Warning: Prums

The station mall bustled with busy dragons. Shoulders brushed into each other at rush hour. Glaring white lights complimented the reflections of food and goods from the display windows.

A souvenir shop sold Sayama tea with sweet potato-based confectionaries. Steaming meat buns released their scent from glass display shelves. Burgers, chickens, and potato wedges from the company shops mixed into the aroma.

Drool pooled at the sides of Jorseph’s snout. His teeth clicked with hunger. The strong scent of savory food reminded Jorseph that he hadn’t finished his lunch. Being that strange creature had left him with such a weak appetite. And when he suddenly changed back his full stomach felt empty again. Changing forms twice today left him aching. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this tired.

Dodging scales, arms, claws, and snouts only made him hungrier. He tried to keep up with his mom and not lose her. It wasn’t her fault he was so hungry because she gave him more than enough money for a good lunch of his choice. The way back to their apartment wasn’t difficult and he still had enough money for the train, but he’d rather avoid another scolding.

Behind the glass doors to the clothes and make-up, the temperature of the mall moderated slightly. A slight flow of cooler air from the ceiling kept the scale polish shining and prevented some of the waxes from melting. The dry air kept the intense summer humidity off the clothing.

In that earlier form, Jorseph would have been overheating even here. As a dragon, it felt slightly cool until his body adjusted. Sneakers of various colors and patterns were on display. Jorseph’s eyes settled on a black pair with a lightning bolt down the side. The insides had special claw indents and a scale massaging liner. The liner compressed to hold the footwear to the thinner structure of dragon feet and used claws to anchor. Jorseph flipped the sneakers to check for claw extension openings.

His mother put the sneakers back on the display counter, “We can’t afford those. I have a toilet that I’m going to pay for in instalments because of you.”

“I said I didn’t break it. Why don’t you believe me? You don’t believe anything I say.”

“I believe you when you tell me the full story. Otherwise, no, you get nothing from me except for new sneakers.”

“Well, then, why don’t you buy me these Gold Hoards I want? I’ve been asking for them for over a month now.”

“And all the money from your allowance, all the money I saved to buy them for you, and a good deal more will be going to pay for Mr. Graberson’s toilet. You’re getting Prums.”

Jorseph could already hear his classmates singing on the first day of fall semester: Prums, they look like fat limes! Prums, they make your scales ooze plastic slime!

“Prums. Can’t we get the Ragnorok or even the Adonis. Anything but Prums!”

A dragon in blue formal shirt with a long tie patterned with classy shoe print held his jacket over his back as he approached them. A grin stretched over his Maw as he leaned his shoulder against the support pillar, “Hey, Avelina, it’s been a long time since you stopped by. I missed you. You bought Jorseph this time. Does this mean you’re here on business?” He glanced down at the barely holding together sneakers, “I mean, those look like they’ve seen better days.”

“He’s hard on footwear. You know how boys are.”

“Oh do I ever. Have anything in mind? Need a recommendation? Or just want some time to look around?”

Jorseph interrupted, “We want the-” a claw wrapped his snout, “Hrmmmpphhh.”

“Prums!” Avelina said emphatically, “If you have any on clearance that would be perfect. Style doesn’t matter. As long they fit and won’t misalign his claws, I’ll be happy. I really need the cheapest thing you have.”

“Got it, cheapest thing we have. I think we have some rejected stock that just arrived in the back. Seriously ugly Prums. Pretty much guaranteed to lower your status to snail level the minute you’re seen wearing them.”

Jorseph snorted.

Avelina’s snout scrunched as her eyes narrowed. Claws opened as she released her son’s snout, “Okay Horrick, that’s fine. The commentary isn’t helping.”

Jorseph’s claw ran along the scrunched scales as they returned to their original shape, “When I’m five hundred, I’m still going to remember this day. I’m going to tell my hatchlings how my own mother humiliated me.”

“Good. That’s what you get for vandalism and lying. I want the lesson to stick.”

Horrick came back with a purple, orange, and lime plastic box. Inside were rounded sneakers with lime green, orange, and purple patterned junk plastic exteriors. Being made with junk plastic meant Prums were environmentally friendly. They smelled like plastic bottles filled with corn.

Jorseph suffered the indignity of trying them on. The laughter of the first day at school rang in his ears. The foot foam held well, but he couldn’t use his claws without damaging them. The swollen skins made his feet look shiny and bloated. Prums were glorified clown shoes.

Head tilted ever so slightly upwards. His snout quivered, then drooped. Tail rested to give a few sad taps. A slight huff of warm air escaped his nostrils as his mane went down.

Avelina quivered, but then firmed, “We’ll take them. They’re perfect.”

“That’ll be fourteen horde credits plus tax. In total, twenty horde credits and thirteen bones.”

The card came out of her purse, “Sold!”

Jorseph covered his eyes.

“Okay, let me just get them back in the box and go back to mark inventory,” Horrick said, “We’ll have you along the way with your brand new Prums.”

Fists clenched as Jorseph tapped the floor in his beaten sneakers that weren’t Prums, “I’m not wearing them. I’ll keep wearing these.”

“I bought them. You’ll wear them. And maybe they’ll give you a chance to think about your behavior lately. I swear if you even think about purposely damaging them, I will… I don’t know, but you’ll regret it.”

“I’ll just wear my school shoes outdoors.”

“If you dare, I’ll burn you to a crisp.”

The garishly bright orange, purple, and lime green box made from recycled trash plastic slapped the counter. Jorseph gulped at the sight of it. Even being seen carrying that box on the train would half his social credit score. He felt a bit light headed. The Gold Hoards he’d been lucky enough to touch and get a sniff of earlier were already missing. Wait, someone already bought them? But they were listed at three hundred and thirty credits.

The credit card swiped across the register. His mom paid for the shoes and handed him the box. Horrick smiled at Jorseph and gave Avelina a wink, “You have a good mom kid, treat her right, okay.”

“Horrick…”

“What, I just said you’re a good mom. You are, so I’m just stating a fact.”

A growl at Horrick followed a push against Jorseph’s back, “Let’s go.”

They were back to the food stands when Jorseph sniffed again. It wasn’t the food. The box had a familiar scent that wasn’t corn plastic. It smelt like lightning burning nearby after a powerful storm. Jorseph peeked into the box to confirm his suspicions. It dropped on the floor and the cheap plastic lid popped open to reveal the etched wood crate containing Gold Hoards in Jorseph’s size.

Avelina caught sight of it and stiffened her posture. The box went tucked under her lowest left arm while a lower right hand wrapped Jorseph’s fingers, a middle right hand clutched his wrist, and the upper right hand grasped his arm. She marched him all the way back to the counter where an apologetic looking Horrick bowed politely.

“I’m not sure what happened but my boy is not a thief!”

Horrick bowed, “My deepest apologies. I put your Gold Hoards in the Prums box. We have a bunch of extra Prums boxes so I must have grabbed it in a hurry. I’ll just take that box. We really should fold them for recycling sooner.”

The receipt exchanged hands, “I bought Prums!”

“No, I’m pretty sure you bought Gold Hoards. Yep, it says here you bought Gold Hoards. You paid in Doubloons, three and three coppers.”

“I paid by card. What are you up to Horrick?”

“I’m so sorry about the mistake. I’ll take the Prums off your card. I really don’t see why you want them.”

“You paid for the Gold Hoards,” Avelina said, “Didn’t you?”

Jorseph squeezed the box with glistening eyes. Little puffs of fire escaped his nostrils. The wood crate containing the expensive sneakers groaned.

“You paid for them. You gave me the dubloons. Though if you want them refunded, well, we have a store credit refund policy. Do you want me to get your Prums or take them off your card?”

Avelina looked at her son and sighed. When she looked at Horrick she growled, “Take the Prums off the card.”

Jorseph kept mouthing, “Ask her. Ask her.”

The shoe patterned tie waved as Horrick swiped the card and processed the return, “All taken care of. So, about that second date. I know this great wagyu place in-”

“Absolutely not,” Avelina said, “Try not to make so many mistakes. If you weren’t the manager I’d complain.”

“I’m also the owner!”

Avelina waved goodbye without looking back at him.

Jorseph held his wooden crate with the Gold Hordes in his size as if it were a box of doubloons. Horrick had to be the absolute coolest man in the entire universe.