Poland Journal 1
That night VideoGo was quiet, too quiet.
“Well, that’s it, I’m out of business”I sighed “I had a good run.” I was about to close down for the night when the door swooshed open and a bit of cool night time air swept in, along with two young teenage girls.
They walked up and down the aisles inspecting the shelves of comics and DvDs before landing in the videogame aisle. They snatched a game off the shelf like it was a Limited Edition comic book.
Next they came up to me at the checkout. It was one of our older games, so it was cheap and not very valuable. Of Course I knew these two, they wouldn’t spend a dime in their life on my merchandise, unless I made it seem exotic. This particular game disk I had dropped on the floor the week previously. It had broken inside the case. They didn’t know that.
“This particular console was smashed by the claw of gold which curses everyone who plays the game.” They looked skeptical.
“and the only way out is by obliterating one of your fellow players with the very same claw.” They glance at each other. “Cool”
“How Much?” Said the shorter one. The game itself was fun, i had dropped the disk after i was done playing it in the back. The game was already used, so i didn’t think it mattered that i was playing it, but on my way to put it back i tripped. But in their minds it was Smashed By The Claw of Gold.
I grabbed the game and nodded. I took it to the back of the store and shook it. The disk was definitely in pieces. I put it in the bag anyway. I felt guilty so I grabbed a random game off the shelf and walked back. I placed the bag on the table and showed them the other game.
“That game is eight dollars,” I said, and then considered my next move.
“But if you buy this one for only two more dollars you can get the other for free. This game is very popular to people who play that one,” I gestured to the plastic bag on the counter. The shorter one turned to the other and they conversed quietly. The shorter one seemed to like my deal while the other one didn’t think the game in my hand was very good. She didn’t like the title of the game. I looked over at the game, which I hadn’t taken notice of before. ‘Serial Killer Cowboys’ an interesting title for a game.
The two girls seemed to reach an agreement and the shorter one ended up paying the majority of the cost. I placed the extra game in the plastic bag and handed it to them. They walked out through the door. I closed down the computer behind the cash register, grabbed the money out of the register itself, and stuffed it into my wallet.
I took one last look at the walls draped in anime posters and banners declaring ‘No Refunds Or Returns’ The weapons lining the wall, perfect movie replicas. I owned it all. Thousands of dollars down the drain… Unless…
I opened the computer up again and started up the software. I pulled up google and entered my query. The answer I got was unexpected, but useful nonetheless…
I grabbed a long knife off the shelf and pushed the blade through a loop in my belt. This plan was risky, and not necessarily worth it if I got caught. But, as long as I didn’t…
