Pawnshop

There was a little shop on the corner of Huston and Macbeth. This particular shop contained various items, and the only entrance had iron bars. This shop was, in fact, a pawn shop.

One day a man who called himself John Mertle came into the little shop. John was a collector of sorts. He collected items of a ranged value and if the item looked interesting he bought it. The man who owned the pawn shop liked John because John was a frequent customer.

Today was a good day. Within five minutes of entering the little shop, John found something he had never seen before. It was no bigger than his hand and gleamed without the necessity of any light. It seemed to be a pocket watch, but the design inscribed on it was nothing John immediately recognized. And when he inspected the inside of it, the pocket watch worked. However, depending on the angle he looked at it the time changed. Weird.

"How much for the, uh, pocket watch?" John asked non-committally.

The shop owner squinted in John's direction and said, "That's a fine piece that is. Let's say $85 no tax."

John thought this was a steal. He paid with cash and thanked the shopkeeper without missing a step. He left the shop with a skip in his step thinking his day would get better. It would and it wouldn't.

John had a small yet cozy flat in the east village. A few bookshelves, various Potter plants, sunk-in furniture, and a sphynx cat properly named Arch Duke Francis Ellington of the Scots. Arch Duke Francis Ellington of the Scots loved John and would commit violent acts of treason to keep him safe.

Upon entering the flat John saw that Arch Duke Francis Ellington of the Scots was waiting for him by the counter needing to be fed.

"Hello Francis, let's get you some food shall we? Chicken or Tuna tonight?" John asked most seriously.

"Meow." Arch Duke Francis Ellington of the Scots corrected.

"Ah yes, cow liver it is. My apologies." John said as he walked towards the cupboard and took out an unlabeled brown sack. He opened the sack and poured out what suspicious looked like something that should never be uttered before placing it back and closing the door.

John took off his jacket and sat down on the sofa. He sighed and took out his new treasure to admire it. There was a faint warm buzzing when he cupped it in his hand. Weird. He stared at it for a long while until Arch Duke Francis Ellington of the Scots pawed at his shoulder. Cats are very needy indeed.

He got up, picking Francis up as he walked towards the small convenient bathroom. John set him on a towel by the sink as he prepared a toothbrush for each of them. After feline and human teeth were cleaned John put on Arch Duke Francis Ellington of the Scots' favorite little night cap and they headed to the bed.

Before John reached the bed he glanced over at the pocket watch on the table next to the sofa. He paused to set Francis on the designated part of the bed reserved only for cats such as himself and walked over to retrieve the watch. John came back and set the pocket watch on his bedside table.

John put on his pajamas and crawled into bed. He gave Arch Duke Francis Ellington of the Scots a tiny kiss on the head and wished him a good night. He looked at the pocket watch curiously before closing his eyes and going to sleep.

But sleep didn't seem to come. Or it did, John wasn't sure. He was outside on the street without knowing how he got there. He looked around cautiously but saw nothing of importance. He shrugged and started back up to his flat.

As soon as he reached his door he began to feel uneasy, like something was terribly wrong. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw what he believed to be thousands of tiny figures coming out of every conceivable crevice.

"OH!" John bellowed.

This can't possibly be good he thought, and as his body caught up to his brain he started running back down towards the street. On the last step his foot caught on air and he fell hard onto the concrete. When John looked up the tiny figures had gained on him and started climbing onto his now prone body. The last thing John saw before waking up was thousands of tiny men stabbing into his gut.

John woke up in a blind panic scrapping his hands along his sweat-drenched body. His panic subsided when he saw there were no tiny men anywhere to be seen. He looked over at Arch Duke Francis Ellington of the Scots and his focus did not waver from John's bedside table. John slowly looked at his table and the red-hot glow of his new pocket watch was fading away to its normal gleam. Weird.

When sunrise finally came John had already showered and dressed for the day. He fed Arch Duke Francis Ellington of the Scots his normal food and was set to leave for his daily errands. He stopped before the door and without thinking went back for the pocket watch. Again there was a faint warmth coming off it but John barely noticed.

John stopped by the local farmers market to talk to the ever-so-lovely Margaret and buy some fresh honey from the not-so-lovely Benedict. After that, he decided to stop by the pawnshop. Nothing caught his eye that day, but when he went to thank the owner again for the pocket watch he had no idea what John was on about. John left the shop puzzled. Weird.

John always walked over the little bridge on his way home. It was one of his favorite things to do. But today an overwhelming feeling of dread hit him like a brick upon stepping on the bridge. Suddenly he didn't feel happy. He wanted nothing more than to step over the railing and fall into the soft nothingness. But as soon as John crossed the little bridge a weight lifted and he felt like his old self again. Weird.

He made it back to his flat and put the pocket watch on the kitchen counter. He fed Arch Duke Francis Ellington of the Scots his favorite, tuna of the abyss with a side of catnip. It was a good evening. John and Arch Duke Francis Ellington of the Scots watched the BBC on his little television and got ready for bed as they did every night. When John finally laid down he saw his pocket watch was once again on his bedside table. Weird.

When John opened his eyes it was dark and cold. After a few blinks he realized he was on his little bridge. All the happiness felt as though it had been sucked from the air and he didn't know how he could go on with his happy little life. He stood on the rail for what felt like an eternity staring down into the darkness. He closed and opened his eyes slowly. There was a faint red glow to his left. It was the pocket watch. What was it doing there, this couldn't be right, could it? He was so surprised that his foot lost its balance and he plunged into an abyss.

John woke again with a start but all he could see was the little gleam from his pocket watch. He looked around. Nothing. He closed his eyes and the last thing he saw was a faint red glow. Weird.