(essay)

“All right, mister…”
“Dickens. Mr Dickens.”

“All right, Mr Dickens. My shop is very large, so I will show you my favorite products.”

Bit led the “cold” to the first department — grocery.

“Here we sell the most unimaginable products. Most of all I like sweets from all over the world. When you start to eat this or that delight of confectionery, you are immediately transported to its native country. The more and more carefully you chew, you delve into the taste, the more clearly you see the beauty of local architecture, the easier it is to communicate with the inhabitants of this or that town, you breathe deeper into foreign culture. Would you like to try the lemon tart?”

“No thanks. The smell of lemon reminds me of incense. It makes me sick.”

“Maybe chewing gum with the taste of the most pleasant human emotions? There is joy, there is contentment…”

“I have enough taste of human emotions. Not always the most pleasant, but that’s the way the world works.”

“Let’s move on to the next section then.”

Bit with Mr. Dickens turned right and the department with household goods appeared before their eyes. There they saw me.

“This is my assistant Tarry. He is now telling visitors about the blanket with the warmth of his native people. When you miss the hugs of a loved one, you cover yourself with this blanket, think about someone you miss, and the blanket warms you.”

“Yes, but it doesn’t work on him.”

“You mean Terry?”

“Yes. He is an orphan and doesn’t know his relatives. Therefore, he can’t convey their image to a blanket. So it doesn’t heat him up.”

“How do you know he’s an orphan?”

“I know his parents.”

“Know? Now? They died when he was only 2.”

“Don’t you support the idea in “Place of life” that everyone stays alive in our hearts? ” The “cold” looked sharply into the eyes of Bit, and shop owner felt an unpleasant lump in his throat. “Oh, what’s so magical about these pillows?”

“You see the future when you sleep on it.”

“Really? So if I sleep on it, I’ll see how I buy your shop?”

“I dare to repeat that the shop is not for sale.”

“I didn’t see any courage in your statement, Mr. Barkles.”

“We have special glasses to read people’s thoughts. And in order to feel what emotions weigh on a person, we sell gloves that, when touched, immediately recognize the problem of the interlocutor.”

“Glasses … so banal.”

“For the first time I’m reproached for banality. Come, I’ll show you our clothes.”

Bit and the “cold” turned left and went further down the corridor to the department with clothes. There they met Mrs Applegam.

“Hi, Bit!”

“Hello, Mrs Applegam. Did my flowers help you with insomnia?”

“Of course, dear! One breath of the aroma of these proud lilies is enough for me all night and even a little morning. Today I went to buy green tea with berries and fantasy leaves to finish a chapter for my book, but I got a little lost.”

“Look, Tarry has already freed himself, let him help you find tea. Tarry!” After 4 seconds I was already leading Mrs. Applegam by the arm to the shelf with teas.

Meanwhile, Bit continued the tour for the most ungrateful visitor.

“Here we have clothes from a wide variety of designers with the most colorful properties. For example, when you put on this T-shirt, you try on the face of another person. With this jacket you will block out your true feelings. Oh, my favorite! This is a chameleon sweater. It stores sunsets and sunrises of any shade. Those black shorts…”

“Mr. Barkles, do you have anything to do with memories?”

“Yes, Mr Dickens. There are watches that stop at the moment you want to capture. You can review this memory at any time.”

“I want to buy them.”

“You said you wanted to buy my shop.”

“Let’s start with the watch.”

I had just shown Mrs. Applegam to the door when Mr. Dickens came up to me and handed me a watch.

“They’re yours, Tarry. I’m sure you’ll need those memories.”

If I had known then what he meant, I would have broken the watch at that very second.