Bagel time

‘Crap...’

‘Crap....’

‘Crap...’

As Jasper walked down the sidewalk, passing all the local shops and stores, he held his stomach in discomfort. Through the hunger pains, he could only think of one thought over and over; or rather, a word.

‘...Crap..’

His pace quickened, as he walked closer to the local bagel shop.

A little over an hour ago, he had been at home, safe, as he usually was. Today though, he wanted a snack, and nothing in the house really seemed that appetizing. With some hesitation, he decided he would go out and get himself a few bagels. Little did he know his worries would become a reality.

Back to the present, we have poor Jasper rushing past everyone on the sidewalk to try and get to the bagel shop as fast as possible.

‘Why did I think this was a good idea, I should have stayed home!..’ he thought with a sense of urgency.

You see, Jasper has a problem, or rather, an infection. He calls it, “the blackish”. This infection contaminates parts of his body, and when he gets hungry- well.. best not to think about it.

He rushed faster and faster to the bakery. By now, he was sprinting.
Soon, the bagel shop came into view, and a wave of relief washed over him. Sure, it wasn’t over yet, but it was close. Or so he hoped.

He barged in the door, accidentally hitting a middle aged tired looking man. The man scowled at him and gave him the stink-eye.

Not being in control of that arm, his right arm shot up and took its chance to flip off the grumpy, older man. Jasper held his stomach with his left, trying to move past the man to get to the counter.

The man, displeased, grabbed Jasper by the shoulder and roughly pulled him back in front of him.

“What is wrong with you, damn kid! Look, it isn’t polite to just run into people like that, then make a gesture like that?!” The man was infuriated.

“Please sir, I’m sorry, I just- I’m so hungry..” Jaspers mouth watered as he looked at the glass counter with all the baked goods inside. By now, the small amount of control he did have over his infected areas, were wearing thin; at any moment now, he may loose it.

The man sighed. “Alright, alright kid.. look, next time, just be more respectful, would you?” And with that the man sighed once more, and left the shop.

Jasper, enthused, rushed to the counter and began to order a whole box of bagels. Little did he know his tentacle like tail was starting to peak out. Luckily, at the time, he was the only customer, so no one else saw. As well as that, there was only one worker at the counter, and she was too busy with Jaspers order to notice.

Jasper stayed at the counter, watching the young woman fill the box with a dozen bagels (plus an extra one) for him. Meanwhile, he was unaware of the actions of his tail.

The woman, with a kind smile, handed him the box. Jasper payed and left, making sure to thank the kind woman for the extra bagel. The woman smiled and waved, watching him leave.

After Jasper left, the woman let out a small, content sigh as she got back to work. But she soon stoped, confused, as the realization hit her. She looked around the small bakery, with a puzzled look on her face.

“... where did all the tables and chairs go?”