56. Perfume

Perfume. Fragrance. Cologne. Sellah coughed wretchedly but discreetly into her handkerchief. What horrid, horrid things. Sellah could not understand for the world of her why someone would want to smell like that.

It was downright disgusting. Certainly, the bottles were quite pretty glass trinket things, twinkling in the showlights. But those were to lure one in. They were designed to sparkle and catch the wandering customer's eye. Mesmerized by the shinning glass, the customer would stop and admire the bottle. The merchant, ever so smooth, would pick up instantly and launch into a ever persuasive speech designed to sell the product. One would become interested and inquire. The merchant would answer and encourage in order to build interest. But then the bottles begin to loose their twinkling glory up close and the coy little glitterings become glares when one stares straight at them. The merchant becomes desperate and offers a sample. A sample? One cannot resist. Oh go on, the customer says. The manager dabs a bit onto the customer's wrist...

"It was horrid, Missy. Absolutely horrid. I almost retched onto his shoes!"

Missy was doubled over with laughter. "Oh, Sellah, you're just not a normal girl are you?"