The alarm clock blared and jolted Sarah from her sleep. She went through her normal morning routine hoping to leave the apartment around 8:30 to make the office by 9:00.
As she left her house, she tripped over the last box of mysterious letters she had recently received.
“When you’re needed, you’ll see the red sign”
She rolled her eyes, kicked the box back into place and hastily left her apartment. “A month they’ve been coming” she said to herself “and still no answer why…”
She had a fairly normal work day and was driving home when she realized she needed to pick up some groceries. When she walked in the store she noticed that it was particularly empty for this time of night. She pulled a cart and began her shopping. “This is pretty nice, shopping along like this” she thought. She finished getting her items and walked up to the checkout line, placing her items on the conveyer belt. She looked around and saw no one.
“Hello…?” she called out. Just then the manager popped his head up from the office in the front corner of the store and made his way to where she was. He punched a few keys on the register and began running her items by the barcode scanner. It made that familiar beep as her groceries went by.
“Hi” he said, “My name is Mr. Zello. I’m the manager”. He was tall and thin with dark black hair and dark rimmed glasses. He was wearing khakis and a bright red vest. “Welcome to Tucker’s”.
As he continued to run her items through the checkout, one item came across the scanner and the register made a “double beep”. He ran it through again with the same result. He looked the item over and made sure the barcode was readable. Everything seemed okay.
He then reached under the counter and produced a small flip-book. He tried to search for the item in this book but couldn’t find it. “I’m sorry” he said “I’m going to run and get a quick price check on this item”.
“Sure” was all Sarah said. She then watched as he disappeared down one of the aisles. A few minutes had gone by and she couldn’t even hear him scurrying in the back of the store anymore. She slowly left her place at the checkout counter and looked down each aisle. When she didn’t see him, she made her way down the dry goods aisle.
She saw the little tags that read “Tucker’s: Red Sign Savings” and she wondered what was going on. She made her way to the back of the store and pushed open the swinging double doors. She walked around a large pallet of boxes and she saw Mr. Zello standing in the opposite corner of the store.
“This is it, isn’t it?” she yelled across the warehouse space.
“Right this way” he said quietly. She walked to where he was and could see him unlocking the door next to the Men’s room. As Mr. Zello held open the door for her, she asked “Hey, what about my groceries”.
“Don’t worry” he said “you won’t need them”.
“Hmmm” she began “that sounded pretty ominous”.
“I’m sorry” Mr. Zello said “I didn’t mean for it to sound that way”.
She stepped into the small elevator and he pressed the ‘down arrow’ as they began their descent.
After he had dropped off Sarah, Mr. Zello exited the elevator and began to make his way to the front of the store. By the time he made his way through the double doors, he heard a voice call out from the front of the store.
“Hello?!” said Larry. Mr. Zello appeared at the end of the aisle and waved his hand. He saw a man standing there who could be mistaken for someone homeless. His hair was a concoction of gray and white, he had a 3 day growth of beard and his clothes looked like he had gotten them from a thrift store many years before. His broken down shoes shuffled when he walked.
“Yea, Hi” he began “I got this Valentines Day card in the mail with a Tucker’s logo inside… and it’s nowhere near February. Can you tell me what this means?”
“I’m not sure what you mean” said Mr. Zello.
“Well, I started getting these letters in the mail –“
“Yes” interrupted Mr. Zello “all saying you’ll see the red sign”.
Larry held up the card to him “I’m assuming this is my sign”
“Would you follow me?” said Mr. Zello, still standing at the end of the aisle.
“No” said Larry “I just want to know what this is”.
“Well, to find out you’re going to have to follow me”.
“Okay, then … never mind. As long as the letters have stopped” said Larry as he turned to leave the store.
“The letters will return” said Mr. Zello “if you don’t follow me. I’m sorry, that’s the way this works”.
“Aw c’mon!” said Larry in an angry tone. “Just tell me what in the hell is going on here and I’ll be on my way!” He slammed the red card down on the counter.
“All I can say is that it will not harm you in any way”.
“Does it cost anything?” asked Larry “because I don’t have any money”.
Mr. Zello took a wad of keys out of his pocket and searched for the one he needed. “Right this way” he said. Larry shrugged and followed this man down the dry goods aisle, also seeing the tags sticking out that mentioned the red sign. He rolled his eyes as he shuffled down to the double doors.
Once again Mr. Zello escorted someone down the secret elevator found in the back corner of this grocery store. He left that person in the waiting room underneath the building and then appeared above ground to continue his normal duties in the store.
This night, he scooped up Sarah’s grocery items and returned them to their rightful place in the store. He took out his key to the register and tapped a few keys to deduct the items he had previously scanned. He took the Valentine’s Day card that was left on the counter and ripped it into small pieces, then threw the pieces away. He then locked the front door and returned to the office, counting the cash register tills and making sure he accounted for all the coupons the store had been given that day.
(To be continued)
As she left her house, she tripped over the last box of mysterious letters she had recently received.
“When you’re needed, you’ll see the red sign”
She rolled her eyes, kicked the box back into place and hastily left her apartment. “A month they’ve been coming” she said to herself “and still no answer why…”
She had a fairly normal work day and was driving home when she realized she needed to pick up some groceries. When she walked in the store she noticed that it was particularly empty for this time of night. She pulled a cart and began her shopping. “This is pretty nice, shopping along like this” she thought. She finished getting her items and walked up to the checkout line, placing her items on the conveyer belt. She looked around and saw no one.
“Hello…?” she called out. Just then the manager popped his head up from the office in the front corner of the store and made his way to where she was. He punched a few keys on the register and began running her items by the barcode scanner. It made that familiar beep as her groceries went by.
“Hi” he said, “My name is Mr. Zello. I’m the manager”. He was tall and thin with dark black hair and dark rimmed glasses. He was wearing khakis and a bright red vest. “Welcome to Tucker’s”.
As he continued to run her items through the checkout, one item came across the scanner and the register made a “double beep”. He ran it through again with the same result. He looked the item over and made sure the barcode was readable. Everything seemed okay.
He then reached under the counter and produced a small flip-book. He tried to search for the item in this book but couldn’t find it. “I’m sorry” he said “I’m going to run and get a quick price check on this item”.
“Sure” was all Sarah said. She then watched as he disappeared down one of the aisles. A few minutes had gone by and she couldn’t even hear him scurrying in the back of the store anymore. She slowly left her place at the checkout counter and looked down each aisle. When she didn’t see him, she made her way down the dry goods aisle.
She saw the little tags that read “Tucker’s: Red Sign Savings” and she wondered what was going on. She made her way to the back of the store and pushed open the swinging double doors. She walked around a large pallet of boxes and she saw Mr. Zello standing in the opposite corner of the store.
“This is it, isn’t it?” she yelled across the warehouse space.
“Right this way” he said quietly. She walked to where he was and could see him unlocking the door next to the Men’s room. As Mr. Zello held open the door for her, she asked “Hey, what about my groceries”.
“Don’t worry” he said “you won’t need them”.
“Hmmm” she began “that sounded pretty ominous”.
“I’m sorry” Mr. Zello said “I didn’t mean for it to sound that way”.
She stepped into the small elevator and he pressed the ‘down arrow’ as they began their descent.
After he had dropped off Sarah, Mr. Zello exited the elevator and began to make his way to the front of the store. By the time he made his way through the double doors, he heard a voice call out from the front of the store.
“Hello?!” said Larry. Mr. Zello appeared at the end of the aisle and waved his hand. He saw a man standing there who could be mistaken for someone homeless. His hair was a concoction of gray and white, he had a 3 day growth of beard and his clothes looked like he had gotten them from a thrift store many years before. His broken down shoes shuffled when he walked.
“Yea, Hi” he began “I got this Valentines Day card in the mail with a Tucker’s logo inside… and it’s nowhere near February. Can you tell me what this means?”
“I’m not sure what you mean” said Mr. Zello.
“Well, I started getting these letters in the mail –“
“Yes” interrupted Mr. Zello “all saying you’ll see the red sign”.
Larry held up the card to him “I’m assuming this is my sign”
“Would you follow me?” said Mr. Zello, still standing at the end of the aisle.
“No” said Larry “I just want to know what this is”.
“Well, to find out you’re going to have to follow me”.
“Okay, then … never mind. As long as the letters have stopped” said Larry as he turned to leave the store.
“The letters will return” said Mr. Zello “if you don’t follow me. I’m sorry, that’s the way this works”.
“Aw c’mon!” said Larry in an angry tone. “Just tell me what in the hell is going on here and I’ll be on my way!” He slammed the red card down on the counter.
“All I can say is that it will not harm you in any way”.
“Does it cost anything?” asked Larry “because I don’t have any money”.
Mr. Zello took a wad of keys out of his pocket and searched for the one he needed. “Right this way” he said. Larry shrugged and followed this man down the dry goods aisle, also seeing the tags sticking out that mentioned the red sign. He rolled his eyes as he shuffled down to the double doors.
Once again Mr. Zello escorted someone down the secret elevator found in the back corner of this grocery store. He left that person in the waiting room underneath the building and then appeared above ground to continue his normal duties in the store.
This night, he scooped up Sarah’s grocery items and returned them to their rightful place in the store. He took out his key to the register and tapped a few keys to deduct the items he had previously scanned. He took the Valentine’s Day card that was left on the counter and ripped it into small pieces, then threw the pieces away. He then locked the front door and returned to the office, counting the cash register tills and making sure he accounted for all the coupons the store had been given that day.
(To be continued)