About Night and Day: Jasmine
by Chris Owen
39 pages / 10700 words
ISBN: 978-1-61040-564-5
Ebook zipped file contains -
html, lit, Adobe and Sony optimized pdf, prc, epub
Steve Hughes is relatively new to California and in search of
connections. A life-long geek and nerd into science fiction, Steampunk
costumes, and role play, he takes a shopping suggestion for some items he
needs and walks into "This and That". The store blows him away, but not
nearly as much as the owner.
Luke Jones makes a living selling oddities, dry goods, and vintage clothing.
His shop is full of treasures, so he knows a treasure seeker when he sees
one. Before long he finds himself sharing more than just what's in his shop.
High on a rooftop, surrounded by night blooming flowers, Luke shares more
than mere merchandise with his customer. Will Steve and Luke forge the
connection they need, or is it all just role-play?
Sample
He parked on the street half a block away and walked back. The store was in
a narrow, two story building between a comic shop on one side, and a make-up
boutique on the other. The make-up store was painted bright pink and had
grass green signs; the comic store was a comic store and couldn't look like
anything but what it was. All three buildings were in pools of light created
by the streetlights, which somehow added to their art deco look of the
nineteen-thirties, but This and That was the most sedate of them. Across the
street a coffee shop had a tiny sidewalk cafe that seemed to be doing
absolutely no business, given that it was January and dark. Steve wondered
why they left the chairs out all year. Maybe they were bolted in place.
He had his hand up to open the door to This and Than when it swung toward
him and three people spilled out, laughing. They didn't pause to acknowledge
his presence other than veering slightly so they wouldn't actually walk into
him, and they didn't hold the door so he could grab it. With a sigh, Steve
waited for them to get out of his way, reopened the door, and went in.
He promptly decided that he'd have to come back on a Saturday, or maybe take
a day off work, in order to make his way through the shop. It was packed
with glass cases holding fascinating things that ranged from books to
clothes to gadgets to toys. There were racks of clothes and accessories, and
the walls were covered in prints, drawings, and shadowboxes of mementoes.
There was a case of wooden tools that looked like they'd found their way
into the wrong store entirely until he saw that they were paired with things
like mechanical tin toys and vintage board games. In a corner there was a
wooden rain barrel, and on top of it was what looked like an actual sack of
flour. The shelf nearest to that held tea, herbs, tins of spices, and herbal
creams and lip balms.
A top hat sat on a high shelf, along with a lace fan and a modified toy gun
that looked like a futuristic laser pistol. On the next shelf was a
collection of Stargate promotional items, and on the other side of the room
was an entire display case for all of the Star Trek incarnations. Star Wars
had a place of honor next to a door that led to another room, the sign above
it saying simply "More This Way."
Steve stood barely four feet into the shop and said, "Holy shit."
"Common reaction for a first timer," a voice from somewhere to the left
said. "Welcome to This and That. Come on in."