Chapter 1: Good-bye to the Grocery Store
Daniel leaned against the grocery store counter and rested his head in his palm. He blew a stray piece of hair out of his face.
He was the sort of unremarkable character that a customer might have seen every day for a month and still not remember on the street. His hair was somewhere between blonde and brown. He was neither quite skinny nor fat, but somehow frail yet pudgy at the same time. His skin was the same luminescent white as the tile floor, and he seemed to sort of blend into it. The only thing bright about him was his electric blue apron, emblazoned with the name “Frank’s Provisions: All our Best, Five Dollars or Less!”.
A mild blue sky peaked out of a small window above the cash register. Daniel stared at the clock positioned on a back wall.
One-two-three, he tapped on the counter. He looked over at one aisle where little hats waited without their wearers, and the toy aisle where toy dinosaurs and cars stood at attention for children to give them a world to spring into.
He started to move towards the aisles but admonished himself, “No, my job is at checkout.”
He moved back to the checkout counter, but found himself overtaken by a hum.
He waited. No one appeared at the checkout.
But the hum had quite overtaken him. His feet followed in an accompanying tap.
He propped up a toy dinosaur on the cashier stool and puts a Frank’s Provisions apron on it.
“I’ll be quick, Franklin,” he said to the dinosaur, who looked like he might like to be called Franklin.
Daniel began to build a giant fort out of cereal boxes, singing to himself as he went,
Amidst the mundane grocery aisles,
there, right there! Rises a castle
if you just look slowly,
past the oranges and the apples
past the greenery and grapes
Here come the dinosaur guards,
with their torches at the ready,
to guard the Duchess of Cereal!
Even though the clock strikes the shift near done,
perhaps the battle might still be won,
perhaps, perhaps, there is still yet,
time enough for magic,
Daniel set up on the opposite side of the store a ghost-like figure using a mop and a trash bag. He sang,
A dastardly foe rises,
through the snack aisle,
through the pickles,
past the spices,
Ready to lay waste.
Our great Knight we must awake,
who has slept centuries
buried with the discount linens —
buy the fitted sheet,
and the pillowcases are free!
No time for seasonal savings,
for the fate of the fabled lands
of the Kingdom of Cereal,
rests in our hands,
Daniel’s handiwork had created a makeshift castle a dozen cereal boxes high, complete with turrets concocted of Tupperware and a draw bridge fashioned from an old pallet.
A child, perhaps not quite eight approached Daniel quizzically, “What are you making?”
“Ah, our knight! Just in time!” Daniel quickly concocted a small sword from broom.
He knelt down to the child’s level, “Sir Knight, what is your name?”
“My name is Timothy.”
Daniel looked around him. Nowhere could he see Timothy’s legal guardian, nor hear them.
“Knight Timothy, I have a feeling you’re a bit young to drive to the store yourself. Do you know where your mom or dad might be?”
Timothy shrugged.
Daniel looked at the row of Sky Dancers he had lined up to see his grand defense of the Kingdom.
It appears our great battle must befall another day,
for a new quest seems paramount,
A young Squire, separated from his party,
by a dragon he had bravely mounted,
And had carried him away,
perhaps he hails from the Hamlet of Home goods,
or the Province of Produce,
maybe the Shire of Seasonal items,
or the Borough of Baked Goods,
Timothy spoke up, “I think my mom was getting fish.”
“Then let us venture to the fish!”
Daniel pointed to a blinking red sign of a fish that could be seen over top of the grocery aisles. He took Timothy’s hand and they started towards the back.
As Timothy walked he tripped. This caused several things to happen in quick succession.
The cereal boxes at the bottom of the once great castle fell. Without support the boxes at the top tumbled swiftly after.
Timothy started to cry. It was at this moment that Timothy’s mother whipped her cart around the corner.
“Un-hand my son!” she spoke shrilly, and yanked Timothy next to her.
Daniel started to stammer an apology, only to see his manager Mrs. Hopkins right behind Timothy’s mother.
Behind Mrs. Hopkins, was a line for the checkout a dozen people long who had all seen the commotion. Some twenty eyes were trained on him. Some looked on in shock, others in distaste.
As if Daniel’s lot could not get worse, behind the growing line were three men with suits and clipboards. Daniel had quite forgotten until this very moment that today was to be the store’s cleanliness and customer service check from Corporate.
Mrs. Hopkins followed Daniel’s gaze to see the men. She turned damn near white, and ran over to them, “Sirs, I’m sorry, the store is never like this. Usually it is really clean, cleanest in the region.”
Daniel began to quickly try to put the cereal boxes back. In his rush he tripped and fell. He landed with an unexpectedly soft thud, as his butt was cushioned by several cereal boxes that had now been flattened.
From the floor Daniel looked at the three men from Corporate as they stood next to Mrs. Hopkins.
“Mrs…..Hopkins is it?” One of the men from corporate looked down at Mrs. Hopkins over his glasses and tapped his clipboard. “If you expect me to believe that the store is usually clean, why is it…..like this today?” the man motioned at the whole store.
Mrs. Hopkins looked at Daniel.
Her gaze was followed by the eyes of the other three men. That brought the grand total of thirty eyes that had now witnessed the lowest point in Daniel’s life.
Mrs. Hopkins pointed towards the door, her shoulders so high and tense they seem to retreat into her ears and said simply one word: “Out!”
Daniel nodded. He took off his apron and set it on the counter.
He could not get to the door before he started to cry. He never understood why he just had to go and mess everything up. There was the Chinese restaurant where he had tried to deliver food on roller skates. He thought it would add an air of extravagance. That had resulted in a lo mein in a customer’s lap. There was the clothing store where he had given the mannequins tattoos, which had resulted in him now owning one tattooed mannequin and no paycheck from his week of working there.
He just — —
Daniel was now outside. He could see almost the full length of the town from here. It was the kind of place where you did not just know your neighbor, you always knew too much. The downtown strip was a patchwork of stores that had long closed down, and others that should have taken the hint to follow their neighbors’ lead a long time ago.
He just wanted more. But what that more could look like, he had not a clue.
“Spare some change for a pop?”
Daniel looked to his right and saw an old man who wore a pin-stripe green suit that had certainly seen better days. It was tattered in some places and looked to be streaked with mud in others. His beard however was healthy, a bushy white and thick down to his waist.
Next to the man was a large, old walking stick with a bird carved into it that leaned against the soda vending machine.
As Daniel stared, the bird winked at him.
Daniel jumped.
“Could you spare a quarter for an old man to grab a drink?”
Daniel looked at the older man again, his eyes wide. He nervously fished out a quarter from his jeans pocket and handed it to the man. Daniel then turned to leave quickly.
At the very moment Daniel’s foot moved past the overhang of the store, rain began to pour down in torrential heaps. Daniel swore it was sunny out not a minute before.
The old man began to hum as he got a soda from the vending machine.
Daniel shivered, for the man was humming the same song that was caught in his head.
Daniel realized that he had forgotten his umbrella inside, but he did not want to go back inside to get it. No, he very much wanted to be far away.
“Come sit Daniel. You seem to have time enough to hear your story now.”
Daniel frowned. He had never told this man his name.
The old man opened the soda and drank. Daniel looked back and forth from him to the rain. He wondered if he should chance it.
The rain seemed to sense his hesitance and came down even harder.
“I have met you twice before when you were younger.
Once, you were at an amusement park. I asked for your help to fill a glass of water from the fountain, but I guess I tested you too young. You were quite scared, and ran back to your mother.
When you were a teenager, I asked for your help to cross the road. Your friends laughed as I walked across, and while you did not chime in, neither did you stop them.
Several years have passed since that point, and I see that you have matured enough to connect once more to the kindness within you. Truth be told, these years I have sought out other Gardener. But none has come along with nearly as much power as you hold, and time is of the essence.”
“Believe it or not, but the world was once full of spirits that could call the rain, control animals, and even ignite fire. In this time there was a network of Gardeners that learned from these spirits, and in turn could work great magic. In return, the Gardeners worked to provide the spirits safe havens in the human realm.
However, a little over a hundred years ago a creature emerged that called himself the Rodagathe. Some Gardeners believed the Rodagathe was a Gardener that had lost his way. Some said that it was perhaps a new spirit that had been born.
But everywhere where this creature ventured, it was like a plague came over the land. Where the Rodagathe walked the tree roots shriveled and the newest rose buds to withered black.
Where the Rodagathe walked the spirits of the Earth retreated, and the Gardener’s magic grew weaker. Many Gardeners could no longer communicate with the spirits they held so dear. Over time fewer Gardeners were born.
Now almost the whole world has been encompassed by this creature. The Gardeners that have tried to go up against him have been killed. The few Gardeners left seem to want to just keep their head down and not be noticed.
I believe you Daniel, are the last Gardener with strong enough magic to fight this thing.”
Daniel stared blankly at the old man. The old man stared back.
Daniel waited for a television crew, or perhaps a lone YouTuber with a cellphone to pop out from behind the soda machine and tell him that he was on some prank show.
The old man’s walking stick, which Daniel now saw stood up by itself, and could blink, also looked at him.
“I think you might be mistaken sir. No, you are definitely mistaken. I have no magic, and no interest in whatever this scam is you’re up to.”
The old man just sat and looked at the rain. Daniel looked at him, really inspected his face. The deep lines and grooves from wind and time made the planes of his face look like a tree that had come alive. His deep blue eyes seemed dark and sad, and they seemed focused on a place far from here.
“Daniel, I won’t fight with you. I can’t. My magic is barely powerful enough to bring this rain.”
Daniel knew rationally people could not control the weather, but he had to admit the old man had not simply convenient, but truly perfect timing.
“What is more, it won’t work. You need to choose this path for yourself. The spirits will refuse their help if they feel your heart is not open.”
The old man dug in his pocket.
“I will just give this to you.”
The old man took Daniel’s hand and placed in it a small silver seed. It was warm to the touch. It pulsed in time in his palm, like a small heart.
“If you choose to take up this challenge, plant this seed in a place that feels like home and water it. Magic, much like plants, grows where you give it love and attention.”
The old man stood up and grabbed his walking stick. He walked forward past the under-hang. The rain abruptly stopped.
The old man walked through the parking lot, humming
Perhaps, there is time enough for you and me,
for lost afternoons
below cherry trees…
Daniel saw that the man had left his soda on the ground. He could have sworn the man had finished it, but there it was, completely full and unopened.
“Sir, you forgot this!” Daniel grabbed the soda, but when he looked up the man was gone.
Unsure of what else to do, Daniel put the seed in his pocket, and began to walk home.