Bottle Them Up

My weekly shopping day has arrived but I cannot find my shopping list anywhere. Damn, I bet I know.

“Roger, where are you?”

I hear the pitter patter of nails on the wooden floor, as my dog Roger slinks around the corner, head bowed. Oh boy, look at that guilty face.

I reach behind me and open the cupboard door, pulling a small glass bottle from off the shelf. I glance at the label, where it states in bold letters ‘Calm’ and I take a quick swig.

This potion helps keep me calm as I look at Roger, who has obviously torn up and eaten my shopping list.

Okay, I can make a new list but for now I must open the store as we are now late.

I walk through the side door, into the potions store that I own and quickly unlock the front door, whereby I am swarmed by the customers that had been patiently waiting.

“Shakeh, about time you opened, I desperately need a bottle of Love.”

“Out of my way. Shakeh, I need a potion of Dislike please.”

“I’ll buy a bottle of Pain please Shakeh.”

I was overwhelmed with all the orders being thrown at me, “hold up, hold up, can you please form a line or all I’m going to sell you all is a bottle of Patience.”

The store is suddenly silent as I quietly go about filling their orders.

“Sorry Simon but you know I cannot sell you a bottle of Pain. The government rules are very clear on what can be legally sold and what cannot be and you know Pain is a no go item,” I explain with frustration.

Maybe I need another swig of Calm.

Simon bows his head and leaves the store quietly.

After the initial rush of customers, the store quickly empties but I know that the next rush is not all that far away. I will need to hurry if I do not want to get caught and lose my licence. The government rules and regulations for this industry, selling and buying bottled emotions, is extremely strict, which is why the black market has been doing a booming trade.

I rush to the back door and quickly open it to find Simon silently waiting on the other side.

“Simon you know better than to yell out an order for an item that is highly regulated and restricted for sale,” I admonish.

“Sorry Shakeh, I did not think and I’m extremely desperate,” Simon responded.

“What do you want with a bottle of Pain? Can you even afford to pay for this bottle?” I am confused as I have never seen Simon in such a state.

“Simon, come back in an hour but be ready to explain because I am not selling this to you without a very good reason,” I explain.

I shut and lock the door, as I need to head out to fill my shopping order. Most of what I need are on the banned emotions list and I knew I was going to have to contact some unsavoury characters to buy on the illegal black market. I am aware I will have to pay top dollar too.

After locking the store, I rush through the streets until I find the alley way where I organised to meet one of my contacts and they guided me the rest of the way.

First stop is at a dingy dark doorway where Sandy is selling his wares today. Every day he moves location. I ordered two bottles of Pain, one of Misery and one of Grief.

The next stop is at Drogo’s, where I purchase a bottle of Horror, two bottles of Broken Heart and four bottles of Terror.

I am all set and I rush back to my store.

As I unlock my front door, the next wave of customers push through and begin regaling me with their orders. I quickly satisfy all my customers until I am left with just one, Simon.

“Okay Simon, do you still want a bottle of Pain,” I asked?

Simon nodded his head and began to explain, “I need the Pain and possibly a bottle of Terror if you have it. You see I have my mother in law coming to stay and I believe she has every intention of slipping me a potion of Hatred, enough so I cannot help but murder my entire family and be thrown in prison for life. I need the bottles of Pain and Terror to give to my wife and children, so that they can play their parts convincingly. I have every intention of murdering my mother in law instead of my family.”

I was horrified. “You plan to give your wife and children the Pain and Terror potions? I don’t understand,” she replied.

“When the police and government investigate the murder of my mother in law, I need my family to support my story. They will be able to convincingly report that my mother in law hurt them and terrorised them terribly. Without giving them the potions they would not be convincing. They are terrible actors you know,” Simon explained.

“Shakeh, my only choices are to kill my family, after ingesting a potion of Hatred, or killing my mother in law in self defence. Neither options are ideal but I could not live with myself if I was to kill the family I adore,” Simon looked hauntingly at me as he explained the dire predicament he found himself in.

And so it is that I silently handed over one bottle of Pain and another of Terror. “I’ll give these to you free of charge,” I whispered.

I then watched as Simon nodded his head and walked out of my store.

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Originally posted on Medium