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July 2048
Part I
It was a dark and stormy night…
Isn’t that how a lot of these stories begin? The man who moved through the night was tall, handsome. But his face was darkened with a mix of anger and grief. He was a man who had lost everything. Shae could sense him the way a moth senses a light. He was a man in need. And the name of her pawn shop was … Needful Things. The question was was his need strong enough to open her locked door?
The door opened without the slightest hesitation. Shae smiled. A customer in need. In the distance sirens wailed. The man looked behind him, a flash of pain across his face. Then he finished entering the store.
He looked shocked to see Shae standing there. Persian? His face contorted with a hint of even more anger. Then he forced himself to caalm down. He didn’t want to frighten her.
As if ….
“You’re open? The sign said …” he began.
“I am always open to the right customer. Come in. Relax. But please, try not to drip on anything water will harm.”
“Sorry. My apologies.”
Shae smiled. Polite. Yes. He is the one. “So shall we talk about the weather, or would you like to look around. The name of the store is Needful Things. And if I may be so bold, you look like a man in need.”
It was the way she said “Need” that got his attention. He flushed. “I doubt you have what I need. What I really need is a second chance.”
“Perhaps not truly. But why don’t you get out of those wet clothes?”
“What?” Did she mean …
“If you get out of yours, I will get out of mine. My sign says Closed. We could pass the time while the police chase their tails.”
Too many things at once. She was starting to remove her clothes. He couldn’t help but stare. “Uhm … I’m … I was framed.”
“I believe you,” Shae told him calmly. “You do not frighten me. I sense a good man. I sense an honest man. Tell me … honestly … are you tempted?” She gestured to herself.
He averted his eyes. “N-no.”
“Really,” she purred. She had approached him while he was trying not to look and her hand reached down. “All evidence to the contrary.”
He tried not to laugh. “I misspoke. But that doesn’t mean I have to give in to temptation.”
“What is it they say? Ah yes. Resistance is futile.” Her hand moved and deftly unfastened his pants, reaching in. “And you are very, very much in need. So am I.” She continued undressing him. Soon she had him unclothed and had begun to rub herself against him.
He forced himself under control with great difficulty. “What I really need is a second chance.” A pair of cars with flashing lights had pulled up to the front door.
Shae scoffed. “So annoying. Talk about bad timing.”
“Yeah …”
“Come with me,” she pulled his hand to lead him further back.
“I wish …”
“Careful what you wish for.”
He laughed softly. “I think I may have a weakness for double entendre.”
The police had begun knocking on the front door.
“Coming!” she yelled.
“You wish …”
She laughed in spite of herself. She almost felt bad about what she was about to do. The room she had led him to was filled with various Arabic lamps and fancy, brass bound and bejewelled bottles. She stopped at a curio cabinet with a single bottle within.
“Take it. Rub the bottle, make a wish, and pull the stopper. Don’t worry about the police. I will deal with them. That bottle is your way out of here.”
“I’d rather be rubbing you,” he growled. But he did as she had instructed. That was his last momeent of mortality, last thing he remembered before he was being torn apart at a quantum level, incinerated, and trapped in an eternal disembodied state.
For an eternity he had slumbered in a timeless, bodiless limbo, devoid of light. His torment never ended. These were the all consuming thoughts that tormented him. His only other thoughts were about eternity itself and the multiverse. He could understand them. And in some ways that terrified him. In others it excited him. Nowhere and nowhen were beyond his reach. But he was alone in his understanding. Perhaps someday…
Then he felt a change. It was as if a voice was calling his name, yet he had no name. He felt it again. A powerful tingling that touched every piece of whatever he was. It was very personal.
Your Character
Female. Of good character. Beyond that she could be from any time in the past. She could be a peasant or princess. She could be an escaped slave. She could be lost at sea, marooned on some tropical island. She could be an archaeologist exploring ruins, or a diver investigating a sunken treasure.
Posting
3rd Person Past Tense
Decent literacy
I typically manage about a page per post.
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