"What's your pleasure, Mr. Copper?" (Part Two)
Copper shifted his sticky body around in his seat and checked the time on his cheap digital watch. He was told by a dozen merchants that the man he was looking for lived in this building and was forced to wait for nearly an hour. Copper was already aware that the man is incredibly old and crippled, but did the old geezer die or something? Twice he stood up and checked the door to see if anyone had forgotten him, but the person who let him in, a nameless bearded bum, only gestured his hand for him to return back to his seat.
"This must be some kind of test," he thought wearily as he roughly massaged his drenched temples.
Copper sluggishly sat up in his seat and glanced around the room again in hopes to find something to speed up time. All around the tinny store, which was more like a flimsy shack then an actual building, was piles and piles of old papers with devilish knick-knacks resting their dusty bodies on top of the pile.
Mr. Copper was considering on taking off his sweat stained shirt when he heard the door behind him creak slowly open. The sharp noise made his spine stiff and he clasped his clammy palms tightly around the thin fabric of his pants to stop himself from shrieking. Swiftly, Copper turned his head to see the face of the intruder, but only saw the back of the old man's shoulders. Before Copper could say anything to the old man, he suddenly noticed the withered old fingers silently turn the lock downwards. This unnerved Copper, considering that the only escape now was the tinny window over the shabby table, but after looking over the man's frail body with a critical eye, his logic told him that he could win a scuffle if he were to fight him. Copper was about to speak when he heard the elderly man talking to himself.
"Late. Always late-that blasted old messenger," he mumbled into the open air, "it's time for a new one, I been telling them that for years, and do they listen? No. They have to wait for the right one, they tells me-they have to find a right match for the job, but if it's another old soul then I quit-"
Copper cleared his throat loudly and the old man snapped his buzzard-like head at him, as if he suddenly realized he was not alone.
"Christ he's old," Copper thought to himself in astonishment. The old man's face, if you call it a face, seemed like somebody sewed loose dried fabric around his skull and then suddenly dunked it in dirty water. There was absolutely no color in his hollow cheeks and his eyes looked more like empty sockets. The only features that seemed human-ish were the long wiry facial hair and the huge crooked nose, which seemed to have a mind of its own. The nostrils flared up at his direction and then the old man's expression softens.
"Ahhhh, Mr. Copper," he sighed some-what lustfully, "Sorry for the wait. I hope you enjoyed the snacks that I left out for days such as these." Copper eyed the bugs on the table and tried to get the man to talk about important things; nervously he cleared his throat and began to bargain.
"I heard rumors that you carry the box mister…" Copper began but the man waved off the question and took his place at the other side of the round table.
"My name is not that important to you, but let me answer your question with another… what is your pleasure, Mr. Copper?"
"My… pleasure?" Copper's heart was beating fiercely in his ears making him feel a mixture of fear and excitement for the events that will take place. He just hoped that he will not faint or throw-up first because of the heat.
"Yess," the elderly man whispered and he leaned back in his chair with his fingers laced over his chest. "Many have come here," he said dreamily, "searching for answers? Escaping a reality? Becoming more then some savage rat in a race?"
Copper's stomach dropped and alarm bells rang in his head. Every nerve of his body screamed for his legs to run and to get as far away as he will allow himself, but the old man chuckled at Copper's internal distress and continued.
"It's not the first time that the box has lured customers into my home," he sighed and reached under the table and pulled out a golden cube. Gently the old man's fingers placed the box on the center of the table and gleefully watched Copper's shocked expression. "Is this… what you seek?"