fantasy

  • Dad brought his teenage son to our store for a heart-to-heart about not following dangerous trends just because they’re popular. Kid went from sullen to actually listening when his father said “following trends is just peer pressure with better marketing.” Parenting level: expert 👨‍👦✨ Read more

  • Another Night at Chill n’Fill: The Factory Worker, The Choice Maker, and The Value Builder    It was Thursday night at Chill n’Fill, and I was three hours into my shift when the fluorescent lights started their familiar buzz-flicker routine that always gave me a headache by midnight. Another evening as chronicler of convenience store Read more

  • Another Night at Chill n’Fill: Signs, Romance, and the Color Blue    It was Friday night at Chill n’Fill, and I’d just finished arranging the energy drinks into an elaborate pyramid that Bob insisted would “enhance their caffeinated aura.” The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, occasionally flickering in a way that made me wonder if our Read more

  • Metal Heads, Mountain Dew, and Midnight Mischief    Thursday night at Chill & Fill was unusually quiet. The one-eyed polar bear sign had been upgraded again—this time Bob had added a small plastic guitar to the bear’s paw, claiming it gave our mascot “rock star appeal.” The bear now looked like a pirate sailor who’d Read more