On a rainy afternoon in an nondescript city, in a forgotten antique store, on an old rotting shelf, there lay a dust covered Lantern forgotten and overlooked by many. Such a lonely object it was that even the proprietor of the store never gave it a second glance while checking his stock, he would only give it a passing glance and a sigh.
An elderly gentleman slowly navigates his way up and down the aisles of the store with a clipboard in his hand, and a small nondescript wagon filled with odds and ends being pulled behind him. He wore black pants with black suspenders that went over his white long sleeved shirt, however its ivory has turned to beige with the passing of years. Counting clocks, fingering forks, and labeling listings he scratches his balding head with the eraser of his pencil. The man perked up his head when he heard the jingle of the doorbells.
"One moment please!" The proprietor exclaimed. He made sure to mark down where he stopped during his inventory, then shuffled his way to the front of the store. The store itself was small relative to its neighbors, however the space it had was used to it's fullest capacity. Long rows of metal and wooden shelves fill the store, crammed with nick-knacks and do-dads from time immemorial. It smelled like must and old leather, a wine of time and memories.
"Forgive the mess, we just got a shipment of new items this weekend." The old man rounded the corner and readjusted his spectacles to get a good look at this new customer. "How can I help you?"
Before him stood a tall, lanky, rain drenched young man who was clearly not informed of the days weather report. He brushes his long black hair out of his eyes to see the owner.
"Howdy!" The stranger exclaimed. "I'm new to this borough and decided to take a walk around to familiarize myself with it. I saw your sign out front and that you were open, I just had to come in and check you guys out. My name's Charlie, you are?" He reaches out his hand.
"Cornelius Pzekovich at your service. Is there anything I can help you find?" Cornelius shook the young man's hand. It was new for him to see such a friendly young man in this borough of New York, he would not take this for granted. "I have a wide variety of items and furniture from places unknown, perfect for a new homeowner. I have just the table and chair set that is a perfect centerpiece for a dining room!" He wrung his hands and waved down an aisle towards the back of his shop.
"That... sounds awesome! But, before I come in and track rain water through your store, you wouldn't happen to have any kind of towel, would you?" Charlie fanned out his arms showing his baggy, waterlogged clothes. Seeing this Cornelius chuckled.
"Ha ha ha, my apologies, I should have done that first!" He rubbed the back of his neck and took a longer look at Charlie, studying his build. "I might be able to do you one better. Please, follow me upstairs." The pair slowly made their way to the back of the establishment and up a staircase behind a locked door. The stairway opened into a small apartment above the antique shop.
"My youngest son started living with me 5 years ago, he was roughly your size. He ended up moving to the west coast with his new wife about a year ago if you can imagine. He left behind some of his clothes due to the warmer weather over there, at least that's the excuse he made." The frail old man shuffled into an empty guest room and began taking clothes out of the dresser. "He's not using them anymore, so it's your lucky day."
Charlie was shocked, he did not expect this sudden and extreme kindness from a complete stranger. Dumbfounded he received the old clothes given to him by his elder and held them in his hand, staring at them unable to respond. His eyes glanced from the clothes to Cornelius and then back again.
"Now now... You might as well take a shower while I dry your clothes off. The bathroom is over there, there should be towels inside as well. Just leave your old clothes near the bedroom door, I'll take care of them while you're in the shower." Cornelius did not wait for a reply, instead shutting the bedroom door on Charlie.
"Thank you..." Was all the Charlie could muster at this generosity. He laid the change of clothes given to him upon the bed. It was a long sleeved turtleneck, beige in color, a pair of jeans, long wool socks, and boxer briefs, all of them not a size too big or small. With a sigh Charlie accepted the generosity forced upon him by the elderly shop owner, removing his clothes, leaving them just beside the door out, and going into the bathroom on the far side of the bedroom. Upon hearing the shower start the bedroom door opened and an old hand grabbed the wet clothes from the floor, followed by the door closing again. Moments later the sounds of a washer and dryer could be heard through the walls.
Half an hour later the young man exited the bedroom in his new clothes, a perfect fit, and saw Cornelius sitting at the small dining table, reading a newspaper, with two cups of coffee set out. "I don't know how you take your coffee, but I have cream and sugar if you need it." Cornelius folds his newspaper and gestures to the mug of coffee set for the empty chair opposite him. He then looks at Charlie and smiles. "I knew it, just the right fit."
"I... I can't thank you enough for this sir. All of this is... I don't deserve all of this sir. But thank you." Charlie approaches the dining table and accepts the hot mug of coffee. Upon the table was also a ceramic carafe and a covered bowl of sugar, which he used to turn his coffee into a dark wooden brown.
"The pleasure is all mine, those clothes were doing nothing where they were, and this place is all about items finding their new owners. Now then, feel free to browse the shelves downstairs while your clothes dry. If you need any help, or can't find what you're looking for please let me know." Cornelius unfolded his newspaper and returned to reading while sipping on his mug of coffee.
Charlie picked up the hot mug of coffee and descended the stairs, being careful to not spill a drop. The store's initial aroma of leather and musk has now transformed into hints of old wood and furniture polish, the notes of leather still linger in the air but they are now complimented by the steaming fragrance of the coffee in Charlie's hands. As the young man slowly paced up and down the aisles he began making a mental shopping cart of items he found. The dining set Cornelius first offered did indeed fit the aesthetic he wants for his new apartment, there was a matching set of a teapot and tea cups with golden trim, old license plates chained together for a wall decoration, even a glass bodied lamp giving off a soft light.
When the coffee reached the middle of the mug the young man was turning the corner into another aisle-way when he saw a soft green light in the corner of his eye. Turning to look for the source he approached the aisle the light was emitting from, only for it to dim away as he followed and entered the aisle. Charlie began scouring the shelves with an eagle's eye, looking for any hints of what could have possibly emitted that green glow. It was when he arrived in the middle that he saw an old hurricane lantern at eye level, it had white colored glass and a patina making it impossible to place from when it was made.
Charlie placed down his mug of coffee on one of the empty lower shelves, and picked up this antique lantern, turning it in his hands to see every angle of it. The lantern was covered in dust, with no labels or imprints revealing where it was made, it felt heavy, as if it was already full of fuel. With his curiosity burning Charlie holds the lantern in both hands and climbs the stairs to talk to Cornelius.
"Sir! I found this lantern downstairs..." He was greeted by an empty apartment and a note on the table.
'Gone to buy food for dinner. -Cornelius'