In The K-Mart at Galactic Central

by Bud Webster

On the hardware aisle:

A quantum mechanic in oil-stained discoveralls Picks through bins of quarks and neutrinos, Considers, with some longing, an expensive periodic table-saw, Then settles on a large bottle of Elmer’s Gluons.

At the jewelry counter: A young couple murmur excitedly, lovingly to each other Holding hands as they hover over the display case Before choosing just the right engagement ringworld.

In automotive:

A frazzled matron with two children Pushes her cart past a rack of future shock absorbers (Just the thing for that sagging rear suspension of disbelief) And turns sharp right at haunted housewares to avoid the candy aisle.

At the camera counter: A tall, muscular man in gray leather Silently debates the relative merits of two second-stage lenses —One with macro, and one without.

In groceries:

A young mother moves slowly down the canned foods aisle Checking the salt content of the various primordial soups in stock Her basket already filled with frozen clockwork orange juice concentrate Green cheese and golden apples of the sun.

And, for a moment, all movement pauses, and heads turn As this bright announcement falls free from overhead speakers-to-the-dead —”Attention, K-Mart shoppers!

For the next fifteen minutes Our faster-than-blue-light special is….”