Daily Report - Tumblr Posts

A report! From inside the walls of Mallmart;

Here in sunny Okaloosa County, it is currently 75F°, and the temperature is climbing into the 80s the farther we go into the week. Morale is low, and there have been casualties. In the breakroom, a young man sits at a table, watching anime on his phone. "It's going to be a quiet day, I think" He tells me, sliding his long hair behind an ear. His baseball cap is tilted low obscuring his face, and his sunglasses are tinted with his building fatigue. This young man's name is Aiden. Aiden remains quiet and still, and perhaps quite lifeless, as he gazes into his screen. "Do I have permission to blog about you?" I ask to those gathered at the table. The smiling girl across from me nodds. "Why sure! I don't mind none!" Her body is dusted in light freckles, and her name is Kara. Aiden, broken from his momentary trance, nods unsurely. "I don't care I guess,"

This is a monster we fight everyday, that we all know. Fatigue looming over us like a sickening phantom, following us only steps behind. I understand this, so I let it fall into a comfortable silence. In times like this, I would just anxiously check my phone. Today, is not an ordinary day though, because I am with you, dear reader

And that is alright.

A Daily Report! From Inside My Bedroom

Today, I do not work at Mallmart. However, today is significant because today is the day where a dear friend of mine goes into surgery to have her thyroid removed. Dear readers, I have not yet asked for consent to name her specifically, but this friend of mine has been very close and dear to me for as long as I can remember. Since I cannot send raw meat or sushi to her or ornate daggers through the mail, I have settled for trying to make some art for her, but on the off chance she's reading, we all adore you in our friend group, never stop being you 💛

A Report! From Inside the Walls of My Room

"I feel like I sound like I'm trying too hard to write but idk. I don't want to sound too speechy," I type, tapping my fingers anxiously on my desk. I had thought making a blog would fill the sort of empty feeling in my life that had me feeling nearly directionless. I thought moving to another plane of existance would give me the thrill I was craving but here in Okaloosa County, I feel remarkably dull. 

"How much have you written before?" 

        I sucked in a breath at this question. The truth was, a lot. I wrote everything down, word for word, never forgetting the phrasing because if I didn't write it down I would inevitably forget everything and that meant…

"I dunno. I usually write in template form for my many daydreams. Mostly for school though.And calling my daydream templates writing is kinda a stretch,"

I remember sitting in a small room, the ceiling arched and textured like popcorn. The walls a soft gray, and the only light coming from the antique lamp in the corner of the room donned in cobwebs. How many years had I lost standing in a corner of that room, gazing into the old antique mirror that sat on the ground, propped up against the wall and spattered with an unknown murky liquid?

"You know writing's not a thing you're just either good or bad at and that's that. It's not something you just do and it either sounds good or doesn't. It's a skill that you practice like any other. If you've only ever drawn in grade school art classes you're not gonna be Leonardo Da Vinci the first time you pick up a pencil for fun instead of an assignment. Keep at it."

I paced anxiously back in forth in my room, fingers tapping rhythmically against my hips. ' Yeah, but I want to be liked. I want to feel like I got something worth saying.' He's right though. He's been online and writing far longer than I have, and not only that but he has the moves to back it up.  I sit back down in a huff and continue typing. 

'I like you guys

I want to seem cool and stuff to you. It sounds kinda juvenile when I say it out loud' 

'Ciara, we're already friends you don't have to impress us. At this point we like you 'cause you're you'

'Thank you 💛'

'Being friends with you isn't a favor'

I blink a few times, and read it again. And then, I read it again

Because deep down, I don't understand.

A Report! From Inside The Walls of Mallmart

The shadows stretch ominously over the well manicured lawns of Okaloosa, and the seas kick their legs against the shores with a sort of nervous energy That tells me maybe they too know what is going to come next. Even as they don't tell me their secrets of our universe, I still have one thing in the back of my mind, and I know when I write about it, I'm going to have all ears listening. It's just a matter of when.

Of course, time seems non-existent at a place like Mallmart, and before I knew it the sun was bright in the sky, and I was eagerly sitting at a table with a bag of strawberries in one hand, and a can of whipped Cream in the other. Because today, is the day Taylor from Mallmart comes into my life.

Taylor, is goth.

She is donned in all black, and her hair is glossy and voluminous and her skin is soft, and stretchy, and wonderfully pale. Taylor has eyes the color of a grassy field on a misty day, and Taylor smells of cherry licorice and warm linens.

Taylor of Mallmart is my idol.

"Taylor, darling! I brought you strawberries!" The student of microbiology sat down next to me. "Oh thank you, you didn't have to do that." Her voice is monotone, but with underlayers of warmth. Not everyone understands it, not everyone can hear her amazing depth. "The whipped cream is unopened," and she glances down to where I point. "Oh it's okay," 

"Perhaps we can do whippets at lunch instead, Dear Taylor~"

This, elicits a dark and sardonic chuckle from her, which shoots electricity down my spine. I get up from my seat. "Until next time, Taylor from Mallmart,"

I thought about the fact that I am bound to get noticed, sooner or later. That being this invisible is temporary. It sparked a nervous energy in my chest, but all I could think was, 'Surely this isn't it. This isn't all that is to life.I can't be stuck like this, I can't- The lights blinked out of Mallmart one by one, and then, panic.

"Well, this is exciting." The customer next to me jumps at my cheery statement, as if she hadn't noticed me standing there. There's no working like this. People are panicking, workers are ushering people out and asking them to leave their carts at the front of the grocery exit. I take my cart back to the backrooms, only to find all the doors closed, and the room pitch black save for the floodlights in each room, leaving a very dim glow.

Taylor, is now attempting to navigate the backrooms, peering anxiously where the baler would be. "I'll get the door for you," I grin at her. Confused, she reaches into her pocket and fumbles a moment before shining her phone light on me, and her eyes widen, the pupils dilating. Her breathing came out shallow and uneven. "Taylor? Wait, Taylor-" and she was gone, running down through the store as I was hot on her heels, out she goes into the parking lot, into a car, which peeled out leaving me in awe. 

So, quietly I go back to the break room, sit down at a table, and spray whipped cream into my mouth.

Because I know when I write about it, I'm going to have all ears listening.

An important update;

Darling Taylor came back for me 💛

We are now sitting in the breakroom eating whipped cream and talking about the outage and how she was scared because I seemed terrifyingly inhuman and uncanny valley at the same time. She's such a charmer with her compliments 💛

A Report! From Inside The Walls of Mallmart

The shadows stretch ominously over the well manicured lawns of Okaloosa, and the seas kick their legs against the shores with a sort of nervous energy That tells me maybe they too know what is going to come next. Even as they don't tell me the secrets of our universe, I still have one thing in the back of my mind, and I know when I write about it, I'm going to have all ears listening. It's just a matter of when.

Of course, time seems non-existent at a place like Mallmart, and before I new it the sun was bright in the sky, and I was eagerly sitting at a table with a bag of strawberries in one hand and a can of whipped Cream in the other. Because today, is the day Taylor from Mallmart comes into my life. Taylor, is goth. She is donned in all black, and her hair is glossy and voluminous and her skin is soft, and stretchy, and wonderfully pale.

"Taylor, darling! I brought you strawberries!" The student of microbiology sat down next to me. "Oh thank you, you didn't have to do that." Her voice is monotone, but with underlayers of warmth. "The whipped cream is unopened," and she glances down to where I point. "Oh it's okay," 

"Perhaps we can do whippets at lunch instead, Dear Taylor~"

This, elicits a dark and sardonic chuckle from her, which shoots electricity down my spine. I get up from my seat. "Until next time, Taylor from Mallmart,"

I thought about the fact that I am bound to get noticed, sooner or later. That being this invisible is temporary. It sparked a nervous energy in my chest, but all I could think was, 'Surely this isn't it. This isn't all that is to life.I can't be stuck like this, I can't- The light blinked out of Walmart one by one, and then, panic.

"Well, this is exciting." The customer next to me jumps at my cheery statement, as if she hadn't noticed me standing there. I take my cart back to the backrooms, only to find all the doors closed, and room pitch black save for the floodlights in each room, leaving a very dim glow.

Taylor, is now attempting to navigate the backrooms, peering anxiously where the baler would be. "I'll get the door for you," I grin at her. Confused, she reaches into her pocket and fumbles a moment before shining her phone light on me, and her eyes widen, the pupils dilating. Her breathing came out shallow and uneven. "Taylor? Wait, Taylor-" and she was gone, running down through the store as I was hot on her heels, out she goes into the parking lot, into a car, which peeled out leaving me in awe. 

So, quietly I go back to the break room, sit down at a table, and spray whipped cream into my mouth.

Because I know when I write about it, I'm going to have all ears listening.

A Report! From Inside The Walls of Yesterday

Where we last saw our brave heroes, they were deep inside the Mall Mart backrooms, after a noticeable  power outage that may or may not have been caused by my own hubris~

The power outage, however, was not where the day ended. Context is important here, so that you will understand why I am due for a small meeting of sorts. "It's just some classes," they say. "Think of it as reeducation on the core values of Mallmart," 

With determination in my gut, I had stormed the fields of Mallmart that afternoon, heading straight to the heart of the beast- our pharmacy and beauty section. The power outage made this part of the store particularly difficult to manage. Price scanners could not be used during a power outage. Looking up items for customers could not be done during a power outage. Labels could not be made, during a power outage. So places like pharmacies, where there are so many small nearly similar looking bottles of medicines, ointments and vitamins can seem particularly daunting. 

However, this was not the only danger of the pharmacy and beauty section, as if items cannot fully fit on shelves, they go to 'topstock', the space at the very top of the shelf where items could not be reached by customers. This, was always overstuffed in pharmacy. So as I got ready to put a bottle of melatonin in topstock, I almost didn't notice something warm dripping onto my scalp. 

I looked up, and saw pitch black, oozing through the cracks of the skylight of the pharmacy's ceiling. Impossibly dark, making me wonder just what was up there. Did I see a glimpse of something? Hidden inside the dark mass of ooze? And how was it up there in the first place? Would it stay up there festering and if not, how would they get it down? Did it even matter? I felt an arm roughly tug me away from my spot underneath the skylight. "Girl, you smell like roadkill now." Kara stared at me as I blinked owlishly, coming out of my daze. I'm not sure however long I stood under there, trying to decipher the contents that was dripping over me but I was a mess. And indeed, it did smell like roadkill but mostly gasoline.

And, since it was just close enough to the end of shift, I did not get to drive home to get cleaned up. I had to work with the stuff all over me. The posts continued to be dead quiet with no interaction.

The store continued to stay in chaos, a thrumming pulse coming deep from the bowels of Mallmart as I stocked the chemical aisle. 'What have I done, all I wanted was to be popular- I must've done something horrible in a past life to deserve this. No one in the history of being in pain has suffered as much as I, a Mallmart associate covered in black ink has today'

"Shouldn't they keep her in the back where she isn't stinking up the store?" Three young teens talked amongst themselves. "Keep your voice down! I heard that chick is hella weird. She just randomly showed up one day in Niceville-"

"Can I help you?" I ask, turning on my heel to face them. Immediately, two of the three became bashful and shy, but the young girl with long brown hair grinned. "No, but you clearly do. What's your aesthetic? Special ed. barbie?"

"What's your aesthetic? Being a big bitch-"

My eyes locked with my manager's, and I sucked in air as if trying to suck the words back in. My lips pressing together until they turned white-

A Lesson, in talking to customers, with Madame Macabre!

When engaging with an angry customer, should you;

A.) Ask How You Can Better Help Them?

B.) Count to 10 Mississippi In Your Head While Working To Keep Calm

C.) Accept That You Are a Small Spec In The Vast Unending Universe And That Soon You Will Be Dust Along With All Your Problems

Answer; D.) All Of The Above

You should never resort to calling the customers names, because this could deduct Mallmart points from your account! What are Mallmart points?

Mallmart points are points you can collect through hours worked, and diligence. These can be traded in for when you need to take time off, or in this case, when you have a small infraction. 

I was not fired. Instead, they kindly asked me to take the Mallmart reeducation course so I can "better understand Mallmart's values". I am not at the mercy to disclose what Mallmart's reeducation program entails.

Mallmart's reeducation certainly does not involve them taking you out to a shady back alley to hit you with sticks until you promise not to insult customers though.

It's not.

Trust me :)

So, I limped into the breakroom, sitting in a heap at the table, a moan slithering from my lips as I open a can of soda. "That bad, huh?" Taylor from Mallmart asks, her voice wonderfully flat. "I am going to scream, Taylor dear,"

"Don't do that-"

"It's too late, I'm screaming."

"You're just drinking from your soda though-?"

"Internally, Taylor. Internally."

"Oh."

A Report! From Inside The Walls of Mallmart

"I was never going to get internet famous, was I?" I stare into the dark, shadowy corner of my room. It's 5am, and storm clouds are brewing over Okaloosa County. The seas are churning but still keep that odd emerald glow that we're known for. "This was just about me, selling my mortality, my soul, or whatever else was up for bargaining when I made that blood pact." Still, no answer. It's just an empty corner of my bedroom. "Well, I'm going to anyway so whatever is happening here can seem worth it. I choose to win. I choose to fight." Dead silence. It was near maddening. And then, "Honey, have you left for work yet? It's 6 o'clock."

I have never been popular. In grade school, I remember sitting around in morning meeting and just thinking about what I could say to grab people's attention. Darkwood middle school was much the same, with me trying to desperately get in with the cool crowd. Every time I opened my mouth and said something stupid, I could feel their judging gazes burrowing into my skin so I would talk more, trying to fix it. And more, 

And more

And then I'd talk even more until I thought I was going to choke on it. I always made the situation worse without fail. I was a pariah. I was the goofy kid who no one wanted to hang out with. I began trading my lunch, gum, whatever I could bring into school in exchange for companionship. It never lasted, it was always short lived. As an adolescent, I was never invited to the college group chats, or parties. When I went to work, I was never invited to grab beers after the shift ended with the guys. 

"I reckon it's going to rain all day," a man says, in the break rooms of Mallmart to his friend. Indeed, the clouds were darkening over the store, and I sat alone at a table, feeling painfully aware that I may have gambled away the last thing of value I had in hopes of, what?

Attention.

'Maybe it's all in my head. Maybe the other day was a string of odd coincidences. I'm fine. I'm not coming unglued. I can get back to my boring Mallmart employee life, and forget this ever happened.' so that's what I did. I stocked shelves in hba, and let my brain go blessedly blank. 'I am a good associate employee. That's all there is. There is nothing supernatural happening to me. I am normal, and that is okay.'

'If things keep going like this, I'm going to-

No.

No , no… things are fine. Don't start with that train of thought now.' But it's like a mantra in my head. Things will not get better. I don't deserve to have anything go well for me. All these anti acid pills I'm stocking, this is my life now. The heavy cloud over Mallmart is all there is to my life now. Things are always going to feel like this. 

By the time the cart is empty, my head is spinning and I feel useless. I feel dead inside. I feel sick. And management is just waiting for me to screw up. I know it. I'm a screw up.  The thought leaves me sweating as I head over to the palette set up.

A Lesson in Mallmart Stock handling, with Madame Macabre!

In Mallmart, there are several types of stock you may handle. All of them have guidelines on how to properly handle them so you and Mallmart's customers can be as safe as possible! One is standard stock. Standard stock is items such as groceries, toys, or pharmacy vitamin bottles. These items don't have unique guidelines, but should always be securely put on your cart before reaching its destination. You should not leave any stock out on the main sales floor as this could create a liability. 

Then, we have hazardous materials. This stock may have flammable liquids or other chemicals that may pose a suitable threat when damaged. Be sure to handle with care, and to take the necessary precautions available on the Mallmart hazardous materials guide. The last, are team lift stocks. This stock reaches a weight or size that requires multiple people to handle the stock, in order to lift it to its destination. These items typically exceed 60 pounds. 

I could feel my team lead's eyes on me. I could feel Mikki's eyes, the lovely older lady who was always so nice to me, on me. I could feel Taylor from Mallmart's eyes on me. They were waiting for me to mess up. I needed to hurry and go. So I stacked the camping canopy sets one on top of the other and carried them over to my cart. 

"Holy CRAP-!" In near unison, I could hear my several onlookers say. I dropped the sets down onto the cart, looking over as my team lead made his way over. "Ciara, next time we should really do a team lift for each of those. Are you okay-?" He glanced me up and down before continuing. "Can you get those down from there alright? Okay, well finish up that cart and then head onto purging bins." And off he went, as the others stared on in shock. I didn't waste anymore time and got the hell out of there, honestly.

I really should've checked the boxes, they say team lift right on them, plain as day. The thrumming in my head persisted well into lunch break. 

Taylor and Aiden sat at a table in the back of the break room, laughing. "That's not what I said-" Taylor insisted, as I took a seat with them. The young man with long dark hair was not wearing his usual sunglasses and hat. Instead they sat in the center of the table. His eyes were blue, and the roots of his hair shockingly blonde. And he was making Taylor laugh, and blush. "Dude, I am so disappointed I missed the power outage. The one day I have work off, and you guys go into nightmare mode? For real!" He says 'For real!' a lot, actually. I understand why it's for real half the time he says it. 

"Yes, you missed the power outage, Aiden Gossman. There were lights out, and screaming, and strange liquid dripping from the skylight in the Health and Beauty Department…and you missed it, because you stayed home and played video games. How does it suck to suck, Aiden Gossman?" I asked, gazing over the shorter male. "Dude, you are so hard on me today. If you took that stick out of your behind," He puts exclamation on behind as he says it, grating on my nerves further. "And actually slacked off a little with us, you'd be so much happier!" He grinned. "You should seriously get rest though. You might start hallucinating or something." Taylor pointed out. "Maybe he's hallucinating this conversation right now-"

"Ciara, no," Aiden glanced around for a second. "I heard you got reeducated." 

"Well, that's naturally the first step after a reported incident."

"Oh yeah, what'd you do, anyways?"

Now, both were staring at me, expectantly. "There were some teens making fun of me…. I may have called a child a 'big bitch'," I explained, hesitantly. A laugh barked out of Aiden. "Wow, you're like my hero. I'm going to have to remember that line-" Taylor said.

"But really, that's not fair to you. People shouldn't call you that stuff, Ciara." I could tell by the look in her mint colored eyes, she meant it. It gave me a fluttery feeling, being noticed. 

"Really dude? She's not going to date you. Pretty sure of it, in fact." As soon as Taylor left the table, it was on. 

'Oh dear Aiden,' I thought to myself at that moment. 'You don't know who you're messing with.' I was going to respond back with a sharp remark that'd leave his head spinning, and suck the oxygen right from the room. Instead, my eyes started to sting. "That's not true! You'll see-!" And with that, I was out the door, off to continue my job, as an average Mallmart associate.

I was never popular.

A Report! From Inside The Walls of Taylor

'I'm having such naughty thoughts of you in different scenarios with that little dress on too :3'

I read the text on the online chat room. 

And then I read it again. Going onto an 18+ chat room just to post pictures of myself in dresses for validation, how did it get to here? I had to lean into some form of attention. I had to feel seen, and if that was wrong

Why did it feel so right?

'Oh thank you 💛' I type back. The people here, they're nice. They see me. There's nothing wrong with wanting attention. I'm being perfectly reasonable. 'I'm gonna be honest, you have wonderful curves, you definitely got my preferred body type. You're absolutely beautiful and I'm just so thrilled you posted asking for opinions because wow…'

I smiled for a second because I felt like I reached a level of adoration I was looking for. Then, something from deep in my stomach twisted, there was regret. I thought I would feel better. I thought this would give me some sort of control over my life, that I was desperately craving, and now I no longer wished to be me. So instead, we'll focus on someone better than I could ever be. We'll focus on Taylor.

This story starts with a young lady named Taylor Peyton. Moving to the tiny town tucked away in Okaloosa County was not what she had originally wanted. What she had wanted was the stormy skies of New England and the dark secrets the land itself seemed to carry. Taylor loved all things dark, peculiar. She found herself enjoying things others tended to shy away from. These sunny beaches did not hold even an ounce of mystery that she found herself craving.

 She couldn't stay in Arizona though. There was no way she could, not after everything. The juxtaposition that she wanted to believe in something more, something supernatural and surreal, and that she didn't believe in it existing- this was not lost on her. That the very fact that it seemed so unlikely in her eyes. That she actively seeked out ways to prove herself wrong. To prove that there was some meaning behind the chaos in her life. Niceville was a letdown. Working at Mallmart, was a letdown.

So when the power outage first happened on that sunny Thursday, she hadn't thought anything of it at first.

And when she went to bed at night, after everything she had seen, after all the signs that there could be something out there, she sweeped those thoughts away as a simple dream. It wasn't until a hot and sunny Monday, that she began to suspect something was very  wrong. 

There in the gardening section of the store, Taylor felt at ease. People rarely bugged her in the gardening section. While everyone in Mallmart would agree that Taylor was the perfect employee-

The other associates, management, all the customers in a single disembodied voice- 

Taylor would still prefer silence to think, to reflect on her findings about the strange chain store in the middle of nowhere because she did not seek the constant validation of customers and coworkers alike. In this time of reflection the first thing she came to notice was a dark figure staring at her from the corner of the gardening department. "Hello sir? May I help you?" The figure remains silent, gazing at her silently. Taylor, undeterred by this turn of events, begins to walk towards the dark and shadowy figure. "Hello?" 

"Taylor!" The store's overseer materialized behind her. She turns to face him, opting to read his name tag rather than look the man in the eyes. "We're going to need you to pick stock from the backrooms, I-"

"An idiot is trying to contact you on your cellular device! An idiot is trying to contact you on your cellular device!" His phone chimed, and Taylor didn't miss his grimace. She found herself wondering if it was appropriate for the overseer to have this ring tone on their work cell. "Please don't be who I think it is.." He gave a nearly silent prayer, hissing through his lips before opening the old flip phone. "Hello?"

"Heeey, Mr. Greenwood." The man's scowl deepened at my voice over the phone. "About the modules being flexed in the home department, what-"

"Ciara, did you really need to call me for this? What did I tell you about emergencies only?"

"Another thing, and I think you'll find this imperative- there may be a small fire in electronics right now. Stacy had asked me to call you-"

"Put it out!"

"Okay, will do, but one thing- How old is this fire extinguisher? It's not-" He hung up abruptly. "I'm going to have to go bring her the working fire extinguisher. Just focus on the stock and not whatever you've been staring at for the last 15 minutes." Most people would've just gone back to work. Most people would've chalked this up to just a strange day, or their head playing tricks on them. As we established though, Taylor Peyton is not like most people.

"Where is Aiden? Did he get eaten by the customers?" I ask from across the break room. "No, he and Marni are waiting by the deli. I don't know how they can eat something so heavy on lunch break. Whenever I do that I always get sicky." She stares at me tentatively. "Okay, dude. My mother didn't believe I had ADHD until today when I actually got diagnosed!" Aiden comes into the room in a flourish. "I showed her the hand tremors and everything. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm also like, slightly on the spectrum too."

" I absolutely believe you have adhd, but that is not a symptom. You might have raynaud's syndrome. So wait, what makes you think you have autism? Because I have autism as well." She says, suddenly serious. 

"This is going to sound strange but speaking of symptoms of mental health, have you ever taken your clothes off in public because your clothes got wet?" I chime in. 

"What? Dude, no!"

"Oh…"

"Wait, there's a story behind this. What-"

"So one day, on the first day of first grade. It rained and so, in my infinite wisdom, I took off all my clothes, and got in trouble with my mother."

"I'm sure you did!"

"Another time," I continued, watching the alarm on Aiden's face. "I was getting ready to go to martial arts class and my ghee was still damp. My mother said we didn't have time to dry it completely so I… well I mean I dealt with it, but it was awkward when I had to practice kicks and a stream of toilet paper came flying from my pant leg-"

"You mummified yourself?"

"It was like a dirty magic trick."

"Dude really pulled a rock lee here-"

"Who?" I asked, and Aiden burst into barking laughter. "Don't mind him, he's sleep deprived." Taylor says pointedly. "You say that like you aren't!" And at this comment, Taylor fails to hide her guilty smile, face coloring like a blooming stargazer lily. 

And as entertaining the color of Taylor's face is, this was not where the story truly began. No, the story  began when break was over, and we were back on the sales floor. Taylor found herself thinking back to that morning. Taylor thought about all of her time working here. How it seemed like so much had happened in such a short time. How it seemed like so much that went against what she believed what seems absolute, now seemed impossibly possible. 'Surely, this was all in my head,' was what she thought to herself. 'Surely this is all my brain playing tricks on me.'

 She looked at the box in her hand, only to find that it didn't have a written store location on its backroom label. She breathed out an irritated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose before pulling out her scanner. 'No Sales floor location.' Even when Taylor cut into the box and pulled out the stock to scan, it still refused to tell her where the item belonged, stubbornly. So, that was why she found herself making her way back through the store to where Aiden and I were. 

Someone else was making their way to the far corner of the store as well though. Someone who would leave us all questioning the nature of our own heads, and this small little town tucked away in Okaloosa County. "The UPC label on this looks damaged!" Taylor called, but her voice did not raise much louder than her usual speaking voice. It was enough for Aiden to hear all the same. "Let me see that," He grumbles, but pauses his advance when his gaze flickers up. A sound caught her attention, hauntingly distinct against the dull hustle and bustle of Mallmart. Taylor heard something wet and nauseating, flesh like cracking, tendons popping. Something was very wrong, because now Aiden and I were hugging onto each other. 'Those two don't even like each other,' she thought, turning her gaze to see what was the issue. Before Taylor could truly comprehend what she was seeing, she was moving back, back far behind the two cowaring together in a huddled position asking if they saw what the other saw. 

Muscles and sinew all twitching, veins and arteries moving, vividly, pulsing with the life that should be impossible for a man lacking this much skin, she could see his heart moving, sinking down almost impossibly in his chest when he looked at her. She couldn't make out what he was saying but it sounded like he was retching out a name; her name. He was vomiting up her name in a guttural, disturbed sound.

 Aiden shoved me in front to deal with this man, but I stayed quiet for a moment, trying to understand what was happening. Customers passed by, undisturbed. Mallmart continued on in a sickening harmony. "Hello sir, h-how may I help you today?" I smile tightly, looking him up and down. His teeth were gripped out like a racehorse. His frame was blurry, as if dislodged in time.

"̵̨̥̬̲̖̼̙̻̫̫̝̗̎̌͝ͅÎ̸̢͔̗̲̫̈́͠͝ţ̴̨̢͍̘̩̯̘̙͔̞̤͔͛̀́͑̋̿̎̓͘̚̚͝͠ͅî̴̻̩̜̓̕ ̶̟̺̀̊͊̎͌͌̆̈́̋̂̚̚͝͝ạ̷̛̖̬͙̓̈́̐̀̃͆̑͝ḿ̸̛̖̤̽͋̒̏̋̾̃̅̈́̐̄̅̕i̵̡̛͚̫̫̖̟͉͉͖͚͎̭̦̫̝̽̂̍͊̆̓͆͠͝n̴̤̪͒̓̏̃̄̈͆́̍̑͘̕͠t̸̩͉̤͔͎̬͑ḙ̷̡̞̪̼̮͓̫͈̹̍̈́̌̌̚͠ͅş̴̨̹͒̎̔̕ͅt̴̢̛̯̤͈̪̹̗̣̪͂͋̂̽͐͌̈́͌́͌͝͠ȉ̶̧̼̹̤̲̳̘̗̝̖̬̯̓͗̀́̀͗̍͆͜ͅ ̴̗̺̼̞̲̦͓̹̖͕̏̋̈́̈́̓̊̾̃̑̃̈̾̓͜d̸̢̬͕̝̳͓̣͈̜̩̠͎̤͓̓̄͜͝ë̷̫̘͙̯̒̋͒̽̌̒̀̀̌̑͜ ̴̢̛̞̩͚̮̰̻͍̠̬̤̫̅͋͗̉͑̉͑̈́̕̕m̸̨̧̢͉̙̰̞̪͈͉̯̤̻͉͂̽͊̅̉̇̄͗͊̔̅̿͗i̴̢̧̊̅͆̉͝ṉ̷̥̥͉̪͈̫̼̘͙̹͘̚͝e̷̩͍͉̼͙͕̯̖͖̿̾͑̉ͅͅ"̸̨̢̧̥̩̠̱̹̥̹̰̲͓͈́͐͊̌̔̈́̉͂͛͌͛̉͘͝͝ͅ

"I'm sorry sir, I don't' und-derstand your accent. You see, I'm from up north and-"

"̵̨̥̬̲̖̼̙̻̫̫̝̗̎̌͝ͅÎ̸̢͔̗̲̫̈́͠͝ţ̴̨̢͍̘̩̯̘̙͔̞̤͔͛̀́͑̋̿̎̓͘̚̚͝͠ͅî̴̻̩̜̓̕ ̶̟̺̀̊͊̎͌͌̆̈́̋̂̚̚͝͝ạ̷̛̖̬͙̓̈́̐̀̃͆̑͝ḿ̸̛̖̤̽͋̒̏̋̾̃̅̈́̐̄̅̕i̵̡̛͚̫̫̖̟͉͉͖͚͎̭̦̫̝̽̂̍͊̆̓͆͠͝n̴̤̪͒̓̏̃̄̈͆́̍̑͘̕͠t̸̩͉̤͔͎̬͑ḙ̷̡̞̪̼̮͓̫͈̹̍̈́̌̌̚͠ͅş̴̨̹͒̎̔̕ͅt̴̢̛̯̤͈̪̹̗̣̪͂͋̂̽͐͌̈́͌́͌͝͠ȉ̶̧̼̹̤̲̳̘̗̝̖̬̯̓͗̀́̀͗̍͆͜ͅ ̴̗̺̼̞̲̦͓̹̖͕̏̋̈́̈́̓̊̾̃̑̃̈̾̓͜d̸̢̬͕̝̳͓̣͈̜̩̠͎̤͓̓̄͜͝ë̷̫̘͙̯̒̋͒̽̌̒̀̀̌̑͜ ̴̢̛̞̩͚̮̰̻͍̠̬̤̫̅͋͗̉͑̉͑̈́̕̕m̸̨̧̢͉̙̰̞̪͈͉̯̤̻͉͂̽͊̅̉̇̄͗͊̔̅̿͗i̴̢̧̊̅͆̉͝ṉ̷̥̥͉̪͈̫̼̘͙̹͘̚͝e̷̩͍͉̼͙͕̯̖͖̿̾͑̉ͅͅ"̸̨̢̧̥̩̠̱̹̥̹̰̲͓͈́͐͊̌̔̈́̉͂͛͌͛̉͘͝͝ͅ

I looked back to see Taylor was already gone, because Taylor is a woman of action. She sees danger, and she acts. She wouldn't be here with us today, if she didn't. So when something this troubling happened, Taylor didn't wait to see what would happen next. Pulse thumping against her neck, she ran over to where the phone in the gardening center sat. 

And then, she dialed the tone for Okaloosa emergency services.

A Report! From Inside The Walls of Mallmart

I think I made my peace with the course of events that have led me here. Yes, there was a power outage. Yes, I did in fact do terribly stupid stuff in the hopes of getting online attention, and yes we did all collectively share a mass hallucination about what happened in that store. That's the only explanation. Taylor has taken it upon herself to try and find actual evidence that she can hold onto of the strange happenings within our store, and to be honest I'm a little surprised because I thought for sure she'd agree with my mass hallucination theory. 

In a horrific turn of events, Aiden, who up to this point I've had a somewhat hot and cold friendship with, had gotten into a car accident when leaving Mallmart later that day. He was T-boned by another vehicle the same size as his own car, causing his own car to be flipped upside down at the intersection he attempted to cross. Mercifully, Aiden had walked away with three cuts in his left shoulder, and bruising on his forearms and shins when he braced himself for impact. "Got three days off thanks to this. I'm gonna be resting good!" Was what he had said, shortly after the crash. Police had taken statements from both parties involved, and Aiden's car had been totaled, leaving him without a way to drive to and from work. The other driver involved in the crash also walked away relatively unharmed, however I do not know who this person is.

Walking through the Mallmart this morning, I could see someone on the scissor lift, slowly descending into the heavens. I can only imagine they are here to fix the skylights but, to my chagrin, they were in the intersection of Groceries and Chemicals, not Health and Beauty. It makes me wonder, what issues are they working on in our grocery department? I didn't have time to dwell on these lingering questions, as I headed into the back break room and sat down, eagerly hoping to get a glimpse of Taylor, Aiden, andybody. "There's my favorite worker!" Larry grinned. Oh, right. I forgot one thing to mention. I may have lied and said that I was the one to call emergency services, when management came sniffing around. Everyone knew I was lying. All the associates know, that Taylor has in fact been the one to make the call. Everyone loves Taylor though- 

The associates, management, all the customers in a single disembodied voice.

So when I said I had been the one to call, it gave me a bit of recognition. Which you would think would make me happy, and I am- grateful I mean. I just wish I wasn't known for being a Mallmart employee. "Hello Taylor, how are you?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. She's fed up with me, how could she not? "Are you okay?" I ask, voice rising an octave at the flatness in her tone. She was monotone, yes. But I was spiraling. "I'm okay."

"I'm sorry I'm so awkward… I'm just not the best at speaking." Her facial expressions softened. "I don't think you're awkward," she said, "I don't think you're awkward at all."

"Do you know how Aiden is?"

"He's a bit sore, but he's okay." From here, we fall into an awkward silence, her anxiously staring around the room, and me feeling incredibly out of place.  

I found myself thinking about it the entire time I worked that morning. The inflections in her otherwise wonderfully predictable monotone voice. The intensity there. Mercifully, she wasn't sent out to the sales floor where the other day's events had taken place. Instead she stayed in the back rooms, scanning stock to be sent out to the main floors. Even with this in mind, I found myself thinking about her. I found myself wondering if she was thinking about what happened at this very moment, while scanning products. 

"Taylor, you've been spacing out for the last ten minutes." Taylor sat at the table, not eating her lunch. "How are you not affected by all of this?" She asks, a tremor of slowly building rage in her voice. "What we saw- that isn't something that's possible, Ciara! And yet you and I both saw it. We both saw that, and it can't be swept from my mind so easily! And the power outage, and the skylight… and nobody believes me outside of this store…." Her voice grew deathly quiet, tears budding in her eyes. "You care, don't you? Otherwise you wouldn't be looking at me like I cut you open and dissected you in front of everyone. Please, I can't be the only one who wants to get to the bottom of this. I can't do this alone." She was begging, pleading for something. 

"We'll work this out, I promise! I'll try to document everything….We can figure this out together, please don't be sad," 

At this, she just let out a shaky breath. "I'll write everything on my blog so we have it right on hand, okay? Everything is going to be fine-"

The paramedics came to our store. Rushing in with a bright orange gurney, they rushed into the backrooms of our store with grim determination on their faces. No one said what happened. I snapped a photo as they ran by, and glanced over at Taylor as we stood there in the break room doorway. She looked like she was going to be sick. "Taylor, wait! Where are you going?" 

"I need a breath of air," and with that, Taylor from Mallmart turned on her heel and exited the back rooms.

Taylor, luckily hadn't lost her experimental spirit though, because once lunch was over, she began testing how much I could carry. Perhaps she needed a distraction from everything going on around our little store in the middle of nowhere. Or perhaps this was punishment for being so blasè about life, death and Mallmart. I first noticed when she asked me to lift the 100lbs weight set to a cart to be brought out to our sport's department. "Whaaat? Is that a challenge, dear Taylor?" I smiled at her face, clear of both blemishes and emotions. Man, I wish I had a face like that. When it got up to some of the lawn and pool items, I noticed a bit of resistance, I grunted slightly, pushing canopy tarp sets up above my head onto the shelf as Taylor watched on intently. "One more thing, can you help me with this display of two lawn mowers?" I stared at the display. Sure enough, up on the third shelf was a display holding two lawn mowers on a platform, not unlike a pallet. Normally, I would've known better. Normally, there wouldn't have been a pretty, tattoo covered microbiology student staring at me with questioning green eyes. "Of course I can, one moment." I went up the ladder to find the lawn mowers were secured to the pallet, something I couldn't open without breaking the display. 'I'll just have to lift the whole thing,' I thought to myself. 'No biggie.' 

But it was, in fact, a biggie. It was very much so. I strained and grunted, attempting to get a good hold on something as I began to raise the display. My arms were shaking, and I grit my teeth tightly to stop from making noises. Taylor was watching after all. I could feel it in my chest, in my head that was now spinning, in my gut that felt impossibly sickly and tight. "Hrnk!"

I felt something hot spread against my crotch and reach back to the seat of my pants before making the climb down my pant legs. In a blind panic I attempted to set the display down, where it skidded from my arms and crashed back into place, leaving me dizzy as my… I don't know, experience? Ended. I shuddered, my breathing quickening toward some sort of meltdown because Taylor was right there in my peripheral vision, and she saw everything.

"Oh my god!" Taylor gasped. I could feel the tears threatening to come out but that would make the situation so much worse so instead I choked out a wet laugh. "That wasn't supposed to happen-" 

"You should get down, you look like you're going to pass out!" I complied because she wasn't wrong. I did feel like I was going to faint. So, I laid there in the aisle as Taylor grabbed my feet, holding up my legs. "This will help get blood flow moving back to your head." She explained as she awkwardly shifted her weight. We both knew she had an uncomfortably close view of the wet patch on my jeans. "I am so sorry, please don't hate me! I just got so caught up in seeing how much you could carry and it just started seeming more and more otherworldly-

I am such an asshole." She fretted, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. She had a way of pulling at your heart strings, the way she anxiously pushed her round glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Taylor darling, I could never!" She glanced up from the spot on the floor she'd been focusing on, hesitant to meet my eyes. "You've been wonderful! Everyone at this store adores you- the other associates, management-"

"All the customers in a single disembodied voice," she finished for me, having heard this line before. "I'm not good with emotions. I wish I was better at this." 

"I'm not either."  

A Report! From Inside The Walls of Aiden

Sand was swept by the wind as I made my way into the Mallmart store of Okaloosa County. Being greeted by the harsh fluorescent lighting and the song "Dancing Queen" playing overhead, I made my way to the back rooms with a nervous energy gripping my stomach. Because this is the story of Aiden Gossman.

"Dude, there's no blog." 

"No, there's a blog. I don't have a Tumblr but there's definitely a blog." Taylor reassured him. The two sat at a table in the breakroom, biding their time before they clocked in for another day at Mallmart. "Dude, they wouldn't even let me take a day off without them taking some of my Mallmart points off! For real!" Aiden, was originally from Georgia, caring for the many animals that filtered in and out of his home at an early age. With long blonde hair that he dyes brown, and sunglasses always on his face, Aiden was a truly unique individual. Luck had an odd relationship with him as he often found himself in hot water, making it out by the skin of his teeth. And as luck would have it, he walked away from a car crash relatively unscathed. 

When he first got hit, he had thought for sure he was dead. The flip of the car left him winded and the seatbelt dug into his skin, drawing blood and making it impossible to breathe. His hands felt around for the buckle but as many times as he clicked the release, it didn't let go. He was suspended there, up above the roof of his car, staring down at the crushed metal and broken glass, and the growing pool of gasoline beneath him. Aiden Gossman was not going to give up. Pushing the button of the seatbelt down he wiggled and strained against it with all his might until the seat belt retracted and he was roughly thrown to the ground. Aiden crawls out through his shattered driver's door window, and makes his way out into the growing crowd. 

Aiden thinks of this as he works in the dental aisle, the crunch of the glass, the way people seemed more concerned that he left his passenger behind, when he was in an empty car. The fact people seemed less worried about his well being. Now here he was, back to life as normal, and even punished for taking a necessary day off. Mallmart didn't care if you took the day off for your birthday or because you needed your appendix out. Failure to comply with the schedule was insubordination all the same. And Aiden was already down to his last two points. "Aiden!" A young woman, Tori, looked at him intensely from her spot at the end of the aisle. Was he already in trouble? "Were you in that car wreck the other day?" Her voice sounded heartbroken, as she eyed him with concern. "For real, I was." He smiled, taking a step down from his topstock cart. "Which one were you? The grey or the white car?" 

"The grey one."

"Oh my god!" The grey one, was the one that had been completely flipped upside down, after all. 

So when Aiden inevitably walked into the breakroom that afternoon for lunch and saw Taylor and I sitting at the table, chatting he was ready to explain everything that happened in depth. He took a seat, took a deep breath and watched as our gazes latched onto him, curiously. And he spoke, and despite his way of speaking being peppered with "dudes" and "for reals" we were completely hooked. It felt as if we'd been there. "Put that, in your sad little blog, Ciara!" He grins at my scowl. We probably looked like the masks of comedy and tragedy at that moment. 'Aiden was a pompous and insufferable little man who-'

I shut the narration down. 'No, the man nearly lost his life. The least I could do was be nice to him for today.'

"Rosa was so shocked when I called her," He continued on regardless of my irritation. "Like she totally kept gasping every time I spoke. I was like, "Hello, is this Rosa?" And it didn't even sound like her dude! Like I thought I had some random stranger lady on the phone,"

I found myself having difficulty containing my laughter. Aiden had a magnetic way of speaking. He wasn't stilted and awkward and ugly at conversation at all. He had us all on our toes with this sort of down to earth account of things, that was reaching a feverish pitch of humor. He had a personality for story telling, and it was sublime. 

"And I was all, "Oh I got into a car accident at the intersection, and she was all 'gasp!'-

 And she asked if I was okay and I told her that I wasn't hurt, my car got totaled since it got rolled, "gasp!" And then I told her that I had to go give my statement-"

"'gasp!'" I helpfully supplied, and he choked on a laugh so infectious that it yanked mine out, a string of drool sliding from my lips which I frantically wiped at and hid my face in embarrassment as I laughed, tears budding in my eyes from the exertion. "No- I- Ciara she didn't-" He struggled through barks of laughter. "I can't breathe-" Taylor giggled, her face flush. We sat there for a moment, trying to catch our breaths.

"You really are lucky with how little injuries you got, that could've gone really badly." Taylor's voice was still wavering slightly from her earlier laughter, but nobody missed the seriousness in her eyes. "Yeah well, I think my luck is better after that car accident. Dude, don't look at me like that! I'm onto something!" 

"Well take it easy, alright? Don't go getting yourself killed," Taylor stood, retreating over to the cabinet to put her sanrio purse away. 

"You know, everyone can see you like her. You're not exactly subtle,"

"Taylor is a wonderful employee, Aiden-"

The disapproval in Aiden's eyes reminds me that this was just a one off. So when he goes back to talking to Taylor when she sits back down, I find it hard to write about Aiden Gossman anymore.

A Report! Within The Walls of Okaloosa County

Tailfin's Sushi and Oyster bar down harbor boulevard of Okaloosa County was consumed by fire one sunny Saturday morning, causing significant damage to the property and forcing the staff as well as the customers to flee the burning cauldron of smoke that was once our beloved seafood bar, right on the beaches of our county. Luckily, the EMS commander on the scene verified that there were no reports of serious injuries from the events of Tailfin's Sushi and Oyster bar.

The cause of the fire currently remains under investigation, and to the fire fighters, who put out Okaloosa's favorite sushi bar-

Thank you, for your courage and dedication in keeping our town safe 💛

A Question! For The Void

It's April 29th, and a wedding that will pull me from my duties in Okaloosa County is on the horizon. The wedding is Axton and Macy. One thing I would like to say before I ask my question is that I love weddings. I adore the planning aspects, the flower arrangements, the food, the symbolism of two people becoming one is something so passionately breathtaking that only a heartless person could say they truly hate weddings. Forget customs and traditions, it's about love, plain and simple. Another thing I would like to say is that Macy and Axton are both wonderful, and great for each other. 

So, onto the question. 

With the wedding coming up, I wanted to speak to Axton about the wedding, about if the dress I chose is appropriate, about how Barry was doing, about how he was doing, really. So I pick up the phone and dial his number and listen to the hum of waiting before the phone crackles. "Oh hello, this is Macy! What-" click.

I looked back at the phone in my hands. 'Call Ended, 11:25'

Yeah, I had hung up on her. There was no taking that back. So I ask whoever is out there in the void that is Tumblr, do I call back? It's already been at least twenty minutes. Do I hope they don't have caller ID, and that they assume that this was a wrong number call? I'm all ears.

(Names have been changed to protect the innocent. I forgot not everyone wants to be a part of this empty, vacant blog.)

A Report! From Inside The Walls of Mallmart

The sky was black as blood, and the winds of Okaloosa County wept in anguish as I braced myself for an inescapable presence that held its claws over my life. The harshness of the white glow pulsating through those glass doors, and a full 9 hours laid in waiting for me like a hungry beast waits for its prey. I step past the barrier, and that dense, stale air hits me with a sense of nostalgia. 

Working at Mallmart takes a hold of you in all sorts of ways. It's easy to lose yourself, your sense of identity. Some people eat more, some people eat less. Some of the associates feel resentment towards those who work the night shift vs the day shift. Some spend their hours staring up at the skies, or their bedroom ceilings wondering why a god would allow such a retail store to exist. I choose to keep my smile wide, and my voice decisive. I keep my line of sight on the faces of the customers and my legs always moving, as I go from shelf to shelf. What about those who have not yet been molded into a Mallmart employee though? This is the story of the Mallmart associate.

You read the books, you went through the online training and guides, and now it is time for you to walk out onto the main sales floor! However, there are some things you need to be informed of in order to properly take on the responsibilities of being a Mallmart associate. One such thing is the backrooms of store. In the backrooms, we have everything divided by department. To the far east of the store, there is the sporting goods, hardware and home supplies. Towards the center of the store, the heart, is our health and beauty products, and to the far west wing, is our groceries and chemical products. Be sure to always take from one section of the back rooms at a time, and take appropriate precautions when handling our chemical and hazardous materials. Make sure to announce before you go down into the rows of shelves as the shelves have a function where they can be moved and it is really awkward when associates get crushed between shelves.

If by chance, the emergency overhead alarm goes off, and the doors all close, do not be alarmed. Simply continue working, and follow the lead of your coworkers. Some products do not have a sales floor location, for those products it is best to set them aside to be checked if they are part of a new module. 

Do not stand under skylights that are dripping viscous black ink. You may feel yourself trapped in its gaze, but when ink leaks from the skylights, it is important to have an associate stand guard while keeping their eyes away from the skylight, while another associate contacts maintenance. This goes the same for the glass doors at the front doors, or the back emergency exit. 

Always make sure to take your scheduled breaks. Mallmart cares about all their employees, and hopes to take care of their associates as much as possible. Failure to take your scheduled breaks will result in re education on Mallmart's core values. If you find yourself needing to take a re education course, go down to the small hallway connecting the heart of the back rooms to west wing, and continue on the dark, windowless room labeled "Mallmart Training". 

"Now," I push my glasses up as I grin at the three new trainees. "Have you heard the story of the three weed smoking girlfriends?"

A Report! From Inside The Walls of A Cat's Mind

You guys asked for him, and now you shall receive; a report of the man himself. 

Hemi Shoggoth is exactly 13 years and a week old, having lived in our household since he was only eight weeks old! Having lived on a diet of Fancy Feast, boiled chicken, and cat treats, he is a feline of very particular taste. For example, Hemi will lick your plate if you leave unattended sweets out. I was very surprised to find, that Hemi can and will seek out hard candies in my purse, such as jolly ranchers, or cream savers. If he sees where you hide these from him, he will spend all night plotting, biding his time in wait for an opportunity to lick the candies. This is because his very soul is sweet, and it only makes sense for him to have a sweet tooth. 

This may have costed him one of his canine teeth due to a sugar stash he created behind the living room couch. Nowadays, Hemi takes it easy by the windowsill of my bedroom, watching birds, and taking in the sweet air of Okaloosa County. He is a Taurus, meaning he is closest to the element of earth, and his gentle and kind demeanor reflects this entirely. I am so happy that you all loved my cat enough to reblog. My cat is a star 💛

A Face Down Burial

I always sleep face down. It's a habit of mine, I guess. I know what you're going to say, 'That isn't healthy!' 'Studies shows that sleeping on your stomach or in a way that restricts your airways is a common cause of nightmares and other sleep disturbances!' And I know these things, I consider them carefully. At the end of the day though, when it is time to retire to my bed, I always lay face down. And when I'm dead and gone, they'll bury me face down too.

I guess when your life is out of order, you turn to a lot of different things- booze, relationships, etc. 

Mine? 

Mine was religion. I saw all this stuff happening around me and I thought, my life is falling apart. I need to get baptized. So I planned to go in, and sink back into my roots, my family, my faith in order to make sense of the strange happenings in my life. Maybe when I re-emerged from the water I'd be different. Maybe I'd be better. I needed this for me. So when I went into work that morning, I thought for sure everything was going to be looking up. 

…

I didn't realize my video was uploaded. I had tried to upload it originally, of course. I had gone to great lengths of converting the recording so that it could be viewed on my blog, but then I got cold feet and canceled the whole thing. And now here it is, up and running. And management wanted to discuss it with me. Now that's a frightening thought. I can't go too into it, but nobody likes to have their name called overhead, directing them to the big boss's office. The amount of times I've seen people leave that dark, dingy room looking hollowed out is more than I can count on one hand which is probably bad. So you can imagine how I felt when it was my name being called this time, right?

 Management's office had all the lights out and it was unreasonably dark for the rest of the lights in our store. It smelled of old carpet and coffee- something that shouldn't be nostalgic, yet somehow is in that closed, confined space. So, I took a seat across from the frail and wobbly little table that was repurposed into a makeshift desk, and I listened quietly. Very quietly.

"We already know about your blog, Ciara."

Being honest, hearing an actual voice on the other end of the desk put me at ease immediately. "Oh! By all means feel free to give me a follow on Madam-" They didn't have to cut me off, I already knew that was not what this was about. "Hand over your work phone, and give us your password." Everything was no nonsense immediately (as it usually was). My blood ran cold. This was it, this was the day I inevitably went too far. With my phone in their possession, they turned on the screen, and tapped that little t icon on the phone. You know, the one work phones shouldn't have? They fumbled with my phone foreveerrrr. Like my god, how can someone who's above me in the pecking order of this strange little business be so dense? "How did you upload this? This needs to be taken down." 

"I dunno…" I mumbled shyly, running the sole of my sneaker into the flattened and sticky fabric on the floor.

"Tell us how you created this,"

"I just hit a bunch of buttons until something worked, I don't know how I did it!"

I could feel the exasperation behind the table. "This insubordination will get you nowhere. Why don't you have a granola bar, and calm down. We'll discuss this again once you have this keto-friendly, perfectly nutritious granola bar." The eyes behind the desk are looking at me desperately, ginting from far away led overheads. I can read the straining in there, the need to stay professional and calm. 

"No thank you."

"There's no need to be stubborn. Granola bars are comforting. This is vegan friendly. Go ahead, take one." From the darkness, a single box of granola bars was pushed across the desk. "I don't think I like how you're asking…" 

By the time I left, my head was spinning, I grabbed my cart and made my way to the main salesfloor…and rammed that cart right into the side of an aisle while in a complete daze oh my god Ciara, why- 

The cart was now pushed up against a craft department aisle, the items on the shelf jostled. What's more is that I felt the dawning realization that I was in fact out on the main sales floor now, and I could feel eyes burning into me. 

"I'm blind as a bat, aren't I?" I pushed my glasses up as the customers stared on. "Don't tell my boss, 'kay?" I laughed a little too hard at this before briskly moving ahead to our sports department. Taylor asked for me to document what I can so that's what I'll do, is what I tell myself. Just because it's a little inconvenient, doesn't mean I get to stop now. "Ciara, hey dude! I'm going to need you over here to lift the pool sets in our seasonal section," Aiden was now speed walking alongside me, pointing back at aisle two of the seasonal department. Aiden Gossman had come in late to work yet again, and I could feel my blood pressure rising. How many times have I asked him to get a head start on the traffic by driving in early? And yet he does the same thing, every time without trying to do things differently, but that was something manageable in terms of stress. This? Whatever this was, it was threatening to break me down to my more melodramatic baseline. I sucked in a breath as I turned my cart. "I'm also going to need you to talk to management on my behalf because they haven't fixed-" He rambles on, fidgeting with his hat on his head, knowing full well if he keeps talking to me he can beat the clock and go to lunch having worked very little stock. It's a game. The "oh, I'm getting paid by the hour" game. 

"I just got out of talking with management!" He flinched a little, glancing me up and down. "You okay? You seem a little uh… nervous?"

"Going to be honest Aiden, I'm having a mental breakdown!" My voice raised in octaves that could possibly, possibly be heard by dogs. "Okay, okay. Good to know," This dynamic was unusual for us. It was usually him asking me where to be, and I could tell it was throwing him for a loop. He squirmed a bit more as he waited for me to get a grip. I tried breathing in several breaths. Mallmart still seemed unmanageable today. Same with Our little county on the emerald shores. "Where are you looking to move the pool set anyways? That just went out front last week." Now this seemed to be news to him- 

"I don't know man, they told me to move it here. We got it down but the other guys helping me went off and I can't find them." 

"Wellll? Who were they?" He knows who, and yet he shrugs. These pool sets I have lifted by myself, and yet here Aiden was needing multiple people's help. Multiple people who could be working on other things in the store. I realized the irony, that I was being roped into working on something different than what I should be doing. The pool set went up just fine, me handling it alone, and when I looked back after lifting it up until its aisle shelf, Aiden Gossman was gone. The passage of time seems non-existent when you're working, I wondered how long he stood there before he finally turned away? Just to be sure, I pulled out my work phone that was given back to me after that wonderful meeting, and clicked the screen on. "Of course," I mutter grimly.

"It's lunch."

Some things you may not know about Aiden;

One is that whenever Taylor is not at work, he tends to avoid talking to me. He will pointedly sit at another table, talking to the trainee girls, or he'll stare vaccantly into his phone until it is way past his allowed lunch break. Finding him with his eyes glued to his phone in a corner of the break room was not a surprise at all. "Where are you being sent after this?" As soon as I sit down and start asking questions, I can see him tapping out. "Dude, this is lunch break…Hba, probably…" He groans, not taking his eyes off the screen. He's hoping I'll disappear from his peripheral vision so he can breathe again. He is so burdened by work and responsibilities, he surely must long for the days back in highschool. Time to test a theory, "It's funny," I grinned. "Rosa told me that she's been on your case because she thinks you have a crush on Taylor."

"So what if I do?You and your Misty Quigley looking ass don't have a shot with her," His head immediately picks up from his phone, speaking on the defensive. Ah, now he's listening. This little bit that I said though was a lie. The higher ups were on his case because he was a slacker. "Oh, I told her that she didn't have to worry because you told me you had a girlfriend back in Georgia. Maybe I got it wrong?" He could've said he broke up with her, but instead he squirmed in his seat, looking caught. Bingo. "Don't worry Aiden, I made sure that everyone was on the same page so that you wouldn't get in trouble. You know, you aren't exactly supposed to date coworkers. Not ones in the same department or position of work as you."

"Well, it's a long distance relationship, so…" he doesn't know how to finish his sentence. He shouldn't either. With every word, he is digging himself into a grave. After an awkward silence, Aiden retreats back into his phone.

The only thing that kept me going during that work day was the fact that I would be going to the church on Partin street, to look into the steps of getting baptized. The doors felt sleek in my hand and cold, and the doors opened to what felt like home. Not Okaloosa County, not my parents house, and not even the where I moved from, originally. This reminded me of childhood, of the dust covered crucifixes and the dimming lights of days gone by. I followed that path home, right down to the nave. 

There are some things to know about Catholic religion. One such thing is that you need to speak to a priest before you plan to be baptized at all. About your life, about your faith, about what led you to make this decision. You need to take classes beforehand I remember, at least as a kid anyways… The classes I had taken long ago, but never followed up on the actual act of being baptized. "We'll get around to it one day," Was what my parents had said. 

Another thing is, that I hadn't known, was that you can be denied.

Not, 'Oh, you have to retake some classes, and fill out forms' not, 'Oh you can't do that right away, you need to devote yourself to the lord' I was denied, and in fact when I'm buried, I'll be buried face down.

A Report! From Inside The Walls of Mallmart

The colorful shores of Okaloosa County were blasted with 200 watts of 90s rock as a car zoomed down the road. Its course is clear, and the movement precise, as they turn into the Mallmart parking lot. I gaze up at the sign, and those old, dingy faded signs plastered up on the sides of the store, a Arched wings over a carcass on the top of the building. I ignore the warnings, and press on, because this is the story of Taylor Peyton.

The back rooms were bleak, and Taylor dreaded them whenever she entered the building. The porosity of wood fibers in the cardboard sucked any and all moisture out of the air, she knew this was fact. It  left her throat dry and sore as if she had swallowed glass. The lights were dim and flickering. She was always terrified of being crushed between moving shelves as she scanned products.That awful ringing, from the emergency alarms that everyone just ignored… In a nutshell, it was sensory hell. What could she do? Just sit there and endure? No, that wasn’t her style. While she was here, she might as well get to the bottom of the oddities that were happening here in their little town. The only thing was, how much of it was really happening, and how much of it was in her head? A bit unsettled, she pulled something from her bag, and with a piece of Mallmart standard tape, she set up a sanrio calendar, there at the beginning of the home merchandise shelves. With what little of her surroundings she could control, she was resolved to change them for the better. The cartoon frog stared back at her with a pointed smile. ‘It’s May already…’ That meant that Taylor had been here in Okaloosa County for a total of four months. Four months, since she had left Arizona. With everything that had happened, she had hardly noticed that she had stayed for so long. She heaves another box onto her cart, deep in contemplation. 

In fact, it’s nearly 9 o’clock when the emergency alarm sounded overhead, dragging her from her thoughts abruptly. It was time for her first mandatory 15 minute break. Right… Taylor took a step in the direction of the breakroom, only to find her feet slide from under her. She stumbled, catching herself on the side of a shelf for support. There, on the concrete floors was the budding of condensation. The walls of Mallmart were alive, sweating in the spiking heatwave that was cast on Okaloosa Island. This fascinated Taylor because the air conditioning was regulated to keep the store at a consistent temperature, and yet the amount of moisture seemed nearly impossible that was collecting on the ground. It wasn’t exactly ‘fleshless humanoid speaking in tongues’ but this was a good start, as far as investigations go. In fact, Taylor would dare say she found herself eager at the prospect of finding answers to why Mallmart was as odd as it was. She had to find someone. Anyone who'd accompany her. Tiptoeing around taking notes on their company while Mallmart’s overseer loomed close nearby made her nervous, to say the least. Her first thought was ‘Ciara’, but as she glanced down the hall she could see I was busy directing the new trainees. That left one other person she knew would be down for this impromptu investigation- Aiden. Even better, he was rarely busy or as engrossed in his work so this would not take much convincing. All she needed to do was find him. 

Logically, she knew there were only three places she’d be likely to find Aiden. One place was the toy and game department, where he was often assigned to. That was often later in the day though. He could be hiding in the breakroom, getting a headstart on his 15 minute break, but somehow, she didn’t think that was the case either. That only left one place.

“Aiden! Hey, look up!” Those sunglasses donned eyes looked up from his phone, as he stood in the cosmetics section. He had not yet put the false eyelashes or press on nails behind their locked glass case (As they were recently announced highly dangerous items). “I need your help for something. Something important.” 

“Huh?”

“I need to find out where the air conditioning is controlled in the store first, and then, I need to figure out where there’s a temperature irregularity because something is fluctuating and causing high levels of moisture in the store.” She explained. “Isn’t that like, management’s job?” Taylor stared at him, not even amused. “Are you going to help or not?”

“....Yeah, I’m coming..” With that, our heroes were off on their quest to the heart of the store.

 Sure enough, the refrigerated grocery area of the store was significantly more cool, but that did not explain, why on the opposite wing, deep in the backrooms where it seemed to have low humidity, there was moisture slicking every surface. “We need to take our break, we’ll end up getting in trouble. I don’t know about you, but I think getting in trouble for doing more work is a stupid way to end up in re education for real.” 

“Just one moment,”  Taylor stared at the air vent desperately trying to blow out cold air. “This is going to lead somewhere in the back, I know it.” Her eyes  followed along the ceiling towards the grocery wing of the backrooms. Wordlessly, she pushes ahead despite the protests of her now exasperated sidekick. Deep in the back of the store is a room labeled, “Technical Control” It is where the lighting is managed, and power generator, and probably, the temperature of Mallmart. “If I could just take a look in there, I could get a rough idea of what we’re dealing with,” She thinks aloud. “No dude, you aren’t breaking into there. That’s just… no.” 

“Where is your sense of adventure?” She chides him, her voice flat and marvelously devoid of emotion. “Wait, someone is coming-” and in that moment, they both panicked, ducking behind the black plastic waste bins at the end of the room. 

"I already paid you more than enough to cover the costs. This will end here, and you will not contact me at this establishment anymore." The man's voice was gritted and harsh. "Had I not given you the sweat of my brow? Have I not given you everything you desired? And you've gone cold to me, with all that money, all that power-"

"Final warning."  

With a huff, the man left our overseer disheveled and running his fingers through his hair. One question was buzzing through everyone's minds, 'If he had all this money and power, why stay with a place like Mallmart?'

A Report! From Inside The Walls of Mallmart

'Guess what coworker decided to show up wearing a non-Mallmart logo on their shirt and got in trouble with management?At least he didn't show up late again, but see, I told him not to do this and what does he do? Does he not heed my warnings?'

I type angrily into my phone, exhausted by my long day. The discord server is quiet. 

'I was the only one that stayed after to put out the dairy section when management came asking. Everyone suddenly had an emergency reason they had to leave.

I got it done though.'

'Going the extra mile for the benefit of a job that only seeks to exploit your labor is not noble. They do not appreciate your hard work Ciara, they appreciate how cheap it is to employ you. Don't push yourself to the limit to appease them when they can't even be arsed to provide water during a heatwave in return,'

The reply, was not as surprising as I felt it should be. No instead, it just confirmed something laying dormant in the back of my head for the last few weeks. I thought about how management shut off the water to the breakroom. 

"We're having work done on it for the benefit of our wonderful employees. On an unrelated note, some of you have been taking too many coffee breaks in our breakroom when you should be working, so from now on we encourage you to be mindful of that. That is not why we shut off the water. Please stop asking".

I thought about when Taylor had overheard that conversation, I thought about how Aiden had gotten points taken off for missing work even though he had called and explained he had been in a car accident. The writing was on the wall,

 I need to do something.

A Report! From Inside The Walls of Mallmart

This is the part where I was supposed to storm up to management and give them my 3 week notice and maybe, a piece of my mind…. Except I didn't. I wanted everything to be normal, so I could get the work done until I got my degree, move out, and become someone who actually had their life together. Mallmart was the only place in my life I had competence in, and if I gave it up, that meant starting from square one, still at home with my parents. 

And that meant that every little insult my father threw at me, I would not be able to refute. This man, I can’t explain his hold on me. I can’t explain why his opinion still matters despite me knowing that we will never be on the same page. I tried to take the power back with small petty acts but in truth, there was no real defending myself from him. He dominated any room he walked into with just his voice. He was always bigger than me,  and I was always so weak and small. There was no fighting back.

I went to work with my own water I brought from home, since I'm pretty sure the water from the eyewash station's tap was doctored with saline. I was surprised how easy it was to fall into my routine, actually. The trainees that were on that day actually retained the previous information I had given them only days ago, and now the hive of our store was buzzing with life. 

“Thank goodness, you’re finally wearing an appropriate outfit to work today,” I take a seat with Aiden at the breakroom table. His head is in his folded arms, hair splayed wildly about him, like a mane. He says nothing. “You were able to finish checking out topstock items in the starting aisles of pharmacy, riiiight? We have a quota we’re trying to reach here, Gossman.” He’s dead still, not a word uttered from him. “Not in a talking mood, huh?” Without picking his head up, he replies back with “I don’t want to deal with you shit today, Shoggoth.” 

Oh.

I look around the room awkwardly, and realize that none of my coworkers are happy with me. This is okay though. I am here to work, not make friends. I gaze over Aiden’s deathly pale body. “Have you had anything to drink?” No response. I want to press him more on the issue and yet, our mandatory fifteen minute break is over. “Aiden, it’s time to get to work.” He makes no move to get up. He’s slumped in his seat, defeated. Even as I retreat to the door, he remains still, ignoring any of the cues before him that it is time for us to work. “Ciara! Several people have unexpectedly left, so we will need you to take on Health and Beauty as well as the chemical department. We need those along with sporting goods done today, okay?” Rosa asks, and I nod, still taken aback by Aiden’s concerning behavior. 

So I keep my head down, and I work. I put out the boxes that have been left abandoned on the sales floors, I help customers who need any of our more dangerous items that are locked behind cases, I even take the time to fish out the products that have fallen between shelves despite the many warnings of workers being crushed by shelving units in the past. The only thing that was propelling me forward was the mantra of,

‘I am here to work, not make friends. I am here to work, not make friends. I am here to work, not make friends,’

‘I am going to die alone’

I suck in a sharp breath, skidding to a halt. It didn’t matter if I was experiencing the crippling realization that I had driven everyone away though. It was now time to clock out. 

And so I retired my cart to the grocery end of backrooms, and let out a soft groan as I tugged myself free of my work vest. I felt eyes on me. “Oh, it’s you.” I didn’t mean for my voice to sound flat, when I saw management and the team leads standing there. “Congratulations, Ciara. We noticed your dedication to our store and you have gone above and beyond this last month to get Mallmart to reach its deadline for our summer season.” Their voices lacked enthusiasm, and it sounded rehearsed. Still, I was over the moon. So they had noticed the effort I had put in? “You are this month’s associate of the month. Again, we thank you.” And in their hand, they held something… rectangular? And mint in color. Curiously I walked forward and….

In their hands sat a lone case of spearmint tic tacs. “Go on, you’ve earned it.” I reached out and looked at the tic tacs in my hand. “Tomorrow, we will need you to set up the lawn chair display in the gardening aisle-”

“I don’t work on Thursday, I thought.” They guide me by my shoulders, out of the backrooms. 

“On friday, we mean of course. We will also need you to put out the next stock of our  one hundred pound weight set, since the other associates need three people to carry the box when you are able to carry it yourself.”

“...I don’t even like spearmint…” I croak, voice thick with tears. I won’t cry in front of management though. “Good, we knew you’d understand, see you tomorrow!” And with that, I had reached the exit doors of the backrooms and I was now spat out into the sales floor.

 I head to the front of the store in a grim determination, because I need control over something. I head to the front of the store because I am hurt, and I need some way to express it. I look into the screen of the overhead surveillance as if I can look straight into the eyes of management through that crackling screen, good and long, and I chuck the tic tacs into the wastebin before heading out the door, my lips tight.

A Report! From Inside The Walls of Mallmart

"It smells like dark matter!" A voice exclaims from the next aisle over. A young voice, that brings me back to when I was that young. "Nuh uh! Dark matter can't have a smell, stupid!" 

"Can too!" The two kids trail behind their mother, deeply engaged in this conversation. I turn back to the tooth brushes I have been stocking on shelves for the last 10 minutes. Because this is a story about a Mallmart Associate.

I'd like to say I hold the same fire that I had before, whenever things started going wrong at Mallmart. Clearly this isn't a normal retail experience, right? It became the new normal though. The flickering lights, the viscous goo that appeared in aisles, the emergency alarms always going off felt normal now, and I had lost my fighting spirit. Luckily for me, Taylor had enough for the both of us. "I got the contact information of the man the overseer was talking to last Saturday," she explained to me, seeming in high spirits for someone who had only weeks ago been distraught over their understanding of reality being broken. It's something I don't understand, and yet still admire.

"I know it's a bit of a stretch, but it's the only lead I got and something about their conversation seemed…off." She does not go on to explain why it felt off. She's looking at me expectantly. "Oh! Hey there was a trail of translucent goo in hba, I got a photo of it for you!" Taylor gazes into my dim phone screen, and nods. "At least it wasn't the- black ink stuff? Whatever that was."

There's an awkward silence between us, and it occurs to me that we don't talk about much outside of Hellmart, as Taylor has wittily called it.

"You know, I've been thinking lately. Does death even exist? Like, maybe it's just a movement of consciousness,"

"Oh, so like quantum immortality?" I know I peaked her interest, when she looks at me like that.

"Yes, exactly that. Like what I'm saying is, what if our consciousness exists outside of the boundaries of things like time and space? What if we don't end with these bodies we wield?" She seems to ponder this for a second, and says, "Well, that's unsettlingly cryptic, as usual. I was hoping we'd get to talk about parallel universes, but I might have to sit back and think on how I want to answer that for a moment…"

"Actually, speaking of that I wonder if there's a version of us that exists out there that doesn't work at this…wonderful store," I finish, lamely. Taylor cuts into me with her eyes. "I hope whatever version of us that is, that we still feel how we do about each other." It's vulnerable, and honest, and it burns to hear. I don't ask what she means because I'm too afraid to push things. "I hope so too, Taylor."

Mallmart still had tricks up its sleeves, however. The home department encompassed so many products that if you didn't know where an item went, it was safe to say that it probably belonged in our home department. One such product was our mirrors, the full length type that is cheaply made in mass. The type that you hang on doors to get a full body view of yourself.

 I cut into the box, running the blade along its taped seams and opening it with haste. The smell-

God the smell. It was like infected flesh mixed with…decay? I don't know what was happening in those warehouses, but everyday mirrors should not smell so ungodly. Was it the box? Had something spilled on it? And how many boxes in the back rooms had this disgusting quality to it? And yet, there seemed to be no stains indicating such. The box sat in pristine condition. I pulled those mirrors out of the box and struggled with them, trying to keep them stable in my grasp.

Because not only were they disgusting smelling, but they were bendable. They sagged in my grip, leaving me completely dumbfounded by how weightless and malleable they were. So when I was fighting to put the remaining ones in topstock, I was taken by surprise when I saw an odd, stilted movement out of the corner of my eye. There at the back of an aisle was myself, walking backwards down the aisle in an odd jilted way that left the hair standing on the back of my neck. Her skin was pale, her mouth wide and face so recognizably me. 'My phone, I have to get a picture of this for my blog!' I fumbled with my pockets, knowing Taylor would want me to get a photo of this. That my friends would want a photo of this. Hell, I wanted a photo of it just to appease the part of me saying none of this could be real. In my haste a mirror fell from topstock and reached out in reflex, going to take a step down from the cart. Gravity shifted as I fell from the ladder of my cart, landing straight down onto my ankle in a gut churning crunch.

Workers Compensation, with Madame Macabre!

Here at Mallmart, we take our employees' health very seriously. If an employee is injured on the job, they have 12 hours to complete a form and send it in to management to be reviewed. Failure to complete the form in the allotted time means relinquishing your worker compensation benefits. Mallmart also encourages you to spend 5 minutes doing Mallmart approved stretches in front of the surveillance cameras, before you start your shift. This also comes in handy for management when checking the surveillance. Remember, if you have not completed your stretches before shift, this means relinquishing worker compensation benefits! 

I let out a guttural shout of pain, immediately dropping to a crouch in order to grab my ankle as it throbbed and pulsed against my grasp. Is it broken? My breath staggered as I felt around it. No, no… it was not broken, just terribly sore. Through my tears I saw a figure standing over me, and I took off my glasses to wipe away the moisture to see,

"Ma'am, do you have the keys to the case with the press on nails?"  The lady was stout and blonde, and what I had witnessed just moments ago was long gone, leaving only the mundane horrors of retail in its wake. "I don't have all day!"

"Oh … okay, one moment…"

When I limped back to the break room, Aiden and Taylor were talking. "No really, I can make smoke! Watch!" With that, he breathes in, cheeks puffed out. His tongue clicks in his mouth, and his jaw clicks. Taylor leans in intently, and then… He blows smoke out of his lips. "Oh! I wonder if this is related to air pressure," Taylor muses, head deep in wonder as I take a seat next to them. "Yeah, it must be a great trick to show at parties," I mumble, a bit dismissively. "Dude, I really should. I mean, I can also play the guitar. Only Wonderwall though." 

"Only Wonderwall…" I repeat back, whatever I was going to say was interrupted however. Aiden's phone chimes, and he reaches into his pocket, and checks his phone. "Oh, I guess we don't have to worry about Kyle spitting in our food at Whataburger… because the dude is missing, and the police are looking for him," Aiden mutters, stuffing the phone in his pocket. I'm a bit surprised by his nonchalant attitude. 

"Wait, what? Who's Kyle?"

"Oh, he's a friend of mine, dude was awesome, he wasn't afraid of anything. He'd throw a strawberry milkshake on the grill before he made your burger if he was mad at you-" Aiden laughed.

I shuddered, and before thinking I said, "That's exactly what I fear whenever I order food,"

"Well you won't have to worry about that anymore," the conversation fell dead silent. "Do you think he may have left on his own? Hopefully he's okay…" 

"Nah, that ain't Kyle. He would've told someone. He would've told me..." He was troubled by this, and it became clear that he was more convincing himself of something. Something that he never finished the thought of, rather than convincing us. I couldn't say anything, how could you? So in that moment, I silently watched Aiden, wishing I could convey that I wished him well. 

"Dear, can you tell me where the Pantene shampoo is?" I look over at the lady who is speaking to me. She sits in a mobility scooter, her hair tied back into a neat bun, and her eyes alight behind her vintage cateye glasses. "That would be aisle 27 of our cosmetics section." I smiled, giving my best customer service voice. "And do you carry Ivory bar soap? I've been looking everywhere but I can't find any bar soap!"

"Oh, that would be on aisle 16, on the bottom shelf-"

"Can you show me? Please? Like walk me over to exactly where it is." She looks at me, pleadingly. This is the part where I should give you the 411 on Mallmart etiquette, and politely refuse the old woman.  I wasn't supposed to walk people to items or help them as they shopped. You would think this would count as the job description, but the rules were specific on what counted  as job description, and what counted as wasting company time  Mallmart strives for efficiency. Helping a customer to that extent was considered inefficient. "Okay, right down here." And then I was breaking the rules, walking down aisle 27 to show her where the shampoo was. "Oh, here it is! But where is the recovery shampoo? I'm certain it's called recovery. They must not have it." I glance over at her puzzled frown, and begin raking over the shelves with my eyes, looking for anything that said 'recovery'. "Could this be it, mrs?" She squints to read the label while I anxiously glance around, worried I will get caught by management. The amount of people I've seen get pulled away to be spoken to over exactly this was unnerving. "Why yes, it is! Now the ivory soap, please!" I knew she wanted me to walk her over to it, and yet… Well, no one seemed to be around to stop me. "Right this way, Mrs." 

The lights overhead buzzed as I stepped into aisle 16, looking at the bottom shelves. "Our bar soap is on the bottom shelf here, however…I believe the space where the ivory soap, is empty,"

"Oh no!" She sounded heartbroken at this, as she stared at me. "Can you check the back? Please? It's for my mother, she only gets ivory soap." Stock workers are not supposed to take from the back, because they are not a picked item for shelves. "Let me check if it's in stock, first." I say, getting out my work phone. The truth is, I knew it was in stock, but I needed time to think of a way to let her down easy. Unfortunately for me, no such idea came to my mind. "It looks like it's in stock, so if you wait here one moment, I will attempt to find it. I am very sorry for the wait." And stiltedly I walked. I walked out of the health and beauty department, through the home department, and then into the backrooms. Eyes were always watching. So, nervously, I went to the back aisle in the hba back rooms looking over the products. I was going to pick an item and mark it as picked despite it not being ready, which of course, went against Mallmart's core values.

You're probably wondering why I'm going to all this trouble for a stranger. You're probably thinking, of all times for me to go against company rules, this was strange. She reminded me of someone, back from before I ever moved to Okaloosa County. Someone that, if she was still alive, I'd want the same respect granted to her.

I emerged from back rooms victorious, limping and bruised, and having survived the treacherous back rooms with their moving shelves and sweating floors. And by the time I had gotten back to hba, I was not only out of breath, but it was nearly time to clock out. "I am sorry for the wait, is this the product?" I'm trying not to show how badly my ankle still hurts, as I fidget slightly in place. "That's it! Yes! Yes!" She's clapping. "Oh you have been an absolute godsend, darling! You have been perfect!" She sets the product in the basket, her grin wide. I feel taken aback, but before I have time to regain composure, she surprises me again. Shakily, she moves to stand, bracing herself on the machine as she steps out. She outstretches her arms, and closes the space between us. "Mrs, what-"

You aren't supposed to hug with customers. It's…against the company rules. I'm not supposed to allow this. "Thank you so much," she whispers into my ear, before she lets me go, wobbling back over to her seat, and then leaving me alone in the aisle, sniffling. No one has ever called me perfect before. I've never been a help to anyone. She was so happy though. I had gone and did the one thing I was sure would get me the ire of management, and now I was uncertain why I ever let myself get consumed by them so thoroughly. I'd forgotten what matters most; people.

I cried for the second time that day.

In Regards to Misanthropy

I know that humanity has had a history full of blemishes, and they never scar over. They are still an open wound steadily dripping through time and could possibly continue until we address some major issues, mostly regarding how we treat the world around us as a whole. Thoughts and beliefs that have been passed down from generation to generation without asking ourselves the question 'why?'. The thing is though that humanity is amazing and complex and so, so unexpected because humans can choose to do anything with their limited time on this earth and sometimes humans choose to do beautiful things, not because of those thoughts and beliefs that's shaped them, but in spite of it.