The Shop That Sold Yesterday

The shop appeared between a laundrette and a wall where no shop had been. Its window held empty jars. Labels named days: The Picnic. The Wrong Turn. The Last Good Tuesday.

Nell entered because one jar said The Day You Did Not Call. The woman behind the counter set it aside before Nell spoke.

"Can I change it?" Nell asked.

"You can visit it. Changes cost more than people think."

The price was one memory Nell could afford to lose. She offered a school examination. The shopkeeper shook her head. "Something that matters. Otherwise you would never understand what you bought."

Nell chose a perfect sunset from a holiday she had spent pretending to be happy. The woman nodded, and opened the jar.