ZIM stood in front of the huge double doors to the 'Shoppe of Wonders', staring straight up. On the roof there was a lit-up Santa Claus who was waving and repeating "HO HO HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS!" to the point of insanity. ZIM blinked once and then refocused his attentions on the doors. He grabbed the handle and pulled it open, shielding his eyes from the blinding light with the other hand.
He stepped inside the Shoppe and found a whole new world. A whole new world filled with red, green, and excessively happy people with mile-long shopping lists.
"What is this?" he asked nobody in particular as he began to place one foot in front of the other and walk through the aisles, taking care not to be stepped on by the myriad crowd.
"OOH LOOK AT THIS!" GIR screamed from behind him, knocking down a lights display.
"GIR! You do not knock down such things! You piece of trash… I mean…" ZIM began to notice the people huddling around him, "Bad doggy, GIR…"
Dib laughed from behind a large, inflatable Santa Claus. ZIM twirled around quickly, and Dib tired to hide himself.
"Dib…!" ZIM turned his attentions from the havoc GIR was now wreaking to the boy in a trenchcoat. "Why are YOU here…? Are you here to try and—"
We never find out what ZIM thought he was doing, because that little guy is way too quick.
"I'm here to find a gift for my sister. Why are YOU here, ZIM? I don't see you getting anyone a Christmas present."
"Why wouldn't I be purchasing an unimportant trinket to give to someone in honor of a smeet-birth? It is the normal human thing to do, like normal humans… and certainly not an alien thing."
"Hmm well I guess you're right." Dib shrugged, playing along. "Who are you buying something for?"
"PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEANUTSSS!" GIR squealed from several aisles away.
ZIM's eyes shifted toward the sound. "Surprise. I must go contain my dog now. I will find a way to defeat you later, Earth-stink."
He took off across the store, and yelling could be heard in Aisle 15.
Dib snapped his fingers. "Drat. He has to be plotting SOMETHING. I just can't see ZIM getting a gift out of the goodness of his heart."
He paused for a moment.
"Do IRKens even have hearts?"
Meanwhile, in Aisle 15, ZIM had managed to restrain GIR from causing anymore destruction. For the time being anyhow. He looked up at the towering shelves of gifts – as precious as the Hope Diamond, as pointless as that singing fish thing. It was astounding.
"Why is it that the humans care so much about this day that they would give away such things on it? What is so special? And… WHO AM I GOING TO GIVE A GIFT TO?!"
This last outburst was quite loud. People from all over the store turned their heads in his direction, and he backed away kind of sheepishly.
ZIM made his way through the winding maze of aisles, the whole time looking upwards to try and find an interesting gift that did not seem too out of place. He inadvertently bumped into an employee, decked out in a red elf suit.
"Uhm.. can I help you, sir?" the employee recited, looking down at the green boy on the floor, rubbing his head.
"Yes! Yes, you can, pitiful store-worker. I am looking for a 'gift'. A very… special… gift. For a very special … uhm… friend."
"Well, what kind of things does your friend like? I'll be happy to help you pick something out."
The worker stood, smiling, as ZIM puzzled.
Friend. Who can ZIM buy a gift for? Who is worthy of receiving such a thing?
Several faces appeared in ZIM's mind, including several cast cameos (hey, I had to fit them in someplace). The personas of his class spun around in his head, finally stopping on Dib.
"He likes strange things. Ghosts. Aliens. Mysterious things. I don't know what to buy him."
"Well, we have a whole section of unusual gifts I'm sure your friend will love." The girl flashed ZIM another blindingly bright smile. "Cute dog, by the way, but they're not allowed in the store…"
ZIM turned to look at GIR, who was running to get away from his leash toward an aisle of TVS, showing the Scary Monkey Show.
"May I take him outside?"
"Oh yes certainly. I'll wait right here for you. If you can't find me, just yell!"
"…I do not know what to yell. Do it yell 'STINKWORM!'?"
"No. My name's Devi. You can yell that."
ZIM jerked GIR's leash and began to lead him outside.
Dib stepped out from behind the aisle of TV's, marveling at what he had just witnessed.
"ZIM really IS buying a present! He's not trying to take over the world… unless… unless he's going to plant something weird in the box or something. But that gag's so overused…"
He shrugged and began to walk down one of the aisles, figuring that while he was here he might as well buy a gift for someone.
Devi caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye and walked over to him.
"Uhm… excuse me, sir, but I have a question for you…"
Dib blinked and looked up. "Yes?"
"I have a customer who wants to buy a gift for a friend that likes ghosts, aliens, and mysterious things. Horror films and junk. Sorry if I misjudged you, but you look like that type of kid… what should I tell him to get his friend?"
"Hmm. How about… uhm… Edward Scissorhands?"
"This is a really little guy – elementary skool aged. I think that's a bit drastic."
"I don't know. They Mysterious Mysteries boxset is at the top of MY list, but…"
Devi smiled. "Thanks for your help!"
"DEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVIIIIII!!!"
"That would be him… heh heh. Got to attend to the customer."
She made her way back through the crowd and toward ZIM.
"Ah. There you are, clerk-worm. ZIM would like to see the aisle with the odd things in it."
"Actually, I already picked something out, if you don't mind. This is the boxset for the TV series Mysterious Mysteries. I think your friend will like it."
"Ah," ZIM said, taking the tapes from Devi's hands, "Thank you, clerk-worm. I will be leaving now."
He started to walk out the door again when a red light flashed and several beeping noises commenced.
Devi raised a finger. "You have to pay for it before you leave, you know…"
--
author's notes:
this is a long chapter. O.o; oh well. I don't know what possessed me to make Devi a store clerk, but she is. Fun. There will be no more cameos from Jhonen comics. I mean it. [trying to convince herself]
Well, now that we know the gift is for Dib… ^^; what's going to happen next? Don't ask me. You'll just have to wait until I eat more popsicles I guess. Cherry… yumm…
Oh. And review, please.