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*Brrrrr...*
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The sound of a single shopping cart echoed through the desolate aisles as an unknown entity pushed it along.
'How long has it been since I arrived in this strange place? I'm slowly losing track of time. It's been 22 days and 8 hours so far, as for minutes and seconds… The time itself may be uncertain. I never feel hungry, don't need to drink to function, never asleep, always awake.'
The entity pondered as it strolled through the market, stopped to stock on empty shelves.
Gently gripping a glass bottle from the cart, a faint reflection danced on its surface. The entity gazed at its obsidian-like visage, its thoughts delving into the abyss of uncertainty. Then, with a deliberate grace, it returned the bottle to its place. The process repeated until the shelves were full.
'I do not know who I am or what am I... where am I or who brought me here... how did I get here.. questions and more start to surface the longer I stay here... I should be insane by now but... something or someone is keeping me Sane. Telling me what to do. It's as if my body is at their command and I follow up on their request.' The entity stacked the aisle until only one bottle remained, which it picked up and carefully positioned in its rightful place.
Seeing that the shelf was full, the entity guided its shopping cart to the next destination. The cart's wheels echoing softly on the floor, and later, entering another aisle, this one was lined with mirrors. The figure came to a halt, compelled to inspect its own reflection.
The black shadow-like figure had the body of a male human, though ridiculously tall. It's height measuring at a staggering 14 feet tall due to its abnormally long limbs, their physique leaned towards the skinny side of the scale with ribs evident if it were to remove its attire. A void-like absence replaced its facial features, giving it an eerie presence.
The entity wore a light blue polo shirt coupled with a pine green apron that had a singular Blank tag name on their left chest. Completing the attrie were white pants and a pen securely fastened to a pocket.
With a clipboard held by his long, claw-like hands, the entity stared at its reflection, a ritual it had performed countless times before.
'I often come here to check on my appearance, it remains unchanged. The only thing that I know, is that I was brought here to work and manage the place...'
Raising the clipboard, the entity checked its tasks. Two were marked as completed, including the most recent of restocking an empty shelf. His next task is organizing the products by brand on an aisle.
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*Brrrrr*
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The sound of the shopping cart continued as the entity left it at the cart corral, no longer needed. He walked to his next destination, two more tasks left.
' I tried escaping once but the doors won't budge open, I tried every method to break that motion-sensored glass door, but my efforts were futile. I tried to find other escape routes only to know that I was led to even more aisles, the more I walked, the more it led me to even more sections with an abundance of freakish and bizarre items that I cannot recall from the faint memory that I have, I kept on walking for hours and there was no end to it. That confirmed the suspicion that I was trapped... All alone.'
Arriving at the disordered chip aisle, a mishmash of colors and brands awaited. The meticulous work of organization commenced, starting from the right and progressing methodically to the left.
'So far, I've seen a few that have entered this place from that unbreakable door. Four is what I can tell from memory, their appearances differed, some were strange while some... looked human.. for me to see it as normal tells me that I too was once a human..'
Memory start.
The entity tried to recall the appearances of past visitors. 'The first newcomer was peculiar one. A round human with a brown beard, wearing a white polo shirt and jeans. Strangely, he had an aluminum pan on his head and spoke incoherently. Even stranger, was that I could understand him.
'This peculiar guest, without a single inquiry into my identity, placed an order for a taco. I guided him to the appropriate aisle, wielding a device resembling a phone. As far as I know, this gadget was used to appraise or find specific item's location as it's current functions.'
'As he reached out to devour the taco, I intervened just in time. My obsidian hand blocked the way to his mouth, preventing him from indulging prematurely. I gestured for him to pay, to which he readily agreed.'
' we both went to where the cashier was and asked him that he should drop any valuables or currency he had and place them on the counter beside the cashier's tray machine. What he had was a few scraps, a map that led to somewhere and a few silver coins. These offerings mysteriously vanished, replaced by an approving mark displayed on the cashier machine's screen. Enough, it seemed, to cover the cost of a simple snack.'
'The person then left through that door with a simple taco in their hand. The purpose of that map remained a mystery, one that I had yet to explore.'
The remaining two visitors, however, reacted differently, fleeing in alarm upon catching sight of me. Their appearances were indeed peculiar. They arrived a few days after my initial customer, each at a distinct time.
The first visitor took the form of a flower. It possessed yellow petals, a green stem, and a white androecium adorned with distinct facial features. An initial smile graced its countenance, but it swiftly departed upon encountering my presence.
The second, an even stranger sight, resembled a small pink dog. Its terror was palpable as it emitted a loud scream before bolting away in frantic haste.
The fourth and latest of visits was quite interesting. He was a handsome young man with brown hair and eyes. His attire consisted of a white coat over a shirt, complemented by formal beige khaki pants. He had above average height and was decent in terms of physique for a human.
Our first encounter was quite the surprise for him though he was not as shocked as I thought of a regular human to be, perhaps he might have seen stranger things than I? The man had his pen drop, hitting the ground, followed by a piece paper sticking out of his hand pocket as he fell down on the ground upon seeing me.
I glanced towards the paper that was slightly sticking out, it had something written on it and I can only see a small part of it.
'Nao? I wonder what that could be...' I couldn't help but wonder about the significance of "Nao." But I set it aside for the moment. Instead, I extended a helping hand to the fallen man, who surprisingly accepted my assistance.
As I pulled him upright, silence enveloped us for a full 15 seconds, the only sound being the subtle ticking of his watch, its delicate clockwork keeping time in this strange domain.
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*tick tick tick*
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Breaking the lingering quietude, I extended a courteous welcome to the man, my voice carrying the echo of our strange surroundings. My tone, calm and measured, aimed to avoid startling our guest. I placed a hand gently on my chest and offered a slight bow, a gesture of respect. The man observed my actions with caution evident in his scrutinizing gaze.
"Welcome to the Market. How may I assist?" I spoke, my words punctuated by the ethereal ambiance.
"This place, what exactly is it?" he inquired, his voice betraying no trepidation.
" From what I have experienced, it is an Endless market, is there anything you wish to look for? " I asked, returning from my bowing gesture.
He stood quiet for a couple of seconds, " What exactly are you? " His gaze bore into my featureless face.
" I, myself do not know, perhaps at a later time I might know of who or what I am. " I replied.
Contemplating my response, he continued with another query, "An endless market? If I were to guess, this place consists of abnormal and peculiar items. Your uncertainty about your identity implies that you are a servant, or one among the servants, entrusted with managing this peculiar realm." His eyes scanned our surreal surroundings.
A gentle nod acknowledged his perception. "You are correct," I affirmed, "this place harbors an array of bizarre items, ranging from basic to extraordinary. As for being a servant, it is true, but to whom I serve, I do not know. I merely adhere to the directives given to me. " I stated.
"Is it possible for me to return if I were to leave this place?" he queried.
"I am uncertain," I replied, "as of now, none who have entered have returned. You are the fourth visitor I have encountered."
Turning away, he retrieved his fallen pen, tucking it neatly into one of his coat pockets. I continued to observe his actions as he approached the entrance, seemingly ready to exit. However, before leaving, he glanced back at me, turning his head slightly to the side. "I'll look forward to meeting you at a later time..." later prompting a single nod on my side.
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Memory end.
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*Pssshht*
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The sound of the final potato chip wrapper being carefully positioned, as the entity later rose from his crouched posture, marking the completion of the third task on the clipboard. As he was prepared to read the last task.
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*beep beep*
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An unexpected noise sounded from the entrance.
'A visitor..I wonder who it might be this time.'
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