Argh! This so boring! Jack though to himself, walking up and down the tables of the indoor Flea Market.
I know Mom and Dad wanted to spend more time with me, since I took this year off from College. But I was hoping we could do something more... not sucky he thinks to himself, digging through the various boxes and tables of various knickknacks, oddities and used items that litter the dozens if not hundreds of tables in the Flea Market.
At least, I had hoped that would have something that interested me. Old video games, comic books, toys, ANYTHING, I mean, what am I going to do with a old stained tea cozy? He thinks to himself picking up a stained tea cozy that a nice old lady was selling for a mere five cents on the table in front of him.
He put it back, and then quietly walked away from the table, and off into the massive Flea Market his parents has suggested they come to. Jack Dale Jr, 24 years old, often wondered how different his life would be if he had any brothers or sisters. While, he did enjoy being an only child at times, (he was spoiled nearly rotten as a kid), he often worried about his parents getting older without someone to care of, or to take care of them, reversely.
They're lonely he though to himself.
His father Jack Dale Sr, and his mother Amanda Dale, were hard workers. His father was a high-level manager at his company, while his mother worked at one of the biggest banks in the nation. Of course, they didn't start like that, working their way up from the bottom. They always wanted a large family, but their plans of providing Dale with brothers and sister came to a grounding halt as their jobs gave them more and more responsibilities, and eventually, it just never happened.
"Best laid plans of Mice and Men" they always say. Still, Jack did feel a little sorry for their loneliness. as he continued to walk through the flee market.
Eventually, a bizarre table caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, covered with burning candles, skulls, and black velvet.
LAVERN'S LAIR OF THE OCCULT was sprawled on the table, while heavy-metal music blasted through the speakers attached to an MP3 player. A 20-something dressed in all black, covered in make-up and mascara, his face full of piercings, looks at you, while banging his head to the heavy-metal coming form the speakers.
"Welcome! Seeker Of The Dark and Unknown! Welcome To Laverns' Lair Of The Occult!" he says. Jack tried his best not to roll his eyes.
He never tried to be cruel and condescending to anyone, a high-school career of being picked on and bullied will see to that, but he sometimes couldn't help but wonder what some people were thinking.
I mean, I'm sure the "Goth" thing makes him happy, but man.. Seriously? Jack thinks to himself.
"Are you interested in any of my authentically cursed, haunted, or otherwise evil items acquired from the deepest darkest regions of the world?" Lavern says.
"From the deepest, darkest regions of the world huh?" Jack says.
"Well, deepest, darkest regions of the internet, where I bought most of them." Lavern says, his get-up clearly failing him right now.
Monkey paws, spell-books, hearts in jars, strange looking dolls, and other horror movie cliche looking items are strewn haphazardly across the table.
Half of these things look like there were stolen out of the prop warehouse of some D-Level Horror Movie Studio Jack thinks to himself.
"Is any of this stuff real?" Jack asks.
"Probably not. I just buy this stuff off of people desperate to get rid of it for some reason or another. Then I turn it around and sell it at places like these all across the nation for a nice profit." Lavern says.
"So all this is a get-up to sell second hand junk?" Jack asks Lavern.
"Pretty much. Now see anything you like? I'll give you a good deal. I don't really want to pack most of this stuff back up." Lavern informs, completely dropping the "Gothic Metal-Head" angel.
Jack keeps searching, and then a gleam of silver catches his attention out of the corner of his eye. Following it, he lays his eyes upon a coin, approximately the size of a quarter sitting on the table. Full of scratches, the strange coin appears to have the image of a pregnant woman, and a...
Is that a pregnant man on this coin? Can't be. Impossible He thinks to himself, studying the coin some more.
What appears to be a pregnant man and a pregnant woman are on the head of the coin, a happy look on their face, while on the tail end of the coin, are the same pregnant man and pregnant woman, a look of panic and fear on their face.
This is the strangest thing I've ever seen. I don't think they make coins like this.. anywhere Jack thinks to himself.
Suddenly, a new thought races through his head, alien to his own thoughts.
Buy Me Jack.
"How much for this coin?" Jack asks, without even thinking about it.
"Wow, I don't remember getting that. Huh. What a strange coin. Uh, I don't know. A Dollar?" Lavern says looking at the coin.
Pay For It Jack. The alien thought races through his head again.
"I'll take it!" Jack says, taking a dollar out of his pocket and slamming it on the table.
He walks away from Lavern and his strange table, lost in thought, staring at this strange coin.
"Jack! Over here kiddo!" Jack is snapped back to reality by the voice of his father, waving to him across the flea market. His father, Jack Dale Sr, while pushing 52,s in fantastic shape for someone who sits at a desk all day and does business stuff. He must workout Jack thinks, but he can't really imagine him lifting dumbbells while working on big deals.
Jack rejoins his father, still looking at the strange coin he holds in his hand.
"What do you got there sweetie?" Jack knows that voice. The sweet soothing voice of his mother, Amanda. Amanda, nearly 55, brushes a long strand of her slowly greying dark hair aside, with one hand, holding onto to some kind of lamp with another.
"I got this coin from one of the tables. Weird isn't it?" Jack says, showing the coin to his parents.
"Wow, never seen a coin like that before son. Might be worth money. Better hang on it" his father says, scratching at his salt-and-pepper beard.
"So ready to go?" His mother says sweetly, holding the lamp.
"Yeah. You guys want to go out and eat?" Jack says.
"That's a great idea! How about our favorite diner!" His father says.
So, the family Dale head off out of the Flea Market and to the little four-door sedan that was Jack Dale Sr's car. His mother puts the lamp into the trunk, and gets into the passenger seat, while his father get's in the driver's seat.
No one ever drives Dad's car except for him you say with a smile, getting in the back seat.
The car engine roars to life, and heads off towards the Dale families favorite restaurant, and John continues to study the strange coin he just purchased. He runs his fingers all along the surface, feeling some kind of strange connection with the coin, like there was part of him now that never wanted the coin to leave his side.
Flip Me Join. Heads Or Tails. the alien thought races through his head again.
Without thinking, he places the coin on his thumb, and flicks it into the air, catching it in his now closed fist.
Look at someone Jack. Look the thought races through his head.
His eyes fall upon...
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