Still far from perfect, one of the better jobs I had as a teenager was working at a game store in a mall.
What made it better? Well for me, that was the age where working in a mall seemed like the best of all possible work scenarios, for socializing and status, equally. Plus, the store sold board games and pool tables and darts and dice and stuff, so I figured (and rightly so) it didn’t seem anywhere near as dull as, say, staffing a tourism caboose for the summer. By happy coincidence there also was a lingerie store right next door; this allowed for the optimism (if not the payoff) that an attractive female who might be looking to purchase some lace panties along with plastic poker chips might choose to solve her shopping strategy in our corner of the establishment. Better still, our store sold a Wurlitzer jukebox we could program to play any manager-approved ‘45 singles we brought in… continuing my streak of “it’s a good job if you can listen to your own music”.
And, lastly, anything was better than a damn paper route.
So here I finally get to introduce the second of three key players into Tales Of October (and what I hope will someday be its larger longer stronger story, Foolproof). Her name is Kathryn Sharkey, and I’ve blatantly borrowed her appearance from a cartoon version of my ex-girlfriend Kristine.
(Let’s be clear, though, that’s it; any traits or tragedies that could be compared between the real person and my crudely drawn protagonist are purely coincidental and should never be construed as me trying to serve out some petty payback agenda with pen & paper. Got it?)
Where was I? Oh, right; Kathryn Sharkey, lost in a paperback, working the night shift at the local gameroomery. Kathryn, in advance, I apologize to you, my fine creation, for every horrible thing that will ever occur to you in the future of this story and others. It’s not like Pargimus who — as a tall, gangly, big-nosed freaky creep wandering the streets of Quitoclam — bears enough resemblance to me that I don’t wince when dealing out bucket after bucket of Story-Caliber Pain. No, with Kathryn, she has plenty of hurt coming her way, and for that… yeah, I feel guilty. Reading that paperback will probably be one of the calmest points of your story, dear, even if almost all of it is yet to be told.
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