It didn't happen often due to the unique charm of the shop, but it was always a possibility that we would get a drifter. By drifter, I mean a normal customer that somehow managed to enter the shop. By normal, I mean someone who typically yet naturally wasn't aware of the weird world and all the weirdness in it. Want For Not was one of those shops where you usually had to know someone who knew someone that could point you in the right direction. Average people on the street would pass by our door without even considering a second glance. Whereas, to someone who knew what they were looking for, our door stood out like a beacon.

Yet every now and then, the little bell above the door would announce the arrival of a curious mind who came to check out that dark spot in their peripheral vision that they couldn't seem to get a clear view of until they deliberately focused on it. By the expression on the man's face who entered, I could tell he was a drifter. Probably a inquisitive one at that. His nose scrunched up a bit, as if he were smelling something bitter. He just stood there by the door, looking around at everything, clearly lost and confused. I watched him from my place behind the counter. It probably wasn't the best customer service method, but I had to admit that there was a small part of me that liked to witness the look of bewilderment on their faces. It was sort of like seeing a baby deer stand up for the first time. That how did I get here and what do I do now type of look.

Just like with every other case, if he started to panic, I would try to make this as fast as possible. The last thing these thrill seekers needed was to buy things they didn't or couldn't understand. This time, Elise beat me to it. She approached from between a row of shelves just as I was coming to a stand.

"Good evening!" She wore a warm smile that was oozing with that customer service spirit. "Did you need help finding anything in particular, or have you brought something in for us today?"

Although he appeared to be a touch confused, he wasn't what I'd call uncomfortable or freaked out. "Light bulbs." He told her, "I was sent out for light bulbs. I don't suppose you have any here or would those be next to the..." He paused to look around again before pointing out, "That six eyed goat's head?"

"Seven." I corrected him from where I stood, "There's another eye on the back of its head, but I can't blame you for missing it."

"Right." He didn't sound bothered by the seventh eye. Nor did he sound bothered about the initial six he thought he saw.

"We don't have light bulbs." Elise let him know upfront, "Anything else you might need? Maybe we have that."

"Doubt." I told her, "Not many people have mummified mermaid infants on their shopping list."

"Actually," the man laughed, "While we're on the topic of mummification, you wouldn't happen to have any lotion or skin crème would you?"

"Fresh out." I told him, "Unless you need a sunblock with the amount of protection that would make a vampire comfortable on the beach.

"Doesn't hurt to get a snazzy hat or shades for that extra bit of protection," Elise saw her opportunity to push for more and I had to give it to her, she was a good choice to hire.

"I'll have to keep that in mind for later." He answered. He most likely thought I was joking about that whole vampire thing, too. Finally, he asked the question that had been written on his face this whole time, "Has this shop always been here?" Elise looked at me to take this one.

"Pretty much." Was the best answer I could give him. As for how long the shop had actually been here, I couldn't say for certain. The boss only told me that he had been in the business for "a long time." Whether that meant this specific shop or maybe a line of different shops, he didn't exactly say. I never pressed the matter because I didn't really care all that much to know the history of it all, and it wasn't exactly a requirement for me to know any of that information.

"Huh, I've never seen it before. I guess I just never noticed it." He shrugged, "Weird."

"It has that effect on people." I said honestly.

Overall, his visit was uneventful. Probably the oddest part about it was just how uneventful it was. No fainting, no throwing up, no threats to call the police, it was nice. Frankly, I think he might have stuck around a bit longer than he originally anticipated because he was enjoying following Elise around. Among all the eye sores in this shop, she was not at all one of them.

Afterward, we helped a few other appointments while sweeping and organizing in-between. Honestly, the cleaning was a constant. Not sure if it was because of all the oddities we kept that seemed to draw in dust, chaos, or disorder.

That was when I heard the landline phone ring. It shouldn't be surprising that this was an old antique phone that most teenagers in this day and age wouldn't even be able to figure out how to make a call on. I'm not one of those people who insists the old stuff is always better than the new stuff, I'd be bored beyond reason without my smartphone. I still had an appreciation for how old everything in the shop was. Each item had its own memories and stories. Seeing as I would be taking the call, Elise took the quiet of the shop as an opportunity to go to the back room for something to eat.

I brought the corded phone to my ear and gave my usual greeting.

The deep, yet smooth voice that came from the other side never failed to give me goosebumps. "Jericho."

I let the chill move through me before I responded, "Hey, Boss. What's the news?"

He was calm yet stern, "You want to tell me why I suddenly have a little blonde doll following me everywhere I go these last few days?"

That was when the realization hit me like a 747 nosedive. The doll... follows its owner. I may have handed over the money, but the doll was his property now. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Was the first thing my shocked brain could toss out as the whole thing came together within me.

"Oh?" He turned it into a question.

I tried my best to explain the very odd turn of events, "So, get this. You're gonna laugh. It's a doozy. So this lady came in the other day to sell me that doll. She claimed it was possessed by a demon. Crazy, right? Now, of course, I wasn't certain about it, but I usually have to go with my gut on these things. My gut was telling me there was something off about that doll. To be fair, I hate dolls. So it was also entirely possible that my own bias was influencing my creepy radar. I don't exactly have any absolute measures to take when determining the authenticity of items, you know. Anyway, the lady did happen to mention that the doll would follow its new owner or something like that. Long story short, you are now the proud owner of an authentic, possessed doll."

"Of course, it has a demon inside it, Jericho." Although this situation was enough to prove that fact, his words solidified it entirely.

"Well, now we know." I chuckled awkwardly, "I guess it's just going to follow you around now? She said she couldn't get rid of it, which is why she sold it. I planned on selling it here, though now it's... not here. I'd suggest bringing it by, but it will just be waiting for you at home again when you get there, most likely. Crazy stuff. What can you do? You live, and you learn. Whoops."

"I don't have the time to visit the shop." Was his response, "I also don't need an audience when I am in the shower."

"Would shipping work?" I offered the weak suggestion. How many times would he have to ship it?

"No." He shot that down. "I have a better idea. How would you like to buy a doll, Jericho?"

You know that feeling you get when you are on a roller-coaster? When you are sitting there way at the top, and it slowly creaks closer to the edge of that descent? You know that feeling you get when you finally drop, and all your organs are in this free fall moment inside of you. That. That is what my insides were doing just now. I winced and sucked my breath in through clenched teeth, "Buy a doll, you say?"

"How much did I buy this for?" He asked now. "Five dollars?"

That took me off guard, I never mentioned how much I paid the lady for it, "How did you-?" I left that hanging in my surprise.

He wasn't long to satisfy my curiosity, "He told me."

"He?" I was confused now.

"Indeed. He. The doll. Don't let the dress fool you."

"Oh." I said, "Well. That was unexpected yet, not the most shocking thing I've ever heard."

"Five dollars." He told me, "You'll pay what you deemed appropriate for me to pay. Five dollars, and the doll is yours."

Back at it again. The cringe returned to my face, "Are you sure you don't actually like the doll? I mean, if you give him a chance, he might grow on you."

"Ten dollars, and the doll is yours." Was his response.

I could see where this was going. Part of this had to be illegal, I thought. Yet any further rebuttal on my end would only increase the price, I knew. Ten dollars was about ten dollars more than I ever wanted to have to pay for a doll. I glanced around the shop for Elise. Maybe, just maybe, she would be interested in buying the thing for her collection. As quickly as I had thought it up, I smothered it. This was no ordinary doll. I couldn't put her in any danger. This was my problem. "Alright..." I sighed in defeat. "That was my bad. I guess I'll just..." My pout was evident as I pulled my wallet from my back pocket, ever so slowly to give him any chance to change his mind, slipped a ten dollar note from inside, and then eased it at a snail's pace into the cash drawer.

When I shut the till, he must have heard it because he was the one to speak first, "Well done. I would send him back to you, but I'm sure you'll be seeing him shortly as it is. Perhaps now that you are the owner, you will be more encouraged to find another buyer. Take care, Jericho."

The line went dead before I could say anything further. I frowned when I placed the phone back on its base along the wall. Surely, this wasn't going to end up being a horrible mistake. Fortunately, I didn't have too much time to dwell on it. When the bell announced another patron, I offered them my typical welcome. He was not a drifter, I could tell that much. He was...something. I couldn't put my finger on it exactly, but I could tell by his piercing cold stare that he was here with some kind of purpose. A quick scan of his average jeans and jacket, neatly trimmed and shaped beard, and very empty hands told me that he was not here to sell something. He said not a single word to me. Only glared hard at me as if he finally came face to face with the villain that murdered his wife and children ten years back, and this was the day of reckoning. Seriously, this guy could not be more obvious with his absolute and immersive hatred of me. Or maybe he hated clerks. Whatever stemmed his anger was a mystery. He then proceeded to walk into the shop further to vanish between shelves of oddities. That was weird. I tried to think of his face while scanning my memory. Did I know him? Did I cut him off in traffic or something? No way to know without him indulging me in his super elaborate vengeance monologue.

Ultimately, I elected to ignore him. If he was after something specific, such as the money in the drawer or even my head, he would come to collect it eventually. Why make his job easier by presenting myself to him? Besides, the painting of The Hungry Madam was beginning to leak (what we had established to be saliva), so I needed to address that. I kept spiders within a jar behind the counter for this sort of occasion. I retrieved one and sat it on the edge of the canvas. That was about the extent of this particular chore. The rest was in the Madam's hands.

I heard the footsteps before anything else. The man was approaching from behind me. I turned around quickly, only to see him pass by before exiting the shop without even a glance back at me. The way he moved was like he was on some mission. It was at that moment that I began to wonder if he had stolen something. I hope for his own sake that he hadn't. His entire presence had made my paranoia radar light up, but for the life of me, his motives were beyond me. If he had stolen something, it was possible I would be seeing him again soon.