THE CHRONICLES OF MERTH - MER'S DAY OUT CHAPTER EIGHT

Anfina led me through the door marked 'private', quietly closing it behind her. As I looked around the room, I couldn't understand why on Merth it should be private. There was nothing here except boxes. Boxes and boxes. A big pile of boxes.
Anfina closed the door and turned to me. I was still unable to tear my eyes from her perfect face.
"Are you a model?" I asked.
"No," said Anfina. She left the door and went over to the boxes. "I am a Stock Builder. I buy stock and then I sell that stock to people who need it."
"I work for someone else who does that," I told her. "Rubean Harpwit."
"Ah, yes. Rubean Harpwit. My old buddy." I saw tears welling in Anfina's eyes. "Rubean and I worked together as Stock Builders. We earned fifty per cent each of the earnings we made each week. And then, it went wrong."
The tears in Anfina's eyes swelled over and she was crying.
"Rubean didn't seem to think it was fair we earned fifty per cent of the earnings. He seemed to think he should have got more, because the company was owned under his name, legally."
"What did you do?" I asked.
"Well, I had to leave, didn't I? Couldn't work with a miser like him now, could I?"
"I suppose not."
"So I had to start my own business. Anfina's Stocks, I call it."
She wiped the tears from her face. Then she smiled at me. My heart melted. It was a nice smile. I felt all warm inside when I saw that smile.
"So, Mer, how much does Rubean pay you for delivering?"
"Wel, this delivery is only my first job, but Rubean's promised to pay me seventy Dreckels."
"Seventy Dreckels? Is that all?" Anfina placed two hands on my head. Again, a warm feeling seeped through me.
"If you come and work for me, not only won't you be not a delivery boy, but you'll work alongside me. Buying stock. And you'll earn sixty - nay - seventy-five per cent of what is earned in a week."
I thought about my options. One, I wanted to carry on working with Rubean, because he seemed a fair boss, and two, Felps and Dibs were really fun guys.
But then again, working for Anfina seemed a doddle as well. Seventy-five per cent! Rubean said he usually make about five hundred Dreckels in one week. If Anfina made the same amount, then I would get at least three hundred Dreckels.
I battled it out in my mind. I decided to stay loyal.
"Sorry, lady," I said. "I love working with Rubean."
"I see," said Anfina.
She opened up omne of the boxes and held out a brown circular something.
"Do you know what this is?" She asked.
"Er, a chocolate oatcircle?" I asked.
"Correction. I understand you want to stay loyal to Rubean, but be warned. If he ever promotes you to work alongside him, say no. He'll con you the way he conned me. Stay a happy delivery boy. Take this chocolate oatcircle as an apology for wasting your time."
This is the part of the story where I should've kept my big mouth shut. But then I made the worst mistake of my life.
"Thanks," I said, taking the oatcircle, and I opened the door to the shop.
I don't know why, but the door wouldn't open! I pulled and I pushed, but still the door wouldn't open. I turned to Anfina for help.
"The door is locked," she said, simply.
"Huh? Why?"
"Once you get offered a job from me, you must take it."
Anfina opened up another box and I squealed as she pulled out a skull.
"This is the skull of the last person who refused to work alongside me!"
She held up her hand, pointed to the wall opposite me, and flames came flying out of her fingertips!
"Okay," I squeaked. "I'll take the job."
"There's a good boy. Now, come. Our chariot awaits!"

Meanwhile...

Hello Mum and Dad,
Still out looking for Mer. As you've guessed I havn't found him yet. I've looked everywhere. At the moment, I'm staying with a clan of Woslings. They're very dear, and tomorrow, they've promised to help me find Mer.
Love from Juniper

Mitha sat staring into the fire. Karina sat opposite him, sewing a hole she'd
found in her sock this morning. She put down the sock to take a break, and watched her husband for a few minutes. He was staring at the fire crackling so loudly. Few bits of paper were burning.
"Mitha?"
He grunted.
"Do you think we'll ever see Mer again?"
Grunt.
"What about Juniper?"
Silence. Then Mitha got up from hisseat and just stalked off upstairs.
Karina sighed. These past few days had been difficult for the pair of them. First Mer had been kidnapped when thespaceship got stolen, then he'd rung later on that day to say he'd made a new life. And then Juniper ran away, to look for him.
Mitha was really upset when he'd discovered that the ship had gone - with Mer still inside. But when Juniper ran off, he didn't seem that bothered. Then she remembered what happened before Juniper ran off. He had joked around that he'd finall got the bedroom to himself at last, but Mitha had taken it the wrong way. Maybe that was it. Juniper had felt so guilty about what he'd said, so he'd ran off, to look for his brother.
Karina sighed. Then she packed her sewing kit away, and followed Mitha up the stairs.

A pair of Wosling twins twittered and giggled as they chased each other all around the tents.
I watched them for a while, then laid down on my bed and thought about the last few days. My brother Mer had been kidnapped when Dad's spaceship got stolen. Then later on that day, he got in contact, saying he'd started a new life, and wouldn't be coming home. Mum and Dad were upset about it. I was too, seeing as he was my brother, but it meant having my own bedroom at last. When I pointed this out though, Dad got narked with me. I felt really bad about what I'd said, that I decided, to show Dad I still loved my brother, to go and look for Mer.
I'd searched for him up in the mountaintops, where it snowed nonstop, and I had to seek refuge in a cave from poisonous animals like Sharpteethed Traggers and SwampWeed.
And then I'd the Woslings. Funny little creatures they were. Like large rats with the personality of the Savages from Long Ago. At first, they were interested in catching and eating me for dinner. But I'd learnt a bit of Savage language from the POK I went to, so I told them (in Savage speak) not to eat me. Surprisingly, they understood me, and took me under their wing.
At the moment, it was nighttime. The Wosling twins were shooed inside their tent by thier mother. My entertainment gone, I closed my eyes and tried to get some sleep...

Find out what happens next in Chapter Nine...