- Published on
Flickers at Freshfields 2
by James Wylder
Habib called Ellie over, which was a little unusual. "Hey, dough you know who that girl is over there?" He seemed worried.
Ellie looked over. There was a teenage girl in a beige trenchcoat from a charity shop, oversized aviator sunglasses, and a grey flat-brimmed cap that was probably supposed to look innocuous, but due to it having the words "I'M A HOT ONE!" as well as a small embroidered chilli pepper and heart all in pink, did not in fact look innocuous at all.
"...Is this just an excuse to tell a bread pun?"
Habib shook his head. "It wasn't even a good one, we both know that."
"Why didn't you call security?"
He threw his hands up. "It's not like she's doing anything. She's just a teenager; I'm not going to send Steve after her."
That was fair. Ellie sighed. "I'll talk to her."
Did she want to do this? No. Was she going to? Apparently.
She approached the girl, who promptly went behind the pillar as though disappearing from sight made her not exist. "Hi there! Can I help you with anything?"
The girl tried to pretend she wasn't there. Ellie thwarted this tactic by walking three feet forward. Slowly, she turned her head, and leaning against the pillar tried to look cool and casual. "Oh, hi. Sorry, were you talking to me?"
Ellie tried to keep her face from having little spasms of annoyance. "Yes, hi there, can I help you with anything?"
The girl stared off. “Uh… no I don’t think so. Can I help you with anything?”
Ellie blinked. “Uh, no. See I work here…”
“Right, right, of course, sorry. Where’s the uh…. chocolate?”
The girl’s eyes followed Ellie’s finger to the clearly visible sign.
“Oh, haha, what a scatterbrain! Guess I’m going now to get some chocolate, as a normal customer!” The girl scampered away at top speed.
Ellie sighed. Well, that was dealt with. She wanted to interrogate the strange occurrence further, but glancing at her scanner she could see her SPIMS score was already dropping. She rushed back to it, and soon enough it became just one part of a weird day.
Ellie looked over. There was a teenage girl in a beige trenchcoat from a charity shop, oversized aviator sunglasses, and a grey flat-brimmed cap that was probably supposed to look innocuous, but due to it having the words "I'M A HOT ONE!" as well as a small embroidered chilli pepper and heart all in pink, did not in fact look innocuous at all.
"...Is this just an excuse to tell a bread pun?"
Habib shook his head. "It wasn't even a good one, we both know that."
"Why didn't you call security?"
He threw his hands up. "It's not like she's doing anything. She's just a teenager; I'm not going to send Steve after her."
That was fair. Ellie sighed. "I'll talk to her."
Did she want to do this? No. Was she going to? Apparently.
She approached the girl, who promptly went behind the pillar as though disappearing from sight made her not exist. "Hi there! Can I help you with anything?"
The girl tried to pretend she wasn't there. Ellie thwarted this tactic by walking three feet forward. Slowly, she turned her head, and leaning against the pillar tried to look cool and casual. "Oh, hi. Sorry, were you talking to me?"
Ellie tried to keep her face from having little spasms of annoyance. "Yes, hi there, can I help you with anything?"
The girl stared off. “Uh… no I don’t think so. Can I help you with anything?”
Ellie blinked. “Uh, no. See I work here…”
“Right, right, of course, sorry. Where’s the uh…. chocolate?”
The girl’s eyes followed Ellie’s finger to the clearly visible sign.
“Oh, haha, what a scatterbrain! Guess I’m going now to get some chocolate, as a normal customer!” The girl scampered away at top speed.
Ellie sighed. Well, that was dealt with. She wanted to interrogate the strange occurrence further, but glancing at her scanner she could see her SPIMS score was already dropping. She rushed back to it, and soon enough it became just one part of a weird day.