A single signpost might just change your life. Short Story | The Teasing Youth and the Galaxy Seller

Theme: A novel or poem starting with 'Galaxy Seller'

'I sell galaxies,'
I saw written on a signpost.

Wondering what kind of shady shop it was,
I followed it in anticipation to find
a strange general store.

It looked like something out of a fairy tale,
with an appearance that felt completely unreal.
The rounded, dome-shaped roof—
'Is it trying to be'
a fairy tale?

The name of the shop was
'Milky Way'.

My hobby is
finding maniacal shops and teasing the owners.

I reach for the doorknob.

Inside the dimly lit shop,
placed in the center is

a massive sphere
emitting an eerie light.

I approach it and involuntarily
gasp.

A vortex of gathered stars,
about 100,000 light-years in diameter.
Something that
should not exist on Earth.

'That is,
the galaxy
we exist in.'

Suddenly spoken to,
my heart stopped.

'It is projecting the 'current' state of the Milky Way galaxy, including the solar system, in 'real-time.'
Amazing technology, isn't it?'

She seems to be a clerk,
small and at first glance looks like a young girl.
Her crisp, high-pitched voice
echoes against the dome-shaped ceiling.

'Which galaxy do you prefer, sir?'

My eyes adjust, and I begin to see the interior of the shop.

Snow globe-like ornaments with projected galaxies,
wall clocks with projected galaxies,
coffee tables with projected galaxies.

It seems there are
various interior items with projected galaxies placed about.

I return my gaze
to the massive sphere with the projected galaxy.

You say it's "projected," but it's more than that.

"It exists."

"A galaxy exists right here."
I felt that.

"...Can you actually buy a galaxy?"

Staring at the row of zeros on the price tag,
I muttered in a voice so quiet even I couldn't hear it.

| Inside the shop where a vortex of brilliance floats

The sound of a doorknob turning.

The customer's footsteps stop in the center of the shop.

I take a breath and call out.

"That one,
is the galaxy
where we exist."

My job is
to sell "galaxies."

"The Just-Looking Young Man and the Galaxy Seller" - The End

I participated again this time.
Thank you for the wonderful prompt that tickles my creative spirit! 🥳

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