Epilogue

It had been an uneventful shift so far. Sniff had gone through his usual routine of greeting all the employees as they came in and wandering the aisles before the store opened. It was a bit of a ritual now, and it also gave him the chance to make sure he had properly repackaged his bedding from the night before. It really was astonishing that no one had noticed yet that he’d been sleeping there for over two months, but a lot of astonishing things had happened to Sniff since he’d gotten here. He’d been hired immediately and been promoted to the manager of this Costco in just a few weeks, which from what he could tell was a very prestigious position. The Favors he’d gotten from those two kids must have been truly massive. It made Sniff wonder what bad luck they’d gotten in return.

“Mr. Sniff!” an employee called as she speed-walked toward him.

“Yes, Lindsey?” People here had such funny names. He liked Lindsey, though: she’d started working there after Sniff was already the manager, so she showed him a little more deference than some of the more experienced employees.

“We have a, uh, confused customer over by the food court,” Lindsey told him uncomfortably.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Sniff followed her lead in the direction of the food court. “What seems to be the issue?” he asked, adjusting his baseball cap. People here had a strange pride around their hair, and if your hair was thinning, as Sniff’s was, you were expected to do something about it. He’d elected to wear hats, as people here also seemed to be entertained by the sight of a man wearing a hat. Connecticut was a fascinating place.

“Well, he keeps asking everyone if a magic portal ever opened up in the building,” Lindsey explained. “That’s a new one, isn’t it?”

Sniff stopped walking. “He really asked that? What does he look like?”

“That’s him right there.” Lindsey pointed at a boy with brown skin and a red t-shirt standing on the other side of the checkout counters, just a few yards away. Sniff took a step back. What was the phrase they used here? Oh crap.

The boy saw Sniff at the same moment and his eyes widened. “You!” he shouted, starting to run toward him.

Sniff turned tail and fled, but the boy caught him in seconds, grabbing his arm and holding on tight. “You aren’t supposed to run in Costco!” Sniff protested as he was forced to stop and face his pursuer. “What do you want?”

The boy didn’t let go. “I want you to give me a Favor,” he said, “and then I want you to tell me everything you know about portals.” He paused for a moment and blushed slightly. “Please.”