Over the last two years I have branched out into a lot of roles I never thought to take on, and this semester I’m adding one more! I’m taking a creative writing studio and I’m pretty psyched. I haven’t done creative writing since early in highschool, so I thought I’d get the creative juices flowing (which is a really gross phrase) by taking some writing prompts from the internet and seeing how I go! It was actually really fun and I’m pretty proud of how it came out! So I hope you enjoy:

A curiosity shop opens up where you can rent superpowers, magical abilities, mystical artifacts, and mad science technology. The catch? Payments are made with abstract concepts. Life, memories etc.

The man burst into the store, bell jangling behind him as the door crashed into it once on the way in and once on the way out. He spent a moment frantically looking around before catching the eye of the wizened old woman sitting at the front counter and marching over to her.

‘I need a love potion. I don’t care what it co-‘

‘Good morning!’ interrupted the lady, cutting off what was working its way up to a fairly impressive rant. ‘Such lovely weather today don’t you think?’

‘What? Sure I guess, but look I need a love potion, so what’s it going to cost?’ said the man, affronted that he’d been interrupted.

‘The weather man said there was a chance of showers but it’s been clear all day, just shows that these young people with their new technology still don’t know everything. Me, I always carry an umbrella just in case, can never be sure in this city’ continued the woman as if the man hadn’t spoken. ‘I remember my mother telling me that and then of course but the very next day I went out without an umbrella and got soaked! She didn’t say I told you so, just gave me such a look and-‘

‘What the fuck does this have to do with anything? Look I’m in a rush, I’m on my lunch break and we’ve got a big client coming in, I need her to choose my pitch over Johnsons, this could make my career.’ the man was running a hand through his carefully slicked back hair, ruining what he clearly thought was a very handsome look. ‘I know what you charge here, so what do you need? Memories of my parents? My kids? What?’

‘What did you say you needed deary?’ the woman, peering up at the man through glasses at least an inch thick. ‘A love potion? Well I don’t know, I can’t remember selling one of them for a while! They always backfire so horribly…’ as she talked she had turned around and was pushing aside an assortment of trinkets on the shelf behind her, everything from a ray gun that crackled ominously when shoved to the side to an amulet that seemed to whisper and cling to her hand.

Finally she seemed to spot what she was after and pulled out a tiny bottle coated in dust and placed it on the counter. The man’s eyes visibly lit up when he saw it before he reached for it. Quick as lighting the old womans hand shot out and gripped his in a crushing grip. Startled he tried to yank his hand back but found it immovable. The woman was still smiling somewhat dimly up at him and continued in her rambling tones as he swore under his breath. ‘Now honey, I need you to know before I give this to you… she won’t really love you. Eventually the potion runs out, and so will her feelings for you.’

‘I don’t fucking care!’ snapped the man, still struggling to retrieve his hand. ‘By then I’ll have the account, I just need it for this afternoon!’

As the woman let go the man stumbled backwards before snapping his suit back into crisp lines with an angry flick of his wrist. ‘So what’s it gunna cost me? You’ve already wasted enough of my time just out with it! I know what the usual charges can be, a year of your life, a musical talent, crap like that. What does the potion cost?’

‘Five dollars.’ Said the woman.

‘What?’ the man was visibly taken aback. ‘Five fucking dollars? That’s it?’ starting to laugh he pulled out his wallet and rifled through the notes before tossing one dismissively on the counter.

He was halfway through reaching for the bottle when the woman said ‘Oh no, not that five dollars.’

‘What? What do you mean not that five dollars?’

‘I mean not that five dollars. You see this requires a very specific five dollars.’

‘But money is money! You asked for five dollars I gave you five fucking dollars!’ the man was snarling now, frustration bubbling over and distorting his previously crisp diction.

‘But you see deary,’ said the woman, unmoved by the fact that the man was gripping the counter with white knuckled hands and trying to use his superior height to intimidate her. ‘I’m so sorry but the price for this particular item is the five dollars that was used to buy the last coffee Carrie Fisher ever bought, god bless her soul.’

Visibly stunned at the man drew breath to start what was undoubtedly going to be another highly impressive and extensive rant, but before he could the woman ghosted her fingers over the watch on her wrist before looking down at it and exclaimed ‘Oh dear! Would you look at the time! I’m so sorry but one of these darned items is causing a little temporal disturbance and I can’t for the life of me find which one! I’m afraid three hours have passed, I hope this hasn’t made you late for that meeting.’

Startled, the man yanked back his sleeve and looked at his watch, at seeing that the time for the presentation had long passed he passed from frustrated into apoplectic.

‘You bitch! You did this on purpose, I swear I will-‘

When he blinked mid rant suddenly the scene around him changed and he found himself screaming at the outside of the shop.

From inside the shop the woman watched as he tried the handle, and upon finding the door locked kicked the door before limping away.

‘What a fucking asshole’ she said as she put the bottle of rose water back on the shelf.