Just as Charlie Cooper had left the antique store, Victor pat Pepi affectionately and rummaged through the boxes that one of the ‘’rascals’’ had brought it with glee on his ruddy face.
Spreading the re-supply boxes filled with miscellaneous on the floor unceremoniously, he picked various small articles and eyeballed them with an ever growing smile on his face.
‘’See this? I think I can just recolor this small talisman and replace the fabric on this doll and some chump is bound to buy these. Charlie I don’t approve how you do business but gotdamn I am sure your stuff will go like hotcakes.’’
Getting more and more excited about the new stock, he strolled to the living room with a cheerful gait and pulled a small brush and ink from his drawers.
Waving the brush in the air on the other hand and holding the ink bottle on one hand, Victor went on to place the tools for his temporary restoration on the counter and picked a few talismans and moldy scrolls to begin his work.
Hehe I don’t even need to know how to paint or be awesome in calligraphy. Easypeasy, follow the lines and try to not fuck up. Focusing his attention fully on following the pre-drawn lines on a musty scroll, he dipped his brush in ink and started to trace the faint lines.
‘’Slooow and steadyy, haste makes waste…’’ Mumbling quietly, Victor breathed slowly in and out.
While tracing the characters in the scroll, Victor couldn’t help but read the text in his mind at the time of tracing. Interesting? It’s like an old manual for exercise, but why is there no push ups or whatever?
Just as he had finished restoring the first section of the scroll, he could not help but to read further out of his interest.
Having read the scroll, Victor snorted and shook his head. What manaheart? Maybe this is one of those differences I can’t know beforehand. Should I try it? It doesn’t cost me anything anyways.
Whatever, I’ll finish the work before indulging myself on whims.
After finishing the scroll flawlessly, he moved on to the talismans and other semi easily fixable projects and after some time, he finally was done for the day.
‘’Whoa! Sorry, I have been too absorbed in work that I neglected our food.’’ Stretching his limbs and neck, Victor yawned and glanced at the content puppy chewing on a pristine bone.
Well, even if you are not hungry, I am.
‘’Pepi, I think we can close down early today…’’
*Ding Ding Ding*
The familiar doorbell chimed as if mocking Victor’s decision to close down early.
‘’Welcome to the ages past antique store, how can I help you.’’ With a strained smile, Victor turned towards the customer.
Realizing that his store looked like a mess after the resupply and restoration, he quickly tried to gloss it over.
‘’Sorry about the mess here, I have just gotten some new interesting stock and haven't had time to organize everything…’’
Without replying to Victor, the customer strode in with steps filled with authority and arrogance. Wearing a professional business suit and stockings the unknown woman strode in with a long, wooden case in her grip.
With her high heel clacking the wooden floor, she walked right to the counter.
‘’I am looking for the owner of…This.’’ Slamming the wooden case against the counter, she opened the box and looked for Victor’s answer.
Victor walked next to the counter and saw something he didn’t want to see.
‘’This… I am sorry but I don’t know where the owner is right now.’’ Shifting uncomfortably, he closed the box and touched his abdomen sneakily.
‘’What do you mean you don’t know?! He can’t have disappeared like poof and no-one knows where he is?!’’ Half yelling, the woman spat out with veins protruding from her temples and continued.
‘’You know something.TELL ME! Why else would you be so uncomfortable talking about this.’’
‘’This…I really don’t know anything.’’
‘’I’m going to fucking wreck your store if you don’t tell me. RIGHT NOW.’’
Hearing the heated dispute, Pepi raised head from chewing the bone and bared her teeth at the unwelcome customer. Growling with anger, she closed in on the woman, one step at the time.
‘’Pepi, calm down. It’s okay girl.’’ Victor saw that things were starting to go off track, and his patience was wearing thin with such an unreasonable person.
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Clearing his throat elegantly, he then put on his emotionless poker face and said.
‘’Lady, listen here. Why don’t you get penetrated by that fucking walking aid and then get that thing rubbed in your face while someone taunts you before you start trouble somewhere. This shop doesn’t welcome you. Good day ma’am.’’ Shoving the wooden box at the fuming lady, Victor snorted and scooped the furious Pepi in his embrace while walking away.
‘’You… You…’’ The lady pointed her finger at Victor and tried to swallow her frustration. ‘’I’ll be back, do you hear me?.’’
Slamming the door forcefully behind her, she left the store with a bang, leaving Victor both angry and puzzled at the sudden outburst of the looney.
I suppose this is the famous ‘’Women can be unreasonable sometimes?’’. Rob, Rob, Rob… I think I have seen this kind of behavior before from my former co-worker.
Scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, Victor was sure that was it. Bro, you really have to be careful while choosing your gf man. After spending a couple minutes with her, I can totally see why you would avoid being found…
‘’The mean lady is gone now. Let’s order some food, Pepi. How about steak?’’
‘’Woof!’’ Pepi voiced her agreement with her tail swinging from left to the right furiously.
As he finished placing the order, Victor placed his phone down and started to play around with the unorganized boxes to pass the time.
Mmhm the voodoo dolls are pretty well made despite their flaws. If that woman tried to push her luck, I would have had to call the cops.
Fiddling around with the voodoo doll, he picked a couple loose needles from the bottom of the box and marveled them.
Man, I think these needles are made of silver. Wonder if I can sell them to some acupuncture practitioner or something. I’ll need a place to store them for a moment, so maybe I'll just stick 'em here.
Stabbing the needles directly on the doll’s triceps and just above knees, he felt that it made the most sense. After all, what kind of voodoo doll isn’t stuck with needles or something else.
Feeling satisfied at his arrangement, he placed the doll on a shelf closest to the entrance and heard his stomach growl like an angry beast.
This will do for now, time to close up and wait for the food. Flipping the sign on the front door, the store was officially closed for the day.
----------------------------------------
With a cool civil twilight shining the last rays of sunlight, the city of Runa felt strangely peaceful.
Multi colored birds sang in harmony and the trees rustled with the wind, but there was no such peaceful atmosphere inside a certain government office.
‘’SECRETARY HARRIS! HANG IN THERE!’’ A panicked male voice supported the tanned, usually arrogant woman to stand.
‘’AAAAAA IT HURTS, IT HURTS!’’ Between the moans of agony and crushing despair, secretary Harris managed to scream a few coherent words mixed with her screams.
Helplessly flailing both her hands and feet in an unsuccessful attempt to shake off the pain.
‘’Mustafa, call the medical team now. She doesn’t have any exterior wounds, hurry.’’
‘’Yes Sir.’’
The man, Luis, was holding Harris tightly in his skinny arms and looked blankly at the back of his trusted bodyguard and tried his best to keep his emotions in check. What in holy god’s name is wrong with you? Please, be okay.
Looking at his previously well decorated and stylish office being a wreck, he could not place his finger on what had happened to the secretary.
It was like a bolt from a blue sky.
After Harris had released a barrage of verbal frustration from her failed task, Luis finally managed to placate her and coax her into a better mood. Just as they had popped open a bottle of wine and he started to remove her clothes, she started to spasm and cry in agony.
Now that I think about it, I am fucked, am I? I told my wife that I’d be at the conference in Berhu city for a couple nights, so this has to be kept under wraps… Shit!
After realizing that he cannot involve the official channels in this, he decided to let someone else to take care of his secretary. ‘’Mustafa, call the church after the medical team comes. I’ll give them something that they want, and they’ll give me what I want. Let god take the wheel this time.’’