Albert Inkling and the Magic Shop of Wonders (A Fictional Story... with pictures!!) |
| At one point, the shop would have been one of the key attractions on the block, painted a deep and almost threatening shade of black. However, now it seemed small and unimportant next to its larger and more lavish kin. The BLACK PAINT was faded and chipped. In fact, there was now little to attract a passer-by�s eye to the shop, not even so much as a sign. As it so happened, though, the shop�s near-invisibility did not fool one passer-by who took an open door as an invitation to enter. This passer-by�s name was Albert Inkling. His apparel, added to the look of his messy black hair, were usually good indicators that when a person was conversing with Albert, they were speaking to someone with little social graces and not one clue as to how one goes about obtaining them. This is, of course, a rather nasty assumption, even if not wholly untrue, as it was in Mr. Inkling�s situation. �Hello?� Albert called into the shop, rapping on the doorframe a few times in the hope of attracting a shopkeeper�s attention before finally entering. �Hello?� As Albert peered about the room, he came to the conclusion that it was some sort of a magic shop, based on the type of �wares� lying about. A quick glance about the room could include such odd sights such as something that looked like a shriveled MONKEY HAND, a book entitled �The Perfect Man in Forty Potions or Less,� a human skull that wasn�t all too convincingly unreal, about sixty different varieties of candles, and several other disturbing artifacts that were so numerous it was difficult to take everything in on one glance, or even a fifth. The store also sold BUBBLEGUM. One particular item that caught Albert�s eye was an OVAL MIRROR in an ornate silver frame. It was a curious item because as Albert passed it, his reflection appeared going in the opposite direction. This took a few moments for Albert to process. After all, the little man in Albert�s brain who studied mirror reflections had to run from his out-of-the-way corner office all the way to the conscious part of Albert�s mind. Upon this little man�s arrival, Albert stopped mid-step, reversed directions, and positioned himself in front of the mirror. There was nothing strange about his reflection. A few more seconds passed before Albert decided to scratch his head in order to physically communicate his confusion to the mirror. This action he executed with his right hand, but his reflection, instead of responding with its left like any good reflection would, responded with its right. Afraid he may have confused his reflection, Albert lowered his hand, and then tried again. However, his reflection refused to cooperate. Albert then proceeded to try other one handed actions, but his reflection simply could not get it right. He then reached for a PEN that sat on top of a small table placed directly under the mirror, and raised it with his left hand, his reflection doing the same. He moved the pen to the right while the pen�s reflection moved Albert�s left. Albert stopped, thought for a while, then moved the pen closer to the mirror while his reflection pulled its pen further away. �Of course�� he mumbled. Next >> |