The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Edge of Oblivion

Chapter Four: Cat Food, Carts, and Conundrum’s

READ FIRST: (All adult warning from chapter one are still in effect and binding so if you haven’t read them do so before proceeding. Copyright W.A.C. © 2000 this work “Edge of Oblivion” and all it’s components and or related materials.)

I.

When all hell broke loose it was subtle at first. Edge was determined to shut out the disturbing sounds coming from behind him. But as he drove the cart, in apparent slow motion now, towards Mrs. Prune Face he could see the expression on her face go from disinterested irregularity (not enough prunes and fiber) to something akin to disgust, revulsion, then finally abject horror. He knew she was no longer watching him but something going on in one of the aisles. He reached the checkout in time to see her expression lapse suddenly and weirdly back into apathy. She looked at him briefly, and matter of factually began ringing up the items in his cart like she had never observed “anything” out of the ordinary. Bourbon remained uneffected and just stared at him, apparently impatiently waiting. Edge looked at the old lady again and sighed. The hair on his neck was standing up. There just wasn’t any way she didn’t hear all that commotion going on in her quiet little store. She checked through the last item. “Cash or charge?” She said “charge” with a hint of contempt, which was the only sign of any emotion. Lots of old timers hate all those new fangled credit card doo-dads he thought to himself. “Cash,” he said uneasilly. Edge couldn’t help but look at her as he said it. Now she looked downright tranquil, like she had been very heavily sedated. Something crashed loudly in the back of the store. She didn’t flinch. She just waited for him to pay his bill. He looked across to the old man. He just continued reading his newspaper. A simple matter of a bathroom key had been a big production number, but somehow someone howling like a banshee and tearing the place up didn’t trigger even the batting of an eyelid? Bourbons body language (as far as one can ascertain a cats body language) seemed to be saying: “Not even a little curious?” The woman behind the cash register took no notice of Bourbon, but that wasn’t unexpected considering his questionable existence. Edge found his well honed survival instincts were kicking in, even through the mother of all hangovers, and that was disturbing. And those instincts were telling him in no uncertain terms he either needed to get out of there now or get himself turned around. Whatever was going on, it shouldn’t have his back. The “sounds” increased to a level that couldn’t be ignored. The store keepers ignored them. And the sounds were unmistakable. Edge imagined someone on the intercom: “We are currently running a special on pork chops and orgies in aisle three while supplies last.” Edge sighed. The room couldn’t decide whether to close in or spin. Edge felt his options, if he had ever really had any, slip away. “I’ll be right back,” he told the old woman, setting down his bag. “I uh.. forgot something.” She simply shrugged. He turned the cart around and wheeled it towards the strangest scene he had ever seen. The damaged wheel hindered his progress. Kathump! In the minute it took him reach aisle three Edge had an eternity to think about how the situation had spiralled so subtly out of his control in the short time he had been in the market. Kathump! How taking this defective cart against Bourbons strong suggestion to the contrary had slowed his shopping. Kathump! How this one otherwise insignificant non event had become somehow a turning point upon which his entire future and fate hung. Kathump! How one bad wheel had prevented him from getting out of the store before one minute sooner. Kathump! How fate had acted on that wheel. Kathump! How serendipity and fate had conspired, snowballed, created a domino-like chain of events that once he had taken that cart was unstoppable. Kathump! Kathump! Kathump! As he turned the corner and entered aisle three it all became clear. Fate had once again given him the finger, and try as he might he had been tricked into playing a part in the grander scheme of things. Against his will, through manipulation. And as usual; Bourbon had been the catalyst, the trick, the trump card, he could always be forced to play. He took that cart for one reason and one reason only; Bourbon had told him not too. He never took carts with bad wheels. But; to prove he had control over, (if nothing else) this one tiny aspect of his life. That, that damned cat wasn’t in charge. Wasn’t going to tell him what to do.... He had taken the cart that kept him in the store, had delayed him all because Bourbon had happily played his own pre-determined, fated, even scripted part. Bourbon was more than a cat, Bourbon was the deus ex machina, the plot advancing element acting on Edge’s entire life. It was all so... so... clear. But that didn’t change anything. Edge stood behind his shopping cart at one end of aisle three, where the universe had conspired to place him at this exact moment, and that was the simple final undeniable reality of it.