It was an expensive wheelbarrow, and all padded out to make it more comfortable.
They had found a new shop to visit. The security man standing at the entrance of the supermarket, looking very much like a soldier, gave them an odd look as they approached, then took out a handkerchief and held it to his nose. The girl was used to this sort of behaviour and just rolled right on past him, into the store.
Halfway down the first aisle she stopped to look at the magnificent selection of sandwich spreads in tiny jars. She was peering at one of the labels, asking it if it fancied a little tuna and lobster spread on its meat, when a fellow shopper tripped over the appendage.
The girl bent down and lifted its tail and tucked it back in next to it.
“So sorry!” she said.
The other woman sniffed indignantly and walked on.
“Do try to keep it in with you,” she said and wheeled them forward again
She had no real intention of buying anything, she just liked looking at all of the things on the shelves.
It began running its claws down the sides of the barrow, making a horrible screeching noise.
“Don’t do that Pungus,” I’ve asked you before, it only brings attention to us.
It wriggled and grunted a couple of times, as a sign of not being happy.
She stopped to look back down the aisle. In an effort to cheer it up, she said, “Do you think you would like anchovy sandwich spread instead? It‘s on special this week. I could probably afford to actually buy a small jar.”
Pungus growled and shook its head.
Just as she was about to suggest another flavour, someone said, “Magnificent horns!”
The girl turned, “Pardon?”
An old man stood staring into the wheelbarrow, looking the creature over. “I said your, umm, your companion, has magnificent horns.”
“Oh! Thank you. Did you hear that Pungus?”
It nodded enthusiastically and gave a big smile, bearing all of its long yellow fangs.
‘And those eyes, do they always glow orange like that?
“Yes, most of the time. If it gets angry they go red.”
Just then, the enormous thing in the wheelbarrow threw its head back and let out a deafening belch, which materialised as a huge cloud of blue mist that slowly rose up to the ceiling. At this point the store’s alarm went off, and this was followed shortly by all of the overhead sprinklers starting up and spraying down, soaking everything.
“Oh! No!” she yelled, as she ran out into the street, along with all the other shoppers.
She almost ran with the barrow to get away before too many questions could be asked. Eventually she stopped and caught her breath. Her love of perusing shop shelves was so often cut short like this. It was some sort of reaction she supposed.
After a short rest, she went looking for another shop.