Be Kind and Rewind

Hallen’s Video Emporium was hopping tonight! There was a constant stream of car lights reflecting off the interior walls and I could hear the high-pitched ding of the bell over the entrance chiming repeatedly. It almost sounded like a song.

“Bill! Can you open the other register?” Cindy’s voice was shrill, almost frantic. From where I was, I could see that she already had a line of customers five deep, all with at least one VHS tape in hand. Most had a box of candy, too. M&Ms and Twizzlers were our biggest sellers – peanut M&Ms, not the plain.

Jackson set down a stack of a dozen or so VHS tapes in front of me. “Time to rewind, my friend,” he said.

I got down to business with only a slight groan and selected the rewind button, REW for short. I had been working at Hallen’s Video Emporium for one week, but I already felt overworked. I wish I had kept a tally of how many VHS tapes I had rewound since I started because I bet the number was astronomical!

The overhead lights flickered.

“When is Hallen going to get an electrician out here?” Bill looked up at the lights. “They have been flickering for a week now.”

Cindy shrugged her shoulders. “You know him, it’ll be a month from now.”

After a solid hour of customers, the store was finally quiet. All the VHS tapes were rewound and back on the shelves, ready for the next round of customers to borrow them. We were all gathered at the front counter with Cokes and a bucket of popcorn. When the owner, Dan Hallen, came in two nights ago to check on things he told everyone that he didn’t mind us lounging about if everything was taken care of. Dan had wheeled in a brand-new popcorn machine, one of those fancy, red ones on wheels and said that employees could have as much popcorn as they wanted if they didn’t use all the butter. So far, Jackson and Cindy had taken full advantage of this freebie.

The lights flickered again, this time no one even flinched.

Cindy wiggled her eyebrows as she pulled a small, thumb sized vial from her jean jacket pocket. “You guys want to test out my magic potion?” She pulled a stool up to one corner of the counter.

“I don’t know,” Bill said, “after the Ouija board incident last weekend I’m not sure I want to risk it.” He looked down at his feet, refusing to meet Cindy’s gaze.

“Nothing happened, Bill!” Cindy threw her hands into the air and rolled her eyes. “The VCR was brand new. I had literally just plugged it in for the first time before we even had the Ouija board out of the box. Machines make weird noises all the time when you first plug them in!”

Bill looked up and tilted his head slightly, his eyebrows raised. “It sounded like it was talking, Cindy. You heard it, too. I saw the look on your face.”

“I got caught up in the moment is all, Bill. It was just a game.” Cindy casually started throwing popcorn at Bill and smiled. “Besides, this is not the Ouija board – it’s a magic potion.”

“I’m down to try your magic potion.” Jackson pulled up a stool next to Cindy at the counter. Everyone knew that Jackson had a crush on Cindy, so it was no surprise that he agreed to go along with whatever crazy idea she brewed up.

Cindy beamed and readjusted herself on the stool. “This oil is guaranteed to allow the user to control time.” She leaned forward slightly and set the vial down carefully on the counter. It was a greenish-blue color, like algae in a pond. It had a slight glittery hue to it, especially when the light of the overhead fluorescent bulbs hit it.

Bill rolled his eyes as he grabbed a third stool and dragged it over. “Fine,” he muttered, “let’s do this, but don’t say I didn’t try to warn you guys.”

I held my position, sitting on the corner of the counter right beside the display of peanut M&Ms. I hadn’t seen the entire Ouija board incident last week, but I had seen the aftermath and frankly I was shocked that Bill and Cindy were even talking anymore. He seemed really scared when I saw him, even refusing to touch the Ouija board at that point. Cindy had made fun of him even though I swear she looked pale as milk.

“Where did you get this stuff?” Jackson was bent over eyeing up the contents of the vial.

Cindy pulled a small piece of paper out of her pocket and unfolded it. “Rebecca.”

Bill rolled his eyes again. “Rebecca? The same woman who gave you the Ouija board? Great.” He sat back and folded his arms across his chest.

“Now,” Cindy sat up a bit straighter, ignoring Bill’s comment, “here’s how this works. I will read the spell out loud and while I am doing that you guys will shut your eyes and focus on the vial. Picture the vial, imagine the oil forming itself into a giant clock that you have complete control over. When I say the words repeat after me you all will chant let it be done three times.”

“Then what?” Bill still seemed nervous, but he was also obviously curious.

Cindy set the paper down and rubbed her hands together. “Then one of us will have control over time.”

Bill raised his eyebrows, “well, that seems vague, but whatever. Let’s just do this before a customer comes in and thinks we are trying to summon a demon or something.”

Cindy smirked and shrugged her shoulders. “I’m ready! I need you guys to shut your eyes and focus on the vial.”

A quiet settled over the store. The lights flickered, but this time they only enhanced the spooky atmosphere.

Cindy began to speak, her voice steady as she read from the paper, “time is like a river, flowing, making its own path. Many have tried to control the current of time, but all have failed.” She held up the vial and continued, “the oil in this vial is made of the tears of the god, Chronos. He is, and has been, the protector and the watcher of time from the very beginning. Whoever is anointed with these tears of Chronos will be blessed to control time, but only if they genuinely believe.”

Cindy paused and said, “repeat after me, you guys. Let it be done. Let it be done. Let it be done.” Jackson and Bill’s voices joined in with Cindy’s. I remained quiet, watching.

Cindy uncorked the vial. Just as they finished chanting the phrase for the third time, the ding of the front door made Cindy jump off her stool, spilling the contents of the vial all over the counter, including me. Somehow, she managed to miss herself, Jackson, and Bill. The oil was thick and smelled remotely of fish.

They scrambled to clean up the mess, grabbing a roll of paper towels under the counter while the customer returned Back to the Future in the drop box and headed to browse the shelves. He looked at us as he passed by, his forehead furrowed, perhaps sensing that he had just walked into a very strange scene.

Jackson gave me the VHS tape and said, “Be kind and rewind, old buddy.”

I selected REW, but some of the oil from the vial had dripped inside and there was a strange gargling sound followed by a puff of black smoke. I choked up a little from the smoke, but the tape continued rewinding. After a minute or two, there was another rumble and the tape automatically started to play.

The lights flickered, but this time something shifted in the air.

Cindy wiggled her eyebrows at Jackson and Bill as she pulled a small vial from her jean jacket pocket. “You guys want to test out my magic potion?” She pulled a stool up to one corner of the counter.

“I don’t know,” Bill said, “after the Ouija board incident last weekend I’m not sure I want to risk it.” He looked down at his feet…

Wait. What was happening? This conversation had already happened before, like tonight was stuck on repeat. Before Cindy could explain to Bill one more time how he had overreacted about the voice in the VCR, I took action.

I attempted to stop the VHS tape and as I did so I accidentally selected the PAUSE /STILL button. It was then that I noticed that the tape had indeed paused, but everything else in Hallen’s Video Emporium had paused too! Cindy, Jackson, Bill, and the lone customer were all frozen in place.

I selected PLAY and everyone and everything started moving again.

Curious, I selected FF to fast forward, and I stifled a laugh as everyone began to move rapidly around the store. I had never seen Jackson work so quickly!

I quickly selected PAUSE/STILL, more amused than surprised at this point.

Well, well, well, the magic vial had worked! This was going to come in handy around here, that’s for sure. No more long shifts for me! I was going to take as many breaks as I wanted!

I selected PLAY again and Cindy looked at me. “Oh shit!” her eyes grew wide. “Guys! Get over here!”

Jackson and Bill rushed over, and they all stared at me. “Old man Hallen is going to fire me!” Cindy put her hands over her eyes. “That oil I spilled got in the new VCR he bought last week!”

“Should we throw it out?” Jackson asked. “Hallen bought a second one because they were on sale. He wouldn’t even know if we just replaced it.” He reached underneath the counter and pulled out a VCR still in the box. He set it down on the counter and started to tear open one end.

I selected PAUSE/STILL.

They paused, frozen in time.

I contemplated my current predicament. Yes, I’ll admit it. Cindy’s Ouija board “game” last week had brought me through from the other side. Bill had been scared and rightfully so. He had heard the VCR talk that night. What he didn’t realize was that I was just trying to say hello. I didn’t mean to scare him. Yes, hurtling into a VCR wasn’t ideal – a human body would have been better. It would have been a lot easier to make friends, that’s for sure. No one would be afraid if a person talked, but a VCR trying to communicate was a whole other matter. But beggars couldn’t be choosers and there were perks to inhabiting a VCR. I got to watch all the movies I wanted!

I had to find a way to stay right here.

If I could rewind to just before Cindy spilled the oil maybe I could change things. There was no way I could allow these meddling teenagers to unplug and replace me. I would have to go back to the Other Place and I didn’t want that.

I selected REW, but the oil had jammed up the electronics and instead the PLAY feature was engaged. I did my best to select any other button to get this scene to stop, but the oil had really done a number on my inner workings.

I watched in horror as Bill reached for the plug and pulled it free from the outlet.

The lights flickered once last time.