my dropped pin, mentally taking note never to put a pin on my bag ever again, and tuned my head to see praying they didn't noticed me. "Hey! Lauren!" Tim waved over to me and Sasha was behind him smiling "We're on our way to the magic shop, you wanna tag along?" She said from behind him as if the two of them are the best of friends and I'm the girl they have to hang out with so they dont feel guilty, My first and sincere answer was to refuse, being a third wheel and feeling worse then I already do whenever I see them together was the least thing I wanted to do right now. But anything to be able to spend time with Tim and not be kept in the dark about what they do without me made me say, "Yeah! I'd love to." Walking down the neighborhood was nostalgic, it was the way Tim and I always took to go home, but that was then. I remember walking down the same street, just Tim and I, laughing and having a good time, which is exactly what Tim and Sasha are having now, without me. I watch their backs as I miserably follow them into the magic shop. Tim and I always pass by it but it was always closed, and it just never came across our minds to go back there. This was the first time I've ever been inside, the first time I pushed the wooden framed door open, hitting a bell which made a quick, light welcoming noise as we entered. I was amazed at the shop, purple curtains draped the windows, letting little light pass through, luminous stars were painted on the walls giving the shop a mysterious, illusionary glow. Shelves were randomly placed around the shop, each shelf filled with goods you never see, arranged in no particular order. Displays of masks, costumes, puppets, and other weird contraptions hung on the walls and from the ceilings. I passed by a wall lined with dream catchers, peculiar wind chimes and vodoo dolls, then a shelf stacked with candy caught my eye. As I took a closer looked I realized the candies were magical as well. Some were packaged in tins, titled "edible sea monkeys", a photo of sea monkeys inside a persons mouth holding up a thumbs up sign was underneath the title. One next to it were bunches of individually wrapped candy placed carelessly on the shelf unkept. I skimmed through each piece of candy, spotting strange names such as "ear skin" and "gecko tale", then there were those cliche magical names to go with the shop such as "grow a cm" and "measles". There was also a stand full of oddly shaped lollipops, some are shaped as eyeballs, fingers, snakes and some had interesting colors, such as night blue and frog green. Then one tin specially caught my eye. It was hidden in a corner, behind the lollipops, and surrounded by a few carelessly misplaced candies. I reached in and picked it up, it seemed to be the only one left on the shelf. It was a round flat tin colored a metallic pink with a scratched label stuck on the lid, it read, "Second Chances". It sounded so magical and delicious, I wondered what a second chance would taste like. I looked over my shoulder to see Tim and Sasha paying with a dancing ballerina laughing happily together. I bet second chances taste great. The price wasn't stated, I only had around two dollars left and some spare pocket change, hopefully it was enough to buy it. I walked over to the counter where an old lady was fixing on some scale shaped blue crystals onto a wind chime. "Excuse, but I'd like to ask how much this costs" I asked and placed the tin on the counter. The lady looked down at the tin for a moment, and looked up at me, I looked away surprised by her piercing look. I felt transparent and naked for a moment as if all my weaknesses were revealed. She smirked and tossed the can at me, I was able to catch it in between my chest and my hands. "Free, take it with caution and sincerity. There is only enough for your heart to say what it means, so make it good" I looked down at the tin in my grasp and then at the old lady, these were just ordinary pellets of candy right? She made it seem as if they were magical, but then again its a magic shop, it must be good for business. "Thank you, for it being free," I smiled at her, secretly hoping that she's not giving it to me for free cause it's expired or something. Sasha and Tim were still playing with the ballerina, I went to an area in the shop where they wouldn't notice me and where I couldn't notice them either, behind a shelf full of stuffed toys and vintage toy soldiers, away from the counter. I sat down and opened the tin, another cover was on top of the base with hole large enought for a pellet to pass through, I turned it upside down and shook it onto the palm of my hand. A pastel green pellet with a pink heart in the middle came out. It was as big as the surface of my fingernail and was a centimeter thick. Pinched in between my two fingers, I observed it, it seemed like an ordinary candy. "What a weird lady," I said to myself and popped it into my mouth. It had a sour apple taste, but refreshing and cool like mint but doesn't have the spiciness of it. It was refreshing as I rolled it around my mouth with my tongue. Just as I was about to bite into it, Tim and Sasha walked into view, arms linked around each other, their smiles turned to shock and embarrassment as they saw me sitting on the floor. I looked up at them and smiled, stood up and left. Crunch, I tasted the pink heart, a sweet and sour twist to the refreshing and cool apple, as it split into half.
No comments:
Post a Comment