Chapter Two
Vintage Finds Better Left Behind
Molly glanced up through watery eyes as October winds pelted Tanner and her mercilessly, hoping to glimpse a home décor store or an antiques boutique through her distorted vision.
“Hang in there, Molly we are nearly to the Soho shopping district.” Tanner squeezed his new fiancée’s hand encouragingly.
Molly forced a half-smile across her lips. “It is rather exciting to know we are buying things to decorate the home we are living in together for future parties, and holidays as husband and wife someday.” Molly replied, brightening with this revelation.
“We have our whole lives together to look forward to. This is just the beginning of many firsts for us!” Tanner pulled Molly in closer to him lovingly.
“Yes! I hope I can find an antique typewriter, the kind my grandmother used to write journalism stories on.” Molly fretted.
Tanner laughed. “I still can’t understand in this day and age of technology, why you would want to create stories on something so antiquated like a typewriter!”
Molly stopped walking, facing Tanner with her fists planted firmly on her hips, drawing herself up to her full height of 5’2” to address her fiancé.
“All the real writers of their time had typewriters to create brilliant pieces of literature upon. I feel like having a typewriter will help inspire me. Connect me to those great writers somehow. Don’t you mock me Tanner Carlsen!”
Tanner held up his hands, pretending to shield himself from the verbal barrage unleashed by his pint-sized fiancée.
“Truce! I am sorry to have offended your art madam!” He bowed slightly, kissing Molly atop her head. “Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?” He pleaded with Molly giving her a devilish grin.
Molly laughed. “You are a goofball! Yes, I forgive you. Now come on before we catch colds in this wind!”
“We won’t be in the elements much longer love, look there!” Tanner was pointing in the direction of something behind Molly.
Quickly Molly spun around to see what had her fiancé so excited. There on the next corner was a store. The sign on the storefront read:
Pandora’s Box Antiques & Collectibles
Unique Finds & Treasures
“Antiques! I bet that store is guaranteed to have an antique typewriter like you want Molly!” Tanner was beaming now over his discovery.
Molly had an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. “I don’t know Tanner. I mean, have you ever even seen that store before? I sure haven’t.”
Tanner grabbed Molly’s hand leading her in the direction of Pandora’s Box Antiques & Collectibles. “New stores are popping up all the time! Besides we haven’t lived here that long Molly. We don’t know every store on each block. I bet this store has the perfect typewriter you need to become an award-winning writer!”
Molly looked at Tanner. Something seemed off about his behavior. He appeared intent on going into this particular store, as if he was under a spell of sorts. He moved towards Pandora’s Box as if he were in a daze. His movements were fluid, like one who is sleepwalking. His heavily lashed eyelids looked droopy. Perhaps it was Molly’s own tired mind playing tricks on her. After all she was up late the night before researching information for an assignment, then woken up early this morning to go shopping.
Tanner was just being supportive of her writing. Maybe he too wanted a break from the cold wind blasting him in the face, and saw Pandora’s Box as his first refuge from the elements. Molly smiled to herself. She may be giving too much thought to this issue. Sometimes a person just needed to throw caution to the wind and let the universe decide their fate.
“Okay Tanner, let’s see if Pandora’s Box is open.” Molly declared allowing her beau to lead the way.
Tanner smiled at Molly, a starry-eyed smile she hadn’t seen before. Molly got an odd sensation in the pit of her stomach. She shook it off thinking she must be hungry. She didn’t get time to eat breakfast that morning, now she wished she had.
Tanner’s pale, blue eyes appeared to look right through her when he smiled. They were focused on something directly above Molly. Tanner’s eyes were trained on the neon sign in the window of Pandora’s Box Antiques & Collectibles. Suddenly the sign blazed to life as if on que, emitting one single word in red neon. Open
“Looks as if we’re right on time.” Tanner declared dreamily to no one in general, stepping off the sidewalk curb to cross the street to Pandora’s Box.
Molly screamed, pushing Tanner roughly across the street causing them both to fall in a pile on the sidewalk. A yellow cab sped past narrowly missing clipping both of them.
“Are you crazy? Why did you step out in front of a cab like that? You could have been killed! Why are you suddenly behaving like a five - year old?” Molly scolded Tanner, more out of fear than anger.
Tanner’s smile disappeared, he looked crestfallen at being chastised in public. Molly instantly regretted her rash comments.
“I’m sorry Molly. I only wanted to help you find an antique typewriter. Once you explained how important it was for you to own one, I knew we needed to find you that typewriter! I became excited when I saw this shop. I’m not sure what came over me, or why I stepped out in front of that speeding cab just now. I only know I felt compelled to get to Pandora’s Box. I…I don’t know how to describe it…” Tanner’s voice trailed off as a puzzled looked passed across his face.
Molly rubbed Tanner’s back sympathetically. “I am sorry I yelled Tanner. I was so scared at the thought of losing you when I saw that taxi cab flying down the street. You seemed to be oblivious to it. If I hadn’t used all my weight to push you to the sidewalk, you would be in a hospital bed now! That cabbie never even slowed down! You certainly aren’t hard to miss! It’s daylight for Pete’s sake! The monster driver never ever stopped to check if we were okay after practically running us down! What kind of person does that?” Molly exclaimed indignantly.
Molly looked towards Tanner for empathy on the situation. Tanner’s eyes were big and round as if frightened from the cabby experience. Molly assumed her anger over the situation wasn’t helping matters either. Molly thought it strange that her six-foot tall fiancé, the man who always played the role of protector in their relationship, was cowering on the sidewalk. It dawned on Molly, that for the first time in their relationship, she and Tanner had reversed roles. Molly was now portraying the role of protector for her fiancé.
This revelation was both unsettling and disturbing for Molly to discover. While she never would want any harm to come to Tanner, Molly didn’t wish to take the brunt of the relationship on her shoulders. She had a lot to deal with when it came to her writing and finding new articles to earn money. Tanner was the one who took care of them, but Molly was determined to make it big in the writing world. Getting a typewriter was only phase one of her plans. There was so much more to be done on her path to becoming a great writer, she couldn’t afford to be saddled with a partner that was here one minute and needed to be babied the next. What was Tanner’s deal today?
Molly had little time to ponder her new role in their partnership before her body became enveloped with a cold sensation. The feeling emanated from the pit of Molly’s stomach, spreading throughout her body, turning her blood to ice water. Molly felt helpless as wave after wave of coldness washed over her being. She felt caught in a wind tunnel, yet heard no sound.
“What is happening to me?” Molly wondered still sitting on the pavement recovering from the close brush with death from the speeding cab. “Maybe the cab really did hit us and I am not here but seeing this from outside my body?”
Then as fast as the coldness had appeared, it was gone. Molly pinched herself to see if she truly was okay.
“Ouch!” Molly winced from her own pinch.
Tanner looked at Molly with concern registering in his eyes. “Molly, are you alright?”
Molly sighed happily. Tanner s
eemed to be acting like his old self again. Molly smiled at him. “Yes, I’m just fine. Everything’s fine Tanner.”
Tanner returned Molly’s smile and squeezed her hand. “Good to hear. Should we continue with our shopping trip?”
“Certainly!” Molly declared feeling revived suddenly. “Shall we begin here?” Molly gestured to the store behind her without looking.
“Yes!” Tanner said excitedly, hopping to his feet like a kid on Christmas. His blue eyes glowed with desire.
“Oh no, what store is this?” Molly thought, instantly cognizant of the erratic behavior Tanner displayed.
Slowly Molly turned her head to read the name of the store front they had fallen in front of earlier. The waves of chills returned as Molly saw they were on the sidewalk beside Pandora’s Box Antiques & Collectibles!
Before Molly could object to the store choice, she heard the sound of faint strains of music coming from the depths of Pandora’s Box. The melody was sad, and haunting. Molly thought she recognized the song, it reminded her of something, but she couldn’t clearly hear the full tune. Molly really was curious about the song. Then before she could figure out where she had heard the haunting tune before, Molly’s head started to ache painfully. Her eyelids felt heavier with each enticing note emitted from the cavernous depths of Pandora’s Box. Although Molly’s intuition told her to steer clear of Pandora’s Box, due to a gut instinct she felt earlier, the calming music beckoned her inside.
“Surely it couldn’t hurt to browse about? Could it?” Molly reasoned with herself.
The couple tentatively approached the glass entrance to Pandora’s Box Antiques & Collectibles which was adorned with a thick, burgundy, velvet curtain to keep out curious eyes. Just as Tanner reached out his arm to grab the door handle of shop entrance, it whipped open, startling both Tanner and Molly. who drew back in surprise.
The velvet covered glass door opened to reveal a woman equal in height to Tanner, and who towered above Molly. The woman had a stately presence about her. Her skin was the purest shade of alabaster, which was further enhanced by her waist length, raven-colored hair. Molly thought she detected hints of purple or indigo sparsely intermingled into the raven colored strands as well.
“I’m Pandora I own this shop. May I help the two of you?” The woman inquired of the couple, looking first to Tanner then to Molly.
Molly couldn’t believe the exquisite eyes on Pandora. They changed color rapidly, without warning. One moment they were blue, then suddenly Pandora’s eyes took on a violet colored hue, before morphing to a muted green, and finally settling on a golden shade that emulated the bright rays of the sun. Molly was left tongue - tied.
Tanner didn’t appear phased by the looming presence of Pandora or her ever - changing corneas. He was more intrigued by the items beyond eyesight, tucked away in the darkened store. Tanner strained his neck around Pandora’s imposing figure, which currently impeded their entry into the shop.
Molly was about to tell Pandora they would not be requiring her help, when her ears once again caught the faint strains of music coming from inside Pandora’s store. Molly had to know where it was coming from. Molly’s curiosity won out.
“Pandora, I need to know what song that is. The melody is so familiar yet I can’t seem to place it.” Molly admitted to the shopkeeper feeling defeated.
“Yeah, I have been thinking the exact same thing!” Tanner exclaimed.
Pandora smiled secretively as her eyes darted from Molly to Tanner. She appeared to assess the couple individually, studying them. Then she simply stepped aside, allowing the couple entry into her shop with a grand sweeping gesture of her right arm.
“Welcome to Pandora’s Box Antiques & Collectibles. Home to some of the most unique treasures you will ever find. Please be advised that all sales of merchandise you buy are final and you shop at your own risk, so be wise in making purchases my dears!”
Molly and Tanner looked at one another. Both were interested in knowing where the music was coming from within Pandora’s Box, but what kind of sales pitch was this Pandora woman offering? Telling customers that they “shopped at their own risk” was just poor business practices. Still the sense of mystery that surrounded the shop created an intense desire to enter it. Perhaps Pandora was a shrewd business owner after all!
“We wish to enter your store please.” Molly declared bravely making eye contact with the shop owner as Tanner grasped her hand in his for reassurance.
Pandora’s yellow eyes turned an emerald green shade. They crinkled in the corners forming an ear-to-ear smirk.
“I had a feeling you two couldn’t resist entering Pandora’s Box.” She said with a laugh. “Well come in, and have a look around.”