ON SALE.

My teeth chattered and I was shaking like a leaf, as I made my way to the supermarket, trudging through the ankle deep snow.

The blizzard was blowing the snow in my face which felt like it would crack if I smiled.

I finally made it to the revolving door and pushed my way in.

I was expecting to see a few people shopping, but the place seemed deserted, I couldn’t even see anyone at the check-out.

As I walked down the first aisle looking for breakfast cereal, I noticed there were quite a few things strewn on the floor, in fact

a lot of things had been pushed off the shelves, leaving them empty.

I suddenly realised how deathly quiet it was.

 I thought I would come across somebody else by now, but I still hadn’t seen another soul.

I could hear the sounds of the blizzard blowing, and the windows were fogged up making it impossible to see anything outside.

There was an eerie screech from the other end of the store, which sent a shiver up my already shaking spine.

I pushed my trolley silently down the aisle, grabbed my cereal and continued down the next aisle looking for the tins of baked beans.

I couldn’t believe there was nobody about, they must all be up the other end of the store, I thought to myself.

A door banged shut, making me jump out of my skin.

I stood there, heart pounding, trying to breathe normally.

The silence hung around me like a veil, I could have heard a mouse run across the floor, but there was still nobody about.

I listened for any sounds of normal activity.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, as I heard a soft scraping sound coming from the entrance.

I pushed the trolley faster and headed down towards the freezer area, at the back of the store, I needed some milk and butter.

Somebody was laughing, not your usual laugh, but a cackling laugh, like a witch.

The sound wavered from a high screeching to a low rumble, reverberating across the store.

 Then it just stopped, like somebody flicked a switch, and the soundless store enveloped me in a shroud again.

 I grabbed my milk and butter and threw them in the trolley.

There were footsteps behind me.

 I whirled around, almost losing balance and grabbing the trolley. Nobody there.

Crash, bang! Bottles and cans were being pushed off the shelves and landing on the floor in front of me.

I took off, pushing the trolley towards the exit.

How was I going to pay for these, with nobody at the check-out?

I would just have to use a self-serve check-out, even though I preferred the lady to pack them for me, as she did such a good job.

The windows rattled as the wind grew louder, thank goodness I only had a hundred yards to get home.

The one good thing about this store was that it was well heated, I was very cosily warmed up.

I pushed my goods through the scanner and into a bag, paid with my credit card, and put the bag back into the trolley.

Suddenly I heard something, very soft at the back of my mind, at first, then it got a little louder.

 I couldn’t make out if it was a person or an animal.

It sounded like a kitten mewing, or maybe a baby crying.

Oh my! It was a baby crying, I recognised the sound now!

But where was it coming from?

The sound reverberated all over the store, coming from everywhere!

I had been down several aisles and there was no baby there, so it must be one I hadn’t been down.

The loud screeching and cackling began again, drowning out the sound of the baby.

I left the trolley near the exit, then made my way slowly down one of the aisles I had missed.

Nothing there. Was I imagining it or was it getting dark in here? I was sure that some of the lights had gone out, as it was getting gloomy.

I peered down the next aisle, but this time I could only see half-way down.

 Feeling very creeped out, I forced myself to head down into the gloom.

 The crying and cackling had stopped, it was deathly quiet again.

I could hear my own footsteps as I walked across broken glass and packets of cereal. I stopped and listened.

I could still hear footsteps, in the aisle I had just left!

Heart pounding and breath rasping, I continued down the next aisle.

 The sound of the baby was getting closer, but its cries were getting weaker.

As I got nearer to the back of the store, the lights got dimmer.

The last aisle before the freezer section, was where the sound was coming from.

The last of the lights flickered, as I crept down the aisle.

Then suddenly I saw it, there on the floor.

All alone, abandoned by someone in a hurry, it’s little head moving, arms waving.

You would think it would be unhappy, but it had a cute little smile and twinkling eyes.

The sound of footsteps were getting nearer and the cackling sounds were getting louder.

I grabbed the baby, wrapped it in a shawl and took off toward the exit.

Pulling my coat around the baby, I grabbed my things out of the trolley, pushed the door open and trudged out into the snow and sleet.

Just then a large man in a uniform grabbed me by the elbow.

“Sorry Miss, I think you forgot to pay for something?”

“Oh, of course I did!” 

I went back into the store, unwrapped the baby and pushed it across the scanner.

“Sorry about that.” I said. “guess I had my mind on other things.”

I took the baby back to the Home, washed and fed it, then wrapped it up for the night.

I wound it up again. I just loved hearing that darling crying sound again, before I went to sleep.

When it finished, I propped it up on the shelf, in pride of place, with all my other babies, who have kept me company for the last five years, since my partner died.

They were all very well behaved, hardly ever cried and always did what I asked them to do, so Matron was happy for me to spend my money on them, now and then.

She even let me go to the store by myself to pick them out.