Young Writers Society

“We sell and buy memories!” The wooden blue sign appeared in front of me very astonishingly as I turned the corner. It was leaning against a great big oak tree, blaring at me with bright yellow lettering. For a few moments, I began to inspect the sidewalk for a way around the sign. Then, I turned my head a tiny bit and saw the entrance to the store being advertised. The door itself was a giant mirror, although I guessed that it was a window in disguise. However, the door frame was neon green, with various colored stripes painted unevenly and far apart. On the ground where a welcome mat could usually be found, there was a flat, round rock. The rock had been painted silver with shining yellow stars decorating the smooth surface.

Instinctively, my foot moved towards this curious door. My left foot followed without even waiting for permission to do so. Within seconds I was standing in front of the mirror with one hand pressed against the reflective glass. Without even pushing, the door swung open. I started, involuntarily jumping ever so slightly.

The room inside was just as shocking as the sign and the door. Even though I never figured out how it worked, the room had five walls. From the outside it was a normally shaped building, but somehow an extra wall had been fit into the internal structure. Each wall had been painted a separate color: red, orange, yellow, green and purple. I felt like I had just stepped inside a rainbow. A rainbow with marshmallows, I added as I noticed a black bowl filled with what must have been intended to simulate clouds.

“Welcome! Are you here to buy a memory?” The voice surprised me, and I spun around to see a little door painted with zebra stripes. As I watched, the door opened and the strangest man I have ever seen stepped out. He was no taller than my elbows, and I was not a tall person myself. Each of his arms and legs poked out of his body like twigs on a snowman, and his skin was the color of a snowman as well, including the splotches of dirt mixed into the snow. Big, frog-like hazel eyes stuck out below his forehead like giant marbles, and above them sat his bushy white eyebrows. I noticed that his forehead was larger than most, and was accentuated by a Mohawk of short, bristly white hair. His huge grin sat completely lopsided. To me, it seemed like the left side stayed still while the right side twisted all the way up to his shockingly normal nose. As for the rest of him, I couldn’t even bear to look at his outfit. A black long sleeve shirt, a brown tank top over that, a red and yellow striped tie, orange shorts, grey wool socks that reached up to his knees, a pair of olive green sandals, and a necklace made of colorful climbing rope with a black rock tied on with wires. “Everything alright?” The man asked in a deep voice that didn’t at all fit his appearance.

“Yes, sorry…” My own girlish voice faded into silence as I tried to absorb the brightness and strangeness of my situation.

“So, are you here for a memory?” The man pushed past me and sat on a fluffy white couch that I hadn’t noticed earlier. He motioned for me to join him, and hesitantly I did.

“No, I don’t think so.” As I sat down I fell into the seat and felt completely absorbed by the fluffiness. If I ever sat on a real cloud, I knew it would feel exactly like that couch.

“Well then, what did you come for? Are you here to sell a memory? I only buy the happiest memories though. No one wants to feel sad or afraid. Of course, I make exceptions occasionally. Some people have memories that are bittersweet, you know? Maybe you’ve come for a dream? I have a few dreams still saved in jars over in the cupboard.” I glanced at the cupboard, and found it perfectly normal that the wood was painted like a desert. The doors were closed tightly, and a purple chain was wrapped around the handle.

“If you have a chain, shouldn’t you have a lock as well?” I observed.

“A lock? You are very strange, my friend. One does not put a lock on a dream, just suggesting such a thing is all but murder!” The huge frog eyes popped out even more, and I was afraid they might come out all the way and fall to the ground like a pair of bouncy balls.

“I’m terribly sorry. I must admit I know nothing of dreams or memories. The only reason I came into this store at all was curiosity. Before I saw your sign I didn’t even know it was possible to buy or sell memories.” I tried to smile apologetically. In response the man stood up and walked to the bowl I had noticed upon entering the room.

“Marshmallow?” The bowl was stuck so close to my face that I couldn’t even focus on the treats. Quickly, I took one, hoping he would move away the bowl. He did, and then suddenly a panic overcame his face.

“Sir, are you okay?”

“I forgot to introduce myself!” He ran back to the table and returned the bowl. Before giving the missed introduction he went to the door, which I saw was actually a mirror on both sides. Trying not to laugh, I watched him fix his Mohawk, which was short enough to be no more than fuzz. Then he smoothed down his two shirts and pulled his socks as high as they could go. Lastly, he took off the climbing rope necklace and shoved it into his pocket. “I am ready, are you?”

I tucked a strand of blonde hair behind my ear and smoothed down my plain blue shirt. “Yes,” I answered.

“My name is Enon Bobbie Agustino Chavatangakwunua Everett of Irad, but you can call me Archibald2.”

For a few minutes I stared in dumb silence before realizing my mouth was opened slightly. Quickly, I closed it, and fought to find my words again. “Archibald, okay.”

“With a silent two at the end, don’t forget the two.” Archibald2 added rapidly.

“Oh, I’ll remember.” I assured him, still fighting laughter. “I’m Lila Jones, and you can call me Lila.”

“Lila Jones.” Archibald2 repeated my name carefully and slowly, as if savoring every letter. “Well, Miss Lila Jones, how can I help you today? I have memories, dreams, even a tiny bit of hope. Some days I have more than that, but recently I just haven’t gotten many customers. People just aren’t willing to give up their goals and wishes anymore.”

“I wouldn’t want to take someone else’s hope!” I cried, not being able to contain my shock.

“No, this hope doesn’t belong to anyone. I found it lying in a ditch outside an old pub. Some unlucky drunkard gave up all the hope he had left. You should take it; I bet you could use a little bit of hope. Everyone could.” Archibald2 got up and stuffed a marshmallow into his lopsided mouth. As he chewed, his eyelids somehow managed to got over his eyes. When he finished eating his eyes showed themselves again, and this time his irises were definitely blue. “You know what; I may even have some luck left over from last year’s St. Patrick’s Day. As soon as the day was over luck was forgotten and abandoned all over the place. Here, let me check.”

“No, I don’t want you to go through any trouble. I’ll take a dream and continue on my way home.” I tried to separate my legs from the cottony seat, but before I had accomplished anything more than moving my back Archibald2 was pushing me back into the folds of cloud.

“It isn’t any trouble at all, Miss Lila.” With those words he scurried across the room. I then saw that the floor was made up of sky blue tiles, and fish had been painted delicately all across the room. While Archibald2 opened a huge, scarlet red chest with golden swirls all across the lid, I turned to the ceiling. It was white, but rows of Christmas lights were strung on every available inch of cement. The effect was both dazzling and irritating. Quickly, I lowered my gaze to the table that sat in front of me. Half of it was painted like the night sky, while the other half showed the sun.

“You have a very interesting way of decorating,” I commented.

“Oh, yes, thank you. Here, I found your luck!” He moved to the cupboard of dreams and pulled away the chain. It fell to the ground like a dead snake. “I think this dream would suit you well. As for your hope, here it is.” Archibald2 walked to a spot in the floor that I couldn’t see clearly. He leaned over and reached down, far down. It hit me that he was still reaching long after his hand should have met the tiles. When his hand came back up he was holding a fish. It was identical to the fish that were painted on the floor, but it was alive and slimy and wet. Archibald2 gripped the squirming creature and moved to the bowl of marshmallows and emptied them onto the table. The fish was dropped into the black bowl, but when he handed it to me there was water up almost to the top of the dish.

“What?” I threw Archibald2 a curious glance, but he just shrugged and helped me stand up.

“This fish is your hope, feed it like any other fish and take good care of it. Your dream is in this jar; just empty the contents onto your pillow before sleeping. And here, Miss Lila, is your luck.” He placed a four leaf clover into my hand and smiled. “You must come back soon to get a memory, or if you have one to spare you could at least sell me a memory or two. Please do come back. I enjoyed meeting you, Miss Lila, I really did.”

“I did too, Archibald with a two! If I can ever find a moment to spare I shall come back, I promise. And when I do I will find a memory to give you. Now, before I go, how much do I owe you for all these treasures?” My hands were full, so I set my dream on the marshmallow table and reached into my pocket to find some change. I hoped that Archibald2 wouldn’t charge too much for a four leaf clover, a fish and a jar of melted dry ice.

“A smile, a thought, and a promise; if it isn’t too much to ask.” Archibald2 watched as I moved my hand back out of my jeans pocket and took my jar of dreams. I flashed him the biggest smile I could manage.

“What thought and promise do you want?” I asked.

“The promise that you’ll return, of course. You already gave that to me. The thought is the first thought that comes to mind when I ask you this question: What decoration could I add to my store?”

“Polka dots!” I laughed, “I don’t know where you could fit them, but if you ever decide to try I should be glad to help.”

And so, I opened the mirror-door, slipped around the big blue sign and continued walking home. The only difference was that I now had hope, luck and a dream.