Shopping For A Requiem (Blogophilia 18.7)

The clouds seemed to obscure the big orange box on the side of the road.  There isn’t any money, but that doesn't matter.  Hardware and research, it all fits.  Even Odin had to think before making Askr and Embla. The Toyota responds to his thoughts at pulls across the highway into the parking lot. Riding up and down the lane, dodging a display of rhododendrons placed for maximum impulse buying, he wonders where to park. 

Slowing down for an elderly man walking towards his car, he feels the cold fear return. The store looks like a ravenous beast, consuming all that might enter.  Jeremy fights it back and pulls into a space next to a sign truck. Getting out, he impulsively looked up to see cameras mounted on every pole.  Sighing, he shrugged his shoulders. Just can’t have any privacy anymore. He headed past the upturned spa at the entrance and went it in.

There was a desk hawking store credit cards just inside. It brought to Jeremy’s mind the story of Jesus and the Money Changers.  Having the right currency is so important in this temple, isn’t it?

A petite woman sat behind the desk.  Her hair was the same color orange as her apron.  Jeremy wondered it if was part of the dress code.  As he walked by, the troll asked:

"Can I help you find something?”

"Uh… no.  Just looking, thanks."

The urge to flee to the sanctuary of the apartment is strong, but he beats it back. Facing the fear is as much a part of the process as the revenge.  Fear shrinks from confrontation.  It is time to break their silence. Forcefully.

Going by the outdoor and seasonal area makes him faint, the smell of insecticides and fertilizer war with his jumbled thoughts.  Fertilizer...do they sell the right kind? Maybe, but I don't need that now.  Focus. One step at a time, keep walking.

Lighting fixtures and kitchen appliances call his name.  Come look at me!  I can sanitize your unmentionables! No, I don’t have them. You are useless. I have a much higher calling. More trolls walking around, waiting to trap him into giving up his money. 

Plumbing department.  Yes.  That has what he’s looking for.

He spots another orange troll at the head of the aisle talking to a customer, demonstrating a snake looking tool.  Moving on to the next aisle, faucets and fixtures are lined up in neat rows. They are soldiers in the war for public attention.  Showerheads able to run twenty sequential patterns in two minutes next to kitchen kits able to deliver hot tea water on demand.  Every distraction the modern sheep needs.  In the distance he hears the rumble of a thunderstorm outside. 

The next aisle had what he was looking for, pipes of all sizes and types.  He reaches for a 1" plastic piece, pre cut to 24 inches.  It seemed a bit long, but at $1.80 he could get a bunch and experiment.  He rejected the steel pipe as too heavy.   Looking at some of the repair kits, he realized they were going to be too short and too thin.  He scratched a couple of notes on his sheet of paper.  Just as he finished, the troll ask him if he found what he needed.

"Yes, I did. Thanks."  And he headed toward the exit.

Leaving in the store in the pouring rain, a smile came across Jeremy’s face.  Another step accomplished.