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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Teens
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Friends / Friendship
- Published: 05/16/2016
The Joke Shop.
Born 1941, M, from Whitby, United KingdomThe Joke Shop.
When her two friends turned off on the walk home from college she noticed a man behind her did not.
He followed her down her road at a distance. It was not a busy road, merely access to the rows of semi-detached post war homes. The lilac bushes were starting their sweet spring blooms.
She opened her garden and hesitated to get a closer look at him. He continued towards her and looked her straight in the eye. She didn’t particularly like his unkempt hair and clothes and went straight to the front door and unlocked it. She was first home. Then she went to the front window and peeped through the blinds. To her fear he stared at the house and then went back along the way he came.
She kept it to herself and tried to forget it. After all nothing untoward had happened, had it?
Sleep however, was difficult.
She was happy the weekend was nigh. She was looking forward to meeting her bosom friend Sarah in Scarborough. She caught the train in York and when stepping aboard thought she might have seen the stranger getting onto the next carriage. She only had a quick glance so could not be sure. However “stalker” alarm bells rang in her head.
When the train pulled into the imposing old station at Scarborough she tried to check the people alighting. The train was busy today as it was a fine weekend.
Among the bobbing heads rushing off the platform behind her she thought she saw her man. It was too quick to be sure. So she tried hard again to ignore it and set off for the seafront past the main shops. As she dropped down to the sea the shops changed to pubs, cafes, and tattoo parlours. The worry was now escalating all by itself.
The next glance back saw someone so like him looking her way that she nearly panicked.
The next shop on her left said”Joke Shop”. That’ll do nicely. She went straight in.
As luck had it, it was empty at the moment. The owner must be out the back having a cup of tea.
The place was packed to the ceiling with Fancy Dress, Stick on Moustache’s, Whoopee Cushions, Magic Tricks, Mock Spiders and fake Dog Poo.
In one dark corner a Dias with a mock gold throne on it seemed to glow in the dark. It had long purple curtains to each side.
She saw a face looking in from the street window and jumped. The only place to hide was to get on the throne and pull the curtains. Which she did.
She listened for the door to open. It didn’t. She peeped out. The face had gone for now.
Thank you God!
The owner had not come back yet so she stretched out on the throne, the relief had a soporific affect. Her brain took a short dreamy break.
She imagined the “stalker” coming into the Joke Shop to find her. He walked right past the little throne room and towards a door in the corner. He opened the door and stared down into the impenetrable black. A flight of steps led down and disappeared into the abyss
He hesitated then looked back and around the shop. Then he took the first step down, then another. Gradually disappearing altogether.
She saw a big sliding bolt on the back of the door and when he had gone she ran across and shut the door tight. Slamming the solid bolt into its keeper.
With the bang of the bolt a voice brought her back to the day.
“Hello young lady would you like to buy it?”
“Oh, Oh no thank you. I was just trying it out for size.”
She rushed to compose herself.
“But I would like one of those fake dog poos for my brother.”
…………………………………….
The slamming of the bolt had shut the bogey man away and with him all her fears. Locked away in a safe place in her mind, never to come out again.
…………………………………….
She had a great time with Sarah. The “stalker” was never mentioned.
……………………………………..
Walking back to her home that night she never once looked back.
Her brother thought the dog poo was fabulous.
Her mother said. “We have missed paying the window cleaner for three weeks now. He was going to send someone round for the money. You didn’t see him yesterday did you?”
The Joke Shop.(Ossie Durrans)
The Joke Shop.
When her two friends turned off on the walk home from college she noticed a man behind her did not.
He followed her down her road at a distance. It was not a busy road, merely access to the rows of semi-detached post war homes. The lilac bushes were starting their sweet spring blooms.
She opened her garden and hesitated to get a closer look at him. He continued towards her and looked her straight in the eye. She didn’t particularly like his unkempt hair and clothes and went straight to the front door and unlocked it. She was first home. Then she went to the front window and peeped through the blinds. To her fear he stared at the house and then went back along the way he came.
She kept it to herself and tried to forget it. After all nothing untoward had happened, had it?
Sleep however, was difficult.
She was happy the weekend was nigh. She was looking forward to meeting her bosom friend Sarah in Scarborough. She caught the train in York and when stepping aboard thought she might have seen the stranger getting onto the next carriage. She only had a quick glance so could not be sure. However “stalker” alarm bells rang in her head.
When the train pulled into the imposing old station at Scarborough she tried to check the people alighting. The train was busy today as it was a fine weekend.
Among the bobbing heads rushing off the platform behind her she thought she saw her man. It was too quick to be sure. So she tried hard again to ignore it and set off for the seafront past the main shops. As she dropped down to the sea the shops changed to pubs, cafes, and tattoo parlours. The worry was now escalating all by itself.
The next glance back saw someone so like him looking her way that she nearly panicked.
The next shop on her left said”Joke Shop”. That’ll do nicely. She went straight in.
As luck had it, it was empty at the moment. The owner must be out the back having a cup of tea.
The place was packed to the ceiling with Fancy Dress, Stick on Moustache’s, Whoopee Cushions, Magic Tricks, Mock Spiders and fake Dog Poo.
In one dark corner a Dias with a mock gold throne on it seemed to glow in the dark. It had long purple curtains to each side.
She saw a face looking in from the street window and jumped. The only place to hide was to get on the throne and pull the curtains. Which she did.
She listened for the door to open. It didn’t. She peeped out. The face had gone for now.
Thank you God!
The owner had not come back yet so she stretched out on the throne, the relief had a soporific affect. Her brain took a short dreamy break.
She imagined the “stalker” coming into the Joke Shop to find her. He walked right past the little throne room and towards a door in the corner. He opened the door and stared down into the impenetrable black. A flight of steps led down and disappeared into the abyss
He hesitated then looked back and around the shop. Then he took the first step down, then another. Gradually disappearing altogether.
She saw a big sliding bolt on the back of the door and when he had gone she ran across and shut the door tight. Slamming the solid bolt into its keeper.
With the bang of the bolt a voice brought her back to the day.
“Hello young lady would you like to buy it?”
“Oh, Oh no thank you. I was just trying it out for size.”
She rushed to compose herself.
“But I would like one of those fake dog poos for my brother.”
…………………………………….
The slamming of the bolt had shut the bogey man away and with him all her fears. Locked away in a safe place in her mind, never to come out again.
…………………………………….
She had a great time with Sarah. The “stalker” was never mentioned.
……………………………………..
Walking back to her home that night she never once looked back.
Her brother thought the dog poo was fabulous.
Her mother said. “We have missed paying the window cleaner for three weeks now. He was going to send someone round for the money. You didn’t see him yesterday did you?”
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