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and
don't talk. Stay in the front part of the store. Ears open, okay?"

 
    "Sure.
Okay. Let's go."  

 
    I push on the
door and it seems to be locked. Am I disappointed or relieved? Should we take
it as a sign and move on to safer stores? I give it one more push to make sure;
and it budges half an inch. I look to Aunty for what to do next. It's obvious
this door is going to make a good amount of noise. On the other hand, no one
has been in here for a long time. Zombies shouldn't be a concern. Though, there
is that back door from Aunty's story, so—as much as I
want to—we can't rule them out. Aunty nods for me to go ahead and we push
together.

 
    The door barely
moves at first, grating and whining as we push, then it abruptly swings open
with an announcing screech. The store has sat still and untouched for so long
that it looks like a spooky storybook witch's trap. Toys
instead of gingerbread to lure in foolish children. Lure them in and eat
them. My knees shake uncontrollably.

 
    Cobwebs hang
from the ceiling in long diagonal strands. I hate cob webs. I know they are
made from dust and not spiders, but they feel spidery none the less. When I see
large, lace-like webs covering the toy boxes in the cloudy display windows, my
stomach lunges violently towards my hammering heart. I can't focus. I'm just
brushing at my face and shoulders, lost in spider paranoia. Aunty makes a soft
noise with her throat to regain my attention. She gives me a good, hard
"pull yourself together" stare. I try to find my courage and focus on
the reason we are here.

 
    We move quick
and quiet like shadows though the displays of toys at the front of the store,
always keeping each other in sight. After a thorough inspection for
creepy-crawlers, I grab some boxes from a display with science experiments for
kids. I hope they aren't too childish. Next, I pick up a game with a cup and Pingpong ball that looks geared towards his age. I consider
some multiple player boardgames but none of them look
fun to me. And I'm pretty sure I'd end up being the one who'd have to play them
with him.

 
    As I pull out a
box that claims to have the best transforming dinosaur toy ever, several boxes
that were tucked in around it topple against me and crash to the floor. I jump
and shake myself, brushing at my hair and shoulders—just in case. In a normal
situation you wouldn't have even called it a loud noise, but here in the tense
stillness, it resonates around the store. I look up in panic and see Aunty
looking at me with exhausted reproof on her face. She can lecture without even
using words. I shrug my apology and she nods for me to follow her as she heads
for the door. She has her arms full with a skateboard and a guitar.

 
    Score!

 
    He is going to
be so thrilled. We don't have many kids in the community right now. He's been
playing with Lois, the 5 year old girl who lives next door to his new family.
He's a pretty great kid. Lots of potential, if only there was enough time left for
him to have a future. These toys will give him something fun to fill his time.
I know his new parents had a few things for him at Christmas but it was mostly
homemade or used. They definitely didn't brave an abandoned toy store when they
went Christmas shopping.

 
    A lot of people
disagree with Aunty and I making this trip. They don't
feel it is worth the risk. What can I say? Aunty and I are two strong, brave,
awesome women. We leave the toy store without incident and load the toys in the
back of the car. Today has been a huge success.

 
    We've saved my
favorite store for last. It also happens to be the last store on the strip. Rue
21. Teenage girl heaven. I love everything about it.
It probably has just as many cob webs and creepers as the toy store, but the
afternoon sun has filled it with welcoming light and it seems cheery and almost
untouched. I could almost pretend it was just a normal store.

 
    One little thing
in my favor is that the beginning of the