Reflections: Disappearance of the High Priestess

September 5th, 2020, Saturday

It's my day off. Anna and I have plans for tomorrow. I am not sure what to do today. Maybe I'll catch up on my texts later, for now, I get dressed and head downstairs.

"Hey, Ryan. What are you up to today?" I heard Grandma say to me from the kitchen table.

"I thought about doing some shopping," I say back to her.

"Oh, in that case," Grandma got up from the table and pulled some money out of her wallet.

"Here, I assume you probably can put this to use," She walks over to me and puts a 50$ in my hand.

"Nice! Thanks, Grandma!" I say, surprised by the amount of money.

"Maybe bring back a job application or something, just so Grandpa doesn't get annoyed," She gives me a lighthearted smile.

"I'll be back later," I say while putting my shoes on.

"Please come back before dark, dear," She sounds worried.

I don't think I have told grandma about Bethany going missing. I am sure she read it in the paper or something, but I doubt they knew I was friends with her.

I went outside and tried to think about where I wanted to go. There was the school, which is out of the question. I could go to the park and... Sit? What do people do by themselves at the park? I guess I could hang out at The Frying Pan, but that is just food; I am not spending 50$ on diner food.

Welp, guess I have to find something new. I head to Main Street, the same street as The Frying Pan. I had seen some other stores on the walks there but never had time to check them out. I saw other restaurants and bars, some stores for phones and appliances, A mattress store? As I almost decide to just settle for going into one of the appliance stores, I see something that truly caught my eye: Main Video Rental.

I rush over to it so fast that I almost trip on the pavement. I honestly never thought I would get to see one of these kinds of stores in person! These were rare, a dying breed in the modern age! I walk through the door into a dimly lit room with rows of shelves. There was another teenager behind the counter, I looked over to him, and he appeared asleep. I start looking around the store, trying to see if I can find anything interesting. Something surprised me though, there weren't any DVDs or Blu-Rays, only VHSs. I don't know whether to be disappointed or thrilled. I don't have a VHS player at home, but I have one at Seattle and prefer it to DVD. I just collect DVDs because it is more convenient and still produced.

Maybe I can find a VHS player somewhere? I want to revisit this store, but I need a VHS player. I dejectedly decided to leave. As I approach the front door, something hits my foot. I look down to see a little brass bell, like the ones in stores that are above the entrance to alert employees of a new customer. I look up to the top of the front door to see a matching brass hook. I decided to be a model citizen and put the bell back in its proper position. I open the door as a test for the bell.

*RI-I-ING* The bell chimes.

As the bell goes off, the sleeping teen falls from his position behind the counter and gets into something I can only describe as an "employee stance."

"Hello, fine customer of Main Video Rental. Are you renting or returning today?" He says with a tone that tells me he had repeated this a couple of times before.

"Sorry, nothing today. I don't have a VHS player, so I can't rent yet," I say plainly.

The teen looks a little more awake now.

"Oh, you aren't one of the usual customers" He looks surprised.

"Well, listen, you said you didn't have a VHS player, right?" He looks interested.