No Gnome, No Entry
What happens in the backroom stays in the backroom.
Andy halted on the sidewalk, confusion spreading over his face. He took a step back to look at the shop’s door.
“Tuesdays are free if you bring a gnome costume.”
Yep, he had read it right.
The shop was dark behind the sign, shelves could just be made out in the shadows, books covering every surface. The place looked normal enough; there was a quaint feel of a small-town bookshop about it; somewhere he could happily spend an afternoon.
He imagined walking in, a friendly greeting coming from the girl behind the desk. He wandered around, squeezing by the other patrons in the small aisles, eventually making his way to the classics section. He always ended up at the classics section.
The door swung open, Andy glanced up from his book, eyes growing wide.
“You can take those to the back.”
A group of adults in businesswear, each carrying a gnome costume, made their way to the back of the shop and filed through a door Andy hadn’t noticed before. He followed, leaving the book behind. When he got to the door, the girl from the front appeared out of nowhere, blocking his path.
“You got a gnome costume?” she said, raising an eyebrow.
“Umm, no?”
“No gnome, no entry. That’s the rules.”
Andy backed away and returned to his safe place in the classics, his curiosity growing by the second. He stood there pretending to read something while he watched more groups of people walk through the back door.
He had to know what was going on. Andy looked toward the girl at the front, making sure she was occupied with another customer, and made a be-line to the door. He grabbed the knob and began opening it. Andy caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a massive stack of Monopoly boxes before the door slammed in his face.
“No gnome. No entry.” the girl glared at him.
Andy stumbled back on the sidewalk as someone ran into him, his daydream broken. The shop was still dark in front of him. Andy checked his phone. It was Monday and he had a gnome costume to buy.
