FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

You had always wondered whether the owner of a pocketwatch shop would know the kind of customers they'd inevitably end up attracting. There were shops that sold all kind of timepieces - which were probably safe, you thought - and then there were those who only sold pocketwatches.

They had to know, didn't they? If not for guessing, at least based on their experience.

Now, as you followed the silver-furred fox in front of you into the modest establishment, you couldn't help but notice that everything looked perfectly normal. For some reason, you had expected to see a big wooden disc with a spiral on it hanging at the top of the entrance door. Maybe a smirking shopkeeper with a tendency to let their merchandise sway left and right a bit more than was strictly necessary. Perhaps even a shady backroom...

There wasn't any of that. Just the plain-looking counter and a bored lady reading the newspaper who didn't even acknowledge both of you when you walked into the store.

There were, of course, dozens of showcases displaying the different kinds of pocketwatches. Some of them looked old and expensive - some others were more modern looking. You caught a glimpse of one that was made of brown leather. The next was black as coal.

And then, obviously, there were a bunch of silver and golden timepieces that were likely to glimmer in the light. Those were the classic ones. Even now, from behind the glass, you could imagine how they'd glisten as they swayed. It was quite an enticing mental image.

"There's a lot, right?" Danny asked. His tail was swishing back and forth excitedly and you could tell he'd been planning this trip for some time.

"Uh, yeah," you answered, pushing those intrusive thoughts aside. "Are you sure you will be able to pick just one?"

"Hmm. Actually, no. I might have to pick two. Or even three."

The lady from behind the counter licked her finger and turned one page. That, and the sound of a thousand pocketwaches ticking, was the only sound that filled the room as you proceeded to watch them all closely.

Danny spent a few seconds on each of them, trying to see them from every single angle as long as the showcase allowed him to. You followed him closely, but didn't pay too much attention to the pocketwatches. For some reason, you were a bit scared that staring at them for too long might have triggered an unexpected - or rather expected, depending on who you asked - result.

"Oh, this one's pretty," you mentioned when your eyes met an emerald pocketwatch. It looked expensive too, so you weren't sure either of you could afford it.

"Hmm, yeah. I'm going for something a bit more classic, though. Can I pick them up to look more closely?" the silver fox asked, turning to the bored lady.

She made a gesture that could have been either a 'no' or a 'yes'. Danny decided to go for the latter, probably because it suited his interests better, and he gently slid the glass to one side. The one that had caught his attention was silver - quite the classic pocketwatch, you thought, just like he'd said.

He picked it carefully with one paw and held it closer. You took a pick from behind, looking over his shoulder. There was a beautiful engraving that filled the back of the pocketwatch completely - it looked like a tree, and its leaves seemed to be made of different metals that intertwined together to form the trunk. It was appropriate, you thought, for leaves tended to dangle just like pocketwatches did.

It was impossible to think of a pocketwatch and not imagine it dangling. And once that image got into your brain, it was kind of difficult to get rid of it.

Was it because of your exposure to this kind of material? Was it because of the unbearably constant ticking all around you, that suggested a pendulum moving left and right in an ancient wall clock? Was it because it wasn't the first time that Danny had put you under and being close to him already made you susceptible to these thoughts?

You weren't sure. The good thing was that you hadn't fallen asleep yet, at least, so you had nothing to worry about. Focusing on the ticking and having that mental image of the pocketwatch swaying wasn't enough to put you under, so there was no reason to be nervous. You could relax. Not in a way that would make you nice and suggestible, of course - but the other way. The non-hypnotic way to relax. They were a different thing. Definitely.

Besides, there was no way something like that could happen. Not in that store. Even though they probably knew the kind of customers they were attracting. They had to. It was the kind of customers that would fantasize about pocketwatches dangling from someone's paw as words were whispered and thoughts about pocketwatches moved back and forth. The kind that would forget afterwards.

Right?

"Right, pup?" Danny asked, turning to you.

You snapped out of your weird inner monologue and tried to remember what he'd been saying. You hadn't been paying too much attention.

"It's beautiful," you agreed, hoping that was what he'd been asking you.

He smiled. It looked like you'd made Danny happy, which was always a good thing. Hopefully, he wouldn't know you hadn't been listening to him. And he seemed to have made his mind about the pocketwatch, so he paid on the counter and you left the store.

As soon as you stepped outside, a relieved sigh escaped your lips. Good thing nothing happened, you told yourself. It would have been so embarrassing.

Inside the store, the bored lady turned another page and wondered why the disoriented-looking dog had been staring into a corner, glassy-eyed, as his friend whispered soft words into his ears. It wasn't the first time that had happened, either. She had been getting all kinds of weird customers lately.

There must be something about this shop that I'm missing, she thought.