“Not For Sale”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Prompt: “How much is that?”

“How much is that?” she asks, jabbing her finger at the glass.

I glance at the cage that she’s interested in.

“Ah,” I say with a small smile, “I see you’ve found our special friend.”

I slowly open the cage and pull out the creature.

“Meet Barley, our one-of-a-kind baby hippogriff.”

Barley lets out a small coo and looks up at the woman with wide eyes. She simply wrinkles her nose and takes a step back.

“Yeah, I don’t care what it’s called,” she snaps. “Just tell me how much it is.”

I frown and hug Barley closer to me. “I’m sorry, but he’s not currently for sale.”

At least, not to you.

She glares at me and crosses her arms. I guess she knows that it’s technically against policy for me to not tell her the price.

Still, I’m not going to let such a horrible person take Barley! He deserves a good home, and he definitely won’t get one with her.

The woman raises her chin to look down her nose at me. “Where is the manager? I would like to speak with them.”

My heart drops. The manager’s going to side with the customer. Barley’s as good as sold.

As she waits, my mind races to find a solution. I can’t let Barley go with this woman. I’d never be able to forgive myself!

The sharp clicking of the toe of the woman’s boot against the hard tile pierces my thoughts, making it impossible for me to find a solution.

So, instead, I panic.

I clutch Barley tight against my chest, my eyes darting toward the door. The woman’s eyes widen as she guesses what I’m about to do.

But she’s too late. I’m already out the door, sprinting as fast as I can.

Final Comments: This one was pretty different from my usual stories, but it was fun to have it set in a store–especially a magical pet store!

Overall Rating: 😋