I got on the bus. I took the bus to the mall. At the mall, I did some shopping. I went into the store. The sales clerk asked me, "May I help you?" I replied, "No, thank you. I'm just looking." I looked around the store. I couldn't find what I wanted. I asked someone, "Could you tell me where the Men's Department is?" He replied, "I'm sorry. I don't know." I said to him, "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you worked here." He said, "I get that a lot." I smiled and moved on.
I decided to try asking again. This time, I checked to see if the person was wearing a name tag. And then I said, "Excuse me. Do you work here?" And she replied, "Yes I do. May I help you?" I said, "Yes. I'm looking for the Men's Clothing Department. Could you tell me where it is?" "Certainly," she said. "Go down this aisle. Turn right at the jewelry counter. You'll see Men's Clothing on the left." I asked her, "Do I turn before or after I reach the jewelry counter?" "Just before," she answered. I smiled politely and said, "Thank you." "No problem," she said. "No problem for you," I thought. I walked down the aisle. I couldn't find the jewelry counter. I couldn't find the Men's Department. But I did find the exit. So I left the store.
Next, I went to a smaller store. I asked the attendant outside, "How do I enter your store?" She said, "You're already in the store." "I am?" I said with surprise. She gave me a wink. I gave her a strange look. I felt really uncomfortable. She looked away. I walked away.
I wondered where I should go next. Then I heard a sound. At first, I wasn't sure what I was hearing. I walked in the direction of the sound. The sound grew louder, so I knew I was getting closer. The sound I was hearing never stopped. It was not music. It was not conversation. It was not the sound of a car. It did not sound like a machine. And then when I saw what was making the sound, I realized it was water. It was a fountain at the center of the mall.
When I reached the fountain, I knew it was not the Fountain of Youth. I looked down and I could not see my reflection. But what I did see, surprised me. It was a fountain of money! There were hundreds of coins in the fountain. I became overjoyed and delighted.
Just as I was about to take off my shoes and jump into the fountain to collect my fortune, I realized something. Nobody else at the mall is taking the coins. Nobody else seems to care that the bottom of the fountain is covered with coins.
So I calmly walked away from the fountain. I left the mall. I took the bus home. And I decided never to return to that mall again.
