To the store.

Mrs. Robinson had prepared a concise list. Nothing new there.

A few decorations, chlorine, some beef tenderloin. Carl managed to pluck them from the aisles of the local supermarket with little trouble. He double-checked to ensure he wasn't forgetting anything as he pushed his cart into line.

Carl zoned out behind the waiting back of some older woman, thinking back to the web page. A friend of his, Jamal, had brought his attention to it. It was a repository for all types of mystical voodoo stuff. One of those things included channeling some kind of otherworldy power to see your every fantasy come true by conducting a forbidden ritual around a 'rock twice-turned and smooth faced.' Whatever that meant. Let's just say it was either vague as hell and torturous for deliberate douchery or it was just making everything up arbitrarily, which was even worse. That was his third rock that day. He fell through a thorn bush to get it. He'd like to say it was on purpose.

It looked like the perfect mystical sorta rock this time, at least. Had to make some kind of mini-genie appear out of thin air to say hi if nothing else.

Too bad he wasn't able to finish the rite in time... damn, he was close, too.

Assuming all that mumbo-jumbo was real, anyway...

The boy shook his head. He had to get back home soon. Give it another go.

While tucking his phone back into his pocket and mildly minding his business, however, something suddenly caught the unsuspecting hero's eye.