Shrugging his shoulders, the owner sighed and said, "She warns all newcomers to the area. They both lived out near the cape and she once said that newcomers disappeared when he was short on wild game."
Her eyes widened. "Are you saying she accused him of cannibalism?"
"Not in so many words," the owner said. "She just implied it. Now, what can I get you? We have some nice produce from the local farmers, including fresh produce, homemade jams using local, wild berries, pickled beets, and sauerkraut, in addition to the imported stuff."
********************
That had been about eleven months ago. Since then, everything had been fine, until about two weeks ago
She felt certain that it would be hazardous to one's health to venture outside without covering the mouth and nose for the duration. She was grateful that the chicken coop was close to the back door... and that she had a heavy scarf to wrap around the lower part of her face. Even then she had to wash the scarf every time she came back inside... because she feared it might have picked up something undesirable from the heavy moisture.
With goggles on her eyes... she wrapped a thick scarf around the rest of her face... then donned a rain jacket... zipped it up... and tied the hood tight around her head. She opened the door just enough to squeeze out through... closed it carefully behind her... and walked quickly to the car... which was only three feet away. Inside the car, she loosened the jacket and scarf... removed the goggles for better visibility... and started the car.
It was almost like driving blindfolded... she saw only brief glimpses of the road... and could only drive at a snail's pace. She probably could have run faster... but then she would be exposed to the moist darkness... which she feared could swallow her. The trip seemed to take forever... but as she got closer to town, the darkness seemed to lift slightly.
Finally, she arrived at the little grocery store... feeling exhausted from gripping the steering wheel so tightly. She could feel the beginning of a headache, as she got out and walked into the store. It was empty... no sign of the clerk or the owner. There was a bell on the counter to ring for service... she rang it... no response... she rang it again, several times... still no response. Maybe they couldn't hear it, she thought. She decided to forget the bell, and called out, "Hello." There was no answer... so she called louder, "Hello, is anyone here?"
She heard footsteps coming from the back, and the clerk appeared. "Sorry, I don't think the bell is working in back." She grabbed a paper towel and wiped her face and hands. Next, the owner appeared, his mouth as green as the clerk's had been. He also reached for the paper towels.
"Can I help you?" the clerk asked, her smile revealing teeth that were more green than white.
Trying hard not to stare, she managed a shaky giggle, "Oh... I thought... never mind," she stammered, then turned and hurried out the door. They called after her but she jumped in her car and took off... not back towards her house... but towards the highway...
"Don't eat the sauerkraut," the old lady had said. Now she knew what it meant. The store owner was the Seaweed Man. His sauerkraut was made from seaweed, and probably not under sterilized conditions. She pressed harder on the gas pedal. Maybe he wasn't into cannibalism, but she wasn't sticking around to find out.
