CLOSING SALE: EVERYTHING MUST GO
Now listen.
Women going through breakdowns should not legally be allowed near sales. Especially after tequila. That’s how situations happen.
The bell above the door let out a horrible screech when I stepped inside. Warm air washed over me along with the smell of incense, old books, dust, and enough vanilla to suffocate a Victorian child.
The entire place was mildly insane.
Candles covered almost every shelf. Tiny jars filled with floating things lined the walls beside stacks of old books piled high enough to become structural hazards. Near the register, a goat skull wearing sunglasses sat beside a crystal ball like it paid taxes there.
I stopped walking.
“…You know what? He has a better life than me ”
“You are the first person who has respected Bernard.”
I turned toward the counter.
An older man sat behind the counter reading a massive book while tiny glasses rested low on his nose. He carried a very specific kind of exhaustion. Not tired exactly. More like someone who'd spent decades watching humanity make the same mistakes.
“The sunglasses help,” I said.
“They were his idea.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m choosing not to question that.”
“An excellent habit.”
I liked him.
Most of the candles were deeply concerning. Black candles wrapped in twine sat beside red ones carved with symbols. One candle literally had tiny bones tied around it, which felt excessive even by occult standards. Then I spotted the vanilla candles near the bottom shelf. Finally, something normal.
“Oh thank God,” I muttered while grabbing one. “A candle that doesn’t look emotionally unstable.”
“You should buy those.”
I nearly threw the candle across the room. The old man appeared beside me without making a sound.
“Jesus Christ,” I hissed. “Do you teleport?”
“Bad knees. Quiet footsteps.”
“That explanation made it scarier.”
He ignored my grumbling and shoved the entire box into my arms.
“All twelve.”
I stared at him. “Why would I ever need twelve vanilla candles?”
“You’d be surprised.”
“That sounded threatening.”
“It wasn’t meant to.”
“That made it more threatening.”
