Hellstone
The whole store was set up like a Gas Station Convenience Center. The girl at the counter, a blonde girl with a ponytail around his age, was absorbed in her textbook. Well, it was past eleven. He was probably intruding on her uneventful night shift...but, then, why the hell was this place open?
"We don't carry anything overly hokey," she said, without looking up. "Your best bet is the Tarot section to your left, or the clearance section in the back."
Gabe just stared at her. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't get sulky at me," she said, looking up to glare at him. "I'm not the one changing my major. If you wanna laugh at some hokey new age crap, you'll want to either look to your left, or in the back. We don't carry crystals."
"How did you know..." he started to say, but she had already turned back to her book, this time giving him a cold shoulder. Whore. Well, whatever. Gabe eventually decided on the clearance section. Maybe he could find something cheap and stupid to laugh at and share with his friends. God knows they could use a few laughs too.
There wasn't much, though. The whole store was probably over-priced crap, so it wasn't too surprising to find that the clearance section was tiny. Other than a few battered and half broken pewter statues, the only things he could find were a bunch of Do It Yourself Voo-Doo kits. No...wait. Shoved in the corner behind an Amazon warrior with no left arm and a bent spear was a plastic bag containing a stone.
It was rather fascinating, too. He had never seen a glass stone with such beautiful crimson swirls. "Hey, shopkeep, what's this thing?" he yelled.
"Who cares? That entire section is crap that's not actually magi...cal... What did you just find?"
"Some stone in a baggie," he replied, slightly confused by her change of voice. "Here, lemme pull it out and show you-"
"No!" she shrieked, rushing out from behind the counter. "Look at me," she said. "Look at me!" she repeated, grabbing his head and forcing him to make eye contact. "You want to buy that?"
"Yeah," said Gabe, confused and a bit worried by her sudden attitude.
She stared into his eyes, and Gabe had the sudden, creepy feeling that she was piercing his soul. "Well, then, it's yours" she said, after an awkward silence.
"What?" he replied, more confused than ever.
"I said it's yours!" she screeched. "Do you not understand that? Take it! Maybe you'll be the one to do what I could not." She noted the confusion on his face, and explained. "If you believed in magic, I would warn you that this stone is cursed. You don't, so I'm not going to bother. I don't know what it's capable of, and you wouldn't believe me if I knew. I will tell you this- Take it out of the bag, let it touch your skin once, and then give it to somebody you envy."
"Oh, is that all?" he replied, dripping sarcasm. "Are these red swirls going to suck all of his luck away?"
"Look, you little shit," she said, glaring at him, "Just take the damn thing and see for yourself. Don't take it out of the bag until you're ready, and for the love of God, don't try and break it."
"I'll keep that in mind," he said, rolling his eyes. Gabe left, feeling even more bitter than he had when he'd entered. Maybe he'd get a combo and another sandwich...no, fuck it. This was already day four. ...Fuck. Combo and a burger. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Hmm, the word really was growing old...shit? Nah, fuck that. Gabe bought his food, went back home, and dumped his pockets out on the shelf.
"We don't carry anything overly hokey," she said, without looking up. "Your best bet is the Tarot section to your left, or the clearance section in the back."
Gabe just stared at her. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't get sulky at me," she said, looking up to glare at him. "I'm not the one changing my major. If you wanna laugh at some hokey new age crap, you'll want to either look to your left, or in the back. We don't carry crystals."
"How did you know..." he started to say, but she had already turned back to her book, this time giving him a cold shoulder. Whore. Well, whatever. Gabe eventually decided on the clearance section. Maybe he could find something cheap and stupid to laugh at and share with his friends. God knows they could use a few laughs too.
There wasn't much, though. The whole store was probably over-priced crap, so it wasn't too surprising to find that the clearance section was tiny. Other than a few battered and half broken pewter statues, the only things he could find were a bunch of Do It Yourself Voo-Doo kits. No...wait. Shoved in the corner behind an Amazon warrior with no left arm and a bent spear was a plastic bag containing a stone.
It was rather fascinating, too. He had never seen a glass stone with such beautiful crimson swirls. "Hey, shopkeep, what's this thing?" he yelled.
"Who cares? That entire section is crap that's not actually magi...cal... What did you just find?"
"Some stone in a baggie," he replied, slightly confused by her change of voice. "Here, lemme pull it out and show you-"
"No!" she shrieked, rushing out from behind the counter. "Look at me," she said. "Look at me!" she repeated, grabbing his head and forcing him to make eye contact. "You want to buy that?"
"Yeah," said Gabe, confused and a bit worried by her sudden attitude.
She stared into his eyes, and Gabe had the sudden, creepy feeling that she was piercing his soul. "Well, then, it's yours" she said, after an awkward silence.
"What?" he replied, more confused than ever.
"I said it's yours!" she screeched. "Do you not understand that? Take it! Maybe you'll be the one to do what I could not." She noted the confusion on his face, and explained. "If you believed in magic, I would warn you that this stone is cursed. You don't, so I'm not going to bother. I don't know what it's capable of, and you wouldn't believe me if I knew. I will tell you this- Take it out of the bag, let it touch your skin once, and then give it to somebody you envy."
"Oh, is that all?" he replied, dripping sarcasm. "Are these red swirls going to suck all of his luck away?"
"Look, you little shit," she said, glaring at him, "Just take the damn thing and see for yourself. Don't take it out of the bag until you're ready, and for the love of God, don't try and break it."
"I'll keep that in mind," he said, rolling his eyes. Gabe left, feeling even more bitter than he had when he'd entered. Maybe he'd get a combo and another sandwich...no, fuck it. This was already day four. ...Fuck. Combo and a burger. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Hmm, the word really was growing old...shit? Nah, fuck that. Gabe bought his food, went back home, and dumped his pockets out on the shelf.