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Quickly walking down the white lined hallway she sensed her own peers were eying her up from behind their closed brown classroom doors. Many of them rigid with no life outside of this place had no sense of what was right and wrong. Brainwashed by Mother Superiors scare tactics it was almost like a secret society of sorts that operated on apprehension and domination. Not thinking twice Gabby bolted down the steps keeping her focus on those oblong chestnut doors that locked the outside world. Pushing on the steel beam door handle Gabby was never more grateful to get out of a place as she was now. Job or not she wasn’t about to stick around to become Mother Superiors latest victim. That woman with her cold eyes and blanched skin was looking at the face of death.
Chapter 2
The rest of the day Gabby spent strolling around downtown Philadelphia loosing herself in the various shops and historical landmarks the city of brotherly love had to offer. A biting wind blew in from the gloomy skies above nipping away at her exposed fingers. Despite the arctic air and numbing effect on her unprotected flesh she couldn’t think of anywhere else she wanted to be.
Just as she was about to cross the congested Market Street with its bumper to bumper traffic she noticed a peculiar shop out of the corner of her. Till now she had never noticed this place before. She had walked up and down this particular stretch of downtown countless times and it fathomed her that she never recognized it before. A chipped wooden sign flew back and forth in front of the establishment. In scrawled lettering as if it were written by someone with a severe case of arthritis were the words Delightful Things. If she had to judge the store with that scribbly handwriting and opaque dusty windows, there was nothing delightful at all from the outside appearance. The entrance to the place was a blue painted door that was eroding away in several places. Honestly how did the owner of this place expect any business Gabby wondered with the way it looked. It was a wonder it was still around. Intrigued Gabby went in.
Once inside the place Gabby couldn’t believe that the exterior was so dilapidated. Certainly the inside with its plush peaches and crème carpets and sweet smells of cinnamon and spice was a complete opposite. The walls painted a shimmering gold added a sparking touch to the room. There were rows and rows of various items shelved on these towering glass shelves. At the head of every row was a neon lit sign advertising the items that were in each aisle. Off to the left hand side stood a tall young man in his mid-twenties tending to the cash register. He had such gorgeous hands they were like of a porcelain doll so perfectly manicured. Smiling at Gabby he had the most perfect smile like one of those rock stars seen on television. Returning the gesture, she didn’t want to make it too obvious after all guys like him preferred the skinny gals who could fit into any skimpy outfit. Someone who shopped in the Plus Size aisle was a far cry from what this hunky young man was looking for.
Returning her attention to the rows of items Gabby was impressed with how neat these items were neatly arranged in such perfect appearance along the shelves. Any store she had been to in the past always showed signs of customers pulling things off and thrown back in a half assed fashion. Not this place everything stood in silent obedience just waiting for the next customer to pull the item off the shelf for inspection. At the far end of the aisle was a shopping cart full of books. An avid reader since she was a young girl one of the many ways she escaped her chaotic childhood Gabby always on the hunt for a good read. Nestled between the stacks of books was a black leather hardback its freshly glued smell filling her senses. Embroidered over the top of the book the words the Interesting Tales of Zen. Imprinted beneath the title the image of a medium sized man with tiny hands stood his glowing red eyes a sight for anyone to see. Apprehensive at first she was nearly ready to put the book down when the young man from behind the counter appeared.
“Ah now that my young lady is a good read. I highly recommend it. “He had a weird dialect almost as if he were born in another century or time period.
“Really? Why you say that? Look at those glowing red eyes they scare the bejeebies out of me. “Laughing that nervous tickle she always generated whenever her anxiety kicked in she was sure the young cashier thought she was some oversized loon.
