Page 86 - Labyrinth--Suburban Stardust

I watched the man standing behind the counter smile at me. The grin plastered on his face looked plastic, ironed to his cheeks. He scanned my item, his forced features never faltered. I stared at him further: slick hair, freshly shaven, and wrinkleless clothes. But his face perturbed me. His eyes were glossy and colorless like a doll rescued from a fire and that smile, that damn smile.
“Cash, credit, or memories today, ma’am?” He asked.
“Excuse me?” I shot back, my train of thought rattled.
He spoke through his teeth which flashed in a perfect grin. “Cash or credit?”
I coughed, “Right.” I shoved my hand deep into my pockets to pull out dirty coins and torn dollar bills. I watched pale trembling fingers pour the money onto the counter. The man reached forward and swallowed the cash with his hands. The sound of the cash register opening tore through my ears and I stumbled back, my balance failing.
“Have an unforgettable day,” he re- cited, handing me what I purchased. Cradled between my fingers lay a small plastic bag. The word ‘BLISS’ was scratched across the bag in a hurried handwriting. The contents in the bag blurred to a dull white. No matter the effort, I couldn’t see passed ‘BLISS’ to examine what lay beneath. I stood there, turning the plastic over and over in my cracked hands
to see through the bag’s haze. I heard some- one clear their throat behind me, breaking my attention from my mindless task. I jerked my head around and standing there was a woman and child. Their faces were gone; just blank spaces. Scribbled across where their faces should have been were words written
in thick black lines. The woman brandished ‘Fault’ and the child carried ‘Lost.’
“Are you just going to stand there unmoving?” Drilled Fault. “You’re holding up the line. Show a sign of life and move out
of the way. Use your time and ours wisely.” I reached towards her face to trace the word but she slapped me away. “Don’t touch me, you monster.”
I glanced down at Lost; he refused to look at me. I watched his brows furrow and his lips move. “Where? Why? Will? What?” Lost repeated. I heard pain and sorrow ripple through each syllable he uttered. I longed
to reach forward and touch his soft hair, to flatten away his crestfallen thoughts. My face felt warm and my eyes burned. Fault lurched towards me and shoved me into the counter.
“Get out! Get out!” She screamed. I leaned hard against the counter and felt ten- der hands curl around my shoulders. I tilted my head to see the terribly perfect face of the cashier.
“It’ll be okay,” he cooed. “Just for- get.” His nails started to curl into my skin. I didn’t stop him.
“Forget,” I repeated, the word fell limp from my lips. “Forget.”
The perfect man released his hold
on me. With fingers stained with my blood, he reached forward and closed my hands around the ‘BLISS’ painted bag. “Go, you’re safe,” he told me. And I believed him. Word- lessly, I stepped from the counter and towards the exit. I walked from the hollers of Fault. I ignored Lost’s harrowing questions. With his advice, I stepped further from the woman and child. I pushed open the doors and stepped into the darkness day provided.
Author: Amanda Hoeksma