Happiness

Short story Friday again! This time it's creepy. I just can't write anything nice and pleasant about puppies, can I?

The man leaning against the wall of the darkened alleyway is wearing a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled low over his eyes. He reeks of suspicion, but Grace approaches him anyway.

He flashes her a bright smile. His eyes are open a little too wide and the smile drops off of his face later than it should. “How can I help you?” he says in a voice that lilts in a way that makes Grace nauseous.

“Are you selling Happiness?” Grace asks hesitantly. The man unnerves her.

The grin crawls back on his face. “Of course!” he says.

“H-how much?”

The man rattles of a series of prices and deals that make Grace blanch at the cost, but she has all ready resigned herself to get what she came for. “I’ll take two of Happiness,” she says, “And do you… happen too… maybe… sell any Hope?”

The dealer’s grin becomes uncomfortably wide. Another high price is stated. Grace gives him the money and he hands over two bright yellow bottles of liquid and one pink.

“Thank you,” she says and quickly hurries out of the alley. She barely makes it home before she collapses to her knees, unscrewing one of the yellow bottles with trembling fingers and swallowing its contents in two quick gulps.

The effect is instantaneous. Her despair, her sadness, is all gone. The only feeling is happiness. Happiness at everything. She listens to the crickets chirping in her rush to get home. What a wonderful sound they make! Happy crickets with their happy cricket sounds and everything is just great! She should make tea. She loves tea! Tea is delicious and it makes her so, so, HAPPY. She can’t remember why she was so upset earlier. She can’t remember ever being upset because right now is about the best she’s ever felt, ever. Wow, the sound the kettle makes when it’s hot is just like a little happy whistling sound. How nice of the kettle to alert her that the water is ready! Everything today is just wonderful and she is so happy to exist in such a wonderful world!

Grace stops. The water she is pouring from kettle overflows out the cup and the hot liquid spreads across the table. Tears stream down her face. The Happiness is gone. The sadness has come back. There is only one solution.

Her eyes lock onto the second bottle.