Heart, and Soul. (M, One Prompt # Authors 2024)

[Skylacticon]

Hey. So, this is my first time taking part in this and I want to say thanks to @Reader for organizing and those who've suggested doing it again. 

The prompts were: Cashier, space station, allergies, and basket.

Side note, as someone with a tendency to be a bit hasty about creating and sharing things, not just with writing, I tried my best to take my time with this one. And it feels me. Which, I guess, is the goal. So, I'm excited to have taken part in this, hope you enjoy, and I can't wait to see what the other authors have come up with. 

xxxx

-

 

There was a print of a human heart diagram at the front of an upright stack in a basket by the door. It was black and white, labelled with an old book style font, something quite beautiful. Alex wondered if anyone was going to buy it - it was a good choice, one of those things that might appeal to anyone who appreciated anatomy or romance or the two combined. It would make for an elegant Christmas gift. That almost made Alex smile - it was the perfect metaphor.

 

It was unlike the bookstore to be so empty this close to the holidays. Maybe it was a bit early, and people had other errands to run. Roy, the store manager, was away at an office party where his wife worked. He’d talked about his mission of taking his young daughter this year to see Santa, hoping it would go better than the previous year - apparently she’d cried the minute she was placed into the jolly stranger’s lap, and wouldn’t stop until that stranger gave her a present. To Alex, the act of juggling that and having to socialize with his wife’s ritzy coworkers was one she was happy she didn’t have to deal with. Just her, the mousy undergrad worker and the heart diagram in the quiet bookstore. She’d become slightly fond of it, in the past couple of days. At least she had that one to keep her company.

 

A cool gust of air met the back of her tan slacks, causing her to turn around. The bell on the front door jingled, and in stepped a long pair of legs in black track pants. The legs were connected to a torso bundled in a large blue ski jacket, the type of coat that Alex’s mother would nag her to wear that would actually keep her warm in winter. As her eyes moved upward, they were met with a warm, familiar gaze, a handsome male face splashed with two rosy cheeks. What struck her as familiar were his glasses - the thin frames were round and robust red, like an old fire engine. He was panting slightly, like a kid who’d just come in from the snow. 

 

“Regan? Hey!” Alex recalled him from a class she’d taken the summer before, a science credit for her degree.

 

“Oh, hey,” replied the responsibly-clothed customer. “Alexandra?”

 

“Alex,” she grinned. It occurred to her that that was the name called each week on the attendance, and she had spoken so seldom that him remembering her was a bit of a surprise.

 

“Alex,” he repeated, his gaze still softly lingering on her. “You work here?”

 

“No…” she replied, and went on calmly, subtly, watching his expression. “I’m like a cat, I just sorta hung around, until…”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Regan rolled his eyes.

 

“Until they adopted me, and eventually gave me shelter.” Alex wasn’t sure where the casual dry humour was coming from, but Regan seemed amused, and waited for her to finish. 

 

“Ah. Well…” Regan chuckled. Alex smiled, comforted by the deep, gentle sound. “As long as they’re keeping you warm and healthy.”

 

“Oh, they are…” There was a bit of a lull. Alex’s eyes drifted over Regan’s dark blue coat, and up to his glasses, which had a few small water droplets from the weather outside. “So. You looking for anything in particular?”

 

Customer service mode to the rescue. Alex wasn’t always able to tell whether or not a customer wanted to be helped right off the bat. Oftentimes, they just wanted to browse independently, which she was more than happy to let them do. The younger ones seemed to be more independent, wanting to make discoveries on their own. Bookstores were places to explore, to get lost. Hopefully not literally - after all, Alex was the only one on shift, and she was a bit tired from working on assignments. She supposed there were worse places to start playing Theseus. The parents of little minotaur children were often soulful people, and there was something about seeing the little ones come in and be curious that could brighten up Alex’s day.

 

Regan removed his toque, revealing dark, shaggy hair that stuck up in some directions and hung loosely over his eyes. As he spoke, he attempted to tame it a bit, combing it through his fingers. “Well, um…I was wondering if you had any books on space exploration. I’m, uh… writing this audio drama.”

 

Something about this question made him seem a little younger, what with his gentle smile and big brown eyes. He was winning in height by quite a few inches, not helping block out more thoughts about the Labyrinth. His nose twinged beneath his rust-coloured wire-framed glasses, and he gave a shy sniff, wrinkling his nose a bit. Alex turned her chin away from Regan’s patient, dark-eyed gaze.

 

“Uh, yeah, we should,” Alex replied, staring towards the row of shelves to her left.. She rested one hand on the back of her head, over her short, reddish-brown curls. “You’ll want to, um… There’s a room, if you go around that corner, and um, up the stairs…” Her hand moved slightly over her forehead, blinking as she tried to figure out how to explain to get to the right section. Regan blinked, appearing slightly amused. Their eyes connected again for a gentle moment, then Alex just exhaled and let her hand descend. “You know, why don’t I just show you?” she suggested, her lips quirking into a grin.

 

A smile broke out across Regan’s face. “Sure, that’d be great.”

 

“Of course.” She grabbed her phone and slid it into her pocket, then stepped out from behind the counter.

 

‘It’ll be fine’, Alex thought to herself. Regan followed as she began walking towards the far wall, behind the row of shelves.

 

Alex had seen the students come in during the afternoons. Some were regulars. Some were just exploring the shops along Blackthorn Avenue, known for its local goods and lively, creative community. 

 

“Space exploration, huh?” Alex ventured, as she led him up the stairs

 

“Yeah, uh… There’s a band I listen to, uh, Couch Fire?”

 

“Oh, yeah, I’ve heard a couple of their songs.” Alex recalled, with a faint grin.

 

“Yeah, I was talking to my friend, about how their lyrics have this steady theme and imagery of forests and trees and the earth, and… *snff!*” As they reached the top of the stairs, Alex heard a soft, but sharper sniffle, and glanced back. Regan cleared his throat gently, and continued. “...Like, I was admiring how they could be so connected to nature to be able to write that way, I mean, their fan base basically theorizes that they’re actually a group of fae or like, celestial beings that have known the land forever. Um…” He said that last ‘um’ on a nervous laugh, as if catching himself rambling.

 

“True, I see it,” Alex grinned back with a mix of amusement and approval, prompting him to go on.

 

“Yeah, and then that got me thinking about nature more deeply…”

 

Alex led him through a little reading section. There was a table with four chairs in the middle, and by the windows, an ornate emerald green carpet spread out across the floor. Atop it slouched two bean bags, and some assorted books left there that Alex had forgotten to put away.

 

“...I was wondering how to evoke that kind of imagery in terms of outer space.”

 

Alex finally stopped at a shelf, the second one from the back wall. “Well, here’s a general section on science,” she stated, scanning the shelf for space-related things.

 

“Hm,” Regan also looked at the shelf, his hands in his pockets.

 

Alex grinned a little. “If you want, I can show you where we keep the science fiction,” she suggested. A smile broke out on Regan’s features. “Or is that - not the vibe?” she added with a timid chuckle.

 

“Uh,” Regan swayed a little. He reached out one hand, looking interested in a white hardcover book, a space encyclopedia. “Well, that’s literally what it is. But, um…” His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

 

“What part of space are you writing about? Or is it about the exploration?”

 

“I’m hoping to tell stories from different parts of the galaxy,” he said thoughtfully, flipping through the encyclopedia.

 

“Oh, there are some great books with photography, if that might help.”

 

As the idea was sounded, Regan nodded, his gaze freezing slightly. Alex paused as he looked away suddenly. He shifted the book into his right hand. as he raised his left elbow up to his face.

 

“huht’EEISCHHhh!! *snf!* Oh, excuse me, *snrf!*”

 

“Bless you,” Alex breathed.

 

He sniffled a few times, sounding a bit damper than before. He sounded like he might need a tissue. Although Alex, as shy as a flower bud on the cusp of spring, wasn’t sure whether or not to offer him one. That would constitute going back downstairs, but of course, she knew that the dust in the store could cause this sort of thing.

 

“Thank you. Yeah, that sounds great. And those would be in the… art section?”

 

“Yeah, I can show you.”

 

“Awesome. *snrf!*”

 

Regan held onto the space encyclopedia as Alex guided him back across the reading area. He sniffled again, softly but sharply. “This store is so cool,” he thought aloud.

 

“I know,” Alex agreed softly. “I used to come here all the time as a kid, so.”

 

“So they adopted you?” Alex turned to Regan, a grin playing on her features. “Like- like a cat, you said?”

 

“Yes,” she chuckled. “Well, that was the vibe. I’d known the owner for a bit, and he liked me, so. After I graduated high school, he offered me a job.”

 

On the other side of the upper level, there was a section on the arts. She found the section on photography, which was one of her favourites. Some books in this section had been there for a long time. Never bought - but flipped through, many times. Images of close-up life. Portraits of strange and serious individuals. Animals. Architecture. Art.

 

Alex heard another soft snuffle, and a cough, from behind her. Regan seemed intrigued by this section. He stared at the top shelf, the one at his eye level. “What’re these?” he asked softly, 

 

“Uh… oh! Those are magazines,” Alex said, not remembering the last time anyone had touched them. Regan seemed interested, reaching out a hand again. “Careful, they’re a little-“

 

Regan pulled gently at one, but had to shimmy it a bit, as they were arranged tightly against each other. In the warm overhead light, Alex could see tiny motes of dust floating down - a light amount was disturbed as he tugged gently at the magazine, but as he managed to retrieve it, the pages fluttered and a small plume visibly filled the air in front of him. “Ooh,” he breathed, and took a small step back. His dark eyes blinked a few times rapidly behind his red spectacles, as he lowered the magazine.

 

“…dusty. Are you okay?”

 

He didn’t respond immediately, seeming a bit dazed. Alex put a hand on his arm and gently attempted to guide him a bit further away from the photography books and magazines.

 

“Um,” Regan lifted a fist and held it over the lower half of his face. His expression seemed calm but unsure. Soon, his eyes pinched shut, and his slightly flushed nostrils gave an irritated twitch. “Yeah. Um, sorry, I might actually… *ahem* start sneezing soon, hold on…”

 

Alex felt a flutter of something, guilt, followed by concern, and anticipation of a reaction - the intensity of which she wasn’t able to predict, but based on his last few words it sounded like he needed to get away asap.

 

“Okay. Here,” she breathed, and gently took the magazine from him. “You need to sit down?”

 

“Uh, maybe.”

 

“Alright, come on.”

 

There was a brief pause, as Regan’s nose kept twinging, and his brow began to furrow. He turned away slightly, rubbing a curled index finger under his nose. Its reddish hue was beginning to deepen as he kept rubbing. Eventually he stopped, and lifted the crook of his arm. Alex had started to bring him back to the reading area, but he stopped in his tracks as the itchy, sneezy (allergic?) sensation overwhelmed him. 

 

“Oh gosh, sorry, I… hh'uhh… hih! huHt’TCHIEWW!! ah’TSCHHIEWW!! *snrgk* tchieww! -hah’tschieww! *snrk*”

 

“Bless you!” the words sprung from her.

 

“Oh, wow,” he muttered softly. He moved his glasses up and wiped his eyes with his wrist. After a bit, he let out a breathy sigh. “Sorry, that was my fault, *snrff!* Oh, I shouldn’t have- I shouh… *snnrff!* hih! -heHh!” 

 

His nostrils twinged and trembled, as he struggled against the urge to sneeze. Rubbing seemed to be making it worse, a desperate, last ditch effort to try and hold off the inevitable. He stumbled over to one of the chairs at the table, and sat down. The crook of his arm quickly came up as his frame jerked forward with three more itchy sneezes.

 

“hUHt’ISSCHHhiuh!! -h’AATCHhiuu!! AAASSHHhieww!!” Louder, more powerful, now that he was somewhat stationary.

 

“Bless you.”

 

“Esschieww!! *sdrff!* heeH'EEISSCHHhioo!! *snrk!*

 

Alex was quiet for a moment, slightly stunned, as he just kept sneezing. Shyly, she lifted a hand, and ran it gently over his back.

 

“Bless you, wow... You gonna be okay?”

 

Regan sucked in a harsh, liquid sniffle. He blinked through itchy tears, looking like he had something to say, but his red, drippy nose wasn’t quite done lashing out.

 

“Ub…” His watery eyes blinked a few more times. “God, sorry, could I *ahem* -just rud to the restroob for a sec?”

 

“Yeah of course, there’s one down that way, the first door on the right side,” she said, motioning with her hand.

 

“Thagk you,” he huffed, rising from the chair.

 

As he headed off in that direction, Alex watched quietly from a distance, making sure he got there safely. After the door closed behind him, her frame sank with a gentle exhale, and she glanced back at the arts section, still holding the Astronomy magazine he’d pulled from the shelf. She walked over to the railing that overlooked the first floor, and rested a hand on it.

 

Distantly: “..... haAAESSCHHHIOO!! ….. haht’CHIEWW!! -chieww!! *snnrff!* …..”

 

Alex frowned, tapping her fingers on the railing. It was not a good thing for the store to have to have caused a customer to have an allergic reaction. It was their responsibility to keep it clean and presentable at all times. Although, her job had usually just been manning the register. Roy usually asked his son to help with cleaning the shelves because he was tall, but the reality was that he was becoming busier, working towards a masters degree, and wasn’t always around. It really could’ve been her that did the cleaning, but it had not been written down or verbally asked of her.

 

Alex heard a thick sniffle, and a soft cough, from the far end of the room. Regan stood there with his winter jacket on one arm, the other holding a folded paper towel over a quite red, itchy-looking nose.

 

“Hey,” she greeted softly, feeling a mix of awkwardness and guilt.

 

“Hey,” he exhaled, on a weak chuckle. He stepped nearer, gently drying his eyes, which were now slightly pink and watery. “Sorry, I’b… *ahem, sdrf!* …ugh, wow,” he muttered, still dazed and flustered.

 

“Oh my god, don’t even worry about it.” Alex said quickly. “I’m sorry, those haven’t really been touched in a bit, I was, um-“

 

Regan huffed another embarrassed chuckle, and sniffled again. “Yeah, you also totally warned me,” he muttered, appearing dazed but still upbeat.

 

A tiny, sympathetic grin tugged at Alex’s features. “I was in the middle of warning you. But still… sorry about that.”

 

“Ub, it’s fide.”

 

There was a gentle beat, as they both stood by the wooden railing. Regan lifted a hand absently to scratch his crimson nose. 

 

“How’re you feelin’? Do you still feel up for looking?” Alex asked, after a few seconds. “I mean, I…” Her gaze trailed back up to his, his eyes shiny with moisture, his nose indubitably red and inflamed. 

 

“Uh, I bight deed to keep by distadce, for dow... Sorry-“ His eyelids fluttered shut, and he turned away to muffle another sneeze in the paper towel. “hUHt’DSCHHhh!! *sngk* Excuse be, *snnrff!*” Regan kept sniffling thickly, rubbing his nose. “Yeah, I dod’t kdow…”

 

“That’s okay, bless you,” Alex breathed.

 

He did seem a little reluctant to go, though.

 

“Uh, do you thigk… *sdrk* Oh by gooddess, *snrkk* Sorry…” he breathed, his voice wavering slightly. His brow furrowed slightly, and he kept sniffling sharply, looking and sounding quite itchy. He winced a bit, and whether it was due to embarrassment or discomfort, Alex wanted to help.

 

“Here, why don’t we go downstairs?” she suggested. “There’s probably cleaner air.”

 

“Sure, *sngk!*” 

 

Regan slowly followed her down the stairs, sniffling and making squeaky rubs at his itchy nose. Alex could hear the itchy, miserable soundtrack behind her.

 

“Ub, I was hopig that… *grmm~* I bight be able to check out the, ub… *ahemm* the bagazides... *sdrff!* God, I’b sorry.” His voice had become rather thick, and Alex glanced back briefly with concern.

 

“You’re fine, here,” she went around the counter and put the box of tissues where he could reach it. “The Astronomy magazines?”

 

“Uh, yeah,” he breathed, folding a tissue. He turned away slightly and gave his nose a gentle, but congested-sounding blow.

 

“If you want, I can grab them for you, and make sure they’re not, um… covered in a deadly amount of dust, next time,” Alex offered, with a subtle air of her own embarrassment. When Regan turned back, a gentle smile was playing on his flushed, allergic features. “It might take a bit of time, though, to be sure, but, if you come back tomorrow, I can have them ready. And you can take a look at them.”

 

“Are you sure?” he asked huskily, peering at her with soft eyes over the tissue. “I-'' He chuckled softly. “That would be abazig, actually,” he said, lowering the tissue. 

 

“Yeah, of course.”

 

“Do, uh- Ugh. *sdrf!* Do wear a bask though, cuz, *sddrff!*” His handsome features were slightly contorting, his poor nose still outraged from the result of his curiosity. He turned again and muffled two more harsh, itchy sneezes. “huHt’AASSCHHiew!! -hyY’AASCHHhiu!! *snnff* ...‘Scuse be.”

 

“Bless you. And, yeah, I will. You know, if I do end up sneezing, though, it’s probably fair,” she went on, with a timid grin. “Yeah. I’m, uh… I’m so sorry,” she said genuinely. She felt the need to give an explanation, although no well-spoken variation of the truth seemed like it could improve the reality of the rather intense allergy attack Regan was having because of poor housekeeping.

 

“*snrff!* s’ okay,” Regan said softly, with a gentle sniff. “Though, I should probably *ahem!* -probably go and… *snrf!* have sobe bedicide or sobethig.” He shrugged into his dark blue coat as he spoke.

 

"Okay." A beat. “Sorry,” she said again, unable to help herself.

 

“It’s okay,” he repeated more slowly, looking up at her with kindness in his dark, teary, itchy eyes. “I’ll cobe by, around the sabe tibe toborrow?”

 

“Yup. I'll be here."

 

“Great. Ub, bye.”

 

“Bye,” she breathed.

 

The shop bell rang as he exited, and the door fell shut. After a beat, Alex put her face in her hands, and let them fall back onto the counter with a sigh. Well.

 

She looked over at the magazine he’d chosen. An older issue with an image taken somewhere in the vastness of space. Cloudy wisps of colour, bright pink and red, amidst the darkness and sea of stars. Some small text below the image labelled it: “Heart and Soul Nebulae.” She felt a small pinch of amusement, and flipped open the magazine to the page it was featured on. It spread across two pages - a gorgeous sight that had been captured with technology developed by humans, described in a way that only humans could. 

 

Alex glanced up from the counter, looking over at the heart diagram print sitting in a basket at the front of the store. The heart in its simplest terms. An vital organ, each part with its own function, to keep us alive. Her gaze drifted back to the bright pink nebulae, stretching magnificently across the open pages of the magazine. A heart, and soul.

 

She flipped the magazine shut and opened a drawer in the desk behind the counter. There was a humble stash of N95 masks in a box. She pulled one out and shut the drawer, then glanced around, looking for the box of blue food service cloths she knew they had, tucked away somewhere. She had work to do.

 

Edited January 22 by Skylacticon

[Chanel_no5]

I decided to read and comment on all entries in this... challenge? Project? Game?     Anyway, including the ones that are male-centric or generally not my genre. And this one definitely made me happy I did, because it's lovely! The dialogue is natural, the descriptions vivid and realistic, and the scenario is super cute! 

14 hours ago, Skylacticon said:

“I’m like a cat, I just sorta hung around, until…”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Regan rolled his eyes.

 

“Until they adopted me, and eventually gave me shelter.”

Oh, to be adopted by a kind bookstore owner! 🤩

 

 

[lighthousegirl]

Love it 😍

[Skylacticon]

@Chanel_no5 Ahh, thanks so much for reading and the feedback. I really admire your writing, so seeing your comment has me all giddy. Also thanks for suggesting doing this event/game/project again, cuz I'd seen it before and it was fun to be involved and get creative alongside other writers on here. 

@lighthousegirl Thank you!! 😚

[SleepingPhlox]

This is really cute and such an adorable scenario.  I love how creatively you interpreted the prompts - a writer writing about space is so good! You really took it and made it your own, and it's so creative and I love it!

[Skylacticon]

@SleepingPhlox Thanks so much! 

[Vipiyoh]

Stop this is adorable!!! 

[AceUpYourSleeve]

Cozy bookstore vibes, yey! 🥰 The dustiness adds to it perfectly 😏
Glad I found this little gem!