"It wasn't a van," Mary insisted.
"It sounds just as sketchy as one," muttered Haley.
"No, it was just this little shop where you went to the window, said what you wanted, and handed over your ID and money. Then the guy disappeared and came back with what you wanted. It was quaint."
"No, quaint is when the shop is cute and little and has a small selection. Quaint is not a shop where you can't even see the selection and some dude just takes your ID and money away."
"He gives the ID back," Mary explained, as though that made it less odd.
"When else do stores take your ID away with them?"
Mary did not have an answer for Haley with that one. "It wasn't a van though," Mary added quietly.
"Okay but you just said it was somewhere around the square and was just like a hole in the wall. Are you sure it wasn't just a van parked somewhere?"
"No I think I know the place she's talking about," David suddenly chimed in, having stayed quiet during the ridiculous conversation until that moment.
Haley made a face of mock-betrayal. How could David end the joke this early? "You know the van?"
David smiled, "Sure, yes, the van."
As the three continued down the dark street, the hum of the city filled the comfortable silence. From around a dark corner, a van careened on the street and pulled over just ahead of the group.
"Is...that the van?" Haley tried to joke.
The van's window slid open and a man with a raggedy beard and some missing teeth stuck his head out of the window. "I gots gin," he said, grinning in a way that was not malicious, but was somehow still unsettling.
The three friends looked at each other, unsure what to do. Haley decided to speak seeing that the other two weren't mustering any words. "We're quite alright, thank you, sir."
"I made it in me bathtub."
"Really, we're fine."
"Oh no, no, girly. Not my home bathtub, that would not be clean. I have a bathtub in my van."
David decided now was the time to interject, "Let's try it."
"You want to try van bathtub gin?" Haley asked, bewildered.
"When in Rome..." David offered as an explanation.
"We're not in Rome," Haley said in an annoyed, and far too loud, whisper.
"It's a figure of speech," David replied as he approached the van.
"I can't believe you were teasing me for buying from a small liquor shop, but you're just letting David buy from an actual van," Mary said.
"You want to try and stop David from doing something crazy, go ahead and try."
David handed the man some money and his ID and then all three watched the man disappear into his van and return with a bottle of what was labeled 'Bathtub Gin.'
"Share with the nice ladies," the man said before driving off into the night.
David saluted the van as it left. He then turned back to his friends and asked, "So do we want to crack this open?"
In unison, the two women said, "No!"
"Oh come on, I spent five bucks on this."
"What bottle of gin costs that little?" asked Haley.
"An ideal one," replied David, tapping the tip of his nose.
"A poison one," Mary muttered.
"Why would a guy sell poison?"
"To make money," Haley pointed out.
"Poison has to be more expensive than gin," David said, looking at the bottle.
"Okay, fine, I'll try it," Mary said, reaching for the bottle.
David smiled and Haley looked horrified at her choice. Once Mary had the bottle, she examined it closely and then chucked it into the river.
Haley burst out laughing at David's horrified expression. "You almost hit a swan," he said, clearly forlorn about his lost bottle.
"Better the swan than us," giggled Haley.
"Must be weird to sleep as a swan," said David thoughtfully.
"What?" laughed Mary.
"I mean, you go to sleep one place and wake up in another."
"Sounds like a blackout," said Mary.
"Yeah the kind you'd get from van bathtub gin," giggled Haley.
"It could have been good," said David.
In unison once more, the two women said, "No!"
(Prompt by Maria Nikolaisen)
Photo source
"It sounds just as sketchy as one," muttered Haley.
"No, it was just this little shop where you went to the window, said what you wanted, and handed over your ID and money. Then the guy disappeared and came back with what you wanted. It was quaint."
"No, quaint is when the shop is cute and little and has a small selection. Quaint is not a shop where you can't even see the selection and some dude just takes your ID and money away."
"He gives the ID back," Mary explained, as though that made it less odd.
"When else do stores take your ID away with them?"
Mary did not have an answer for Haley with that one. "It wasn't a van though," Mary added quietly.
"Okay but you just said it was somewhere around the square and was just like a hole in the wall. Are you sure it wasn't just a van parked somewhere?"
"No I think I know the place she's talking about," David suddenly chimed in, having stayed quiet during the ridiculous conversation until that moment.
Haley made a face of mock-betrayal. How could David end the joke this early? "You know the van?"
David smiled, "Sure, yes, the van."
As the three continued down the dark street, the hum of the city filled the comfortable silence. From around a dark corner, a van careened on the street and pulled over just ahead of the group.
"Is...that the van?" Haley tried to joke.
The van's window slid open and a man with a raggedy beard and some missing teeth stuck his head out of the window. "I gots gin," he said, grinning in a way that was not malicious, but was somehow still unsettling.
The three friends looked at each other, unsure what to do. Haley decided to speak seeing that the other two weren't mustering any words. "We're quite alright, thank you, sir."
"I made it in me bathtub."
"Really, we're fine."
"Oh no, no, girly. Not my home bathtub, that would not be clean. I have a bathtub in my van."
David decided now was the time to interject, "Let's try it."
"You want to try van bathtub gin?" Haley asked, bewildered.
"When in Rome..." David offered as an explanation.
"We're not in Rome," Haley said in an annoyed, and far too loud, whisper.
"It's a figure of speech," David replied as he approached the van.
"I can't believe you were teasing me for buying from a small liquor shop, but you're just letting David buy from an actual van," Mary said.
"You want to try and stop David from doing something crazy, go ahead and try."
David handed the man some money and his ID and then all three watched the man disappear into his van and return with a bottle of what was labeled 'Bathtub Gin.'
"Share with the nice ladies," the man said before driving off into the night.
David saluted the van as it left. He then turned back to his friends and asked, "So do we want to crack this open?"
In unison, the two women said, "No!"
"Oh come on, I spent five bucks on this."
"What bottle of gin costs that little?" asked Haley.
"An ideal one," replied David, tapping the tip of his nose.
"A poison one," Mary muttered.
"Why would a guy sell poison?"
"To make money," Haley pointed out.
"Poison has to be more expensive than gin," David said, looking at the bottle.
"Okay, fine, I'll try it," Mary said, reaching for the bottle.
David smiled and Haley looked horrified at her choice. Once Mary had the bottle, she examined it closely and then chucked it into the river.
Haley burst out laughing at David's horrified expression. "You almost hit a swan," he said, clearly forlorn about his lost bottle.
"Better the swan than us," giggled Haley.
"Must be weird to sleep as a swan," said David thoughtfully.
"What?" laughed Mary.
"I mean, you go to sleep one place and wake up in another."
"Sounds like a blackout," said Mary.
"Yeah the kind you'd get from van bathtub gin," giggled Haley.
"It could have been good," said David.
In unison once more, the two women said, "No!"
(Prompt by Maria Nikolaisen)
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