Mrs. Anderson's husband, Mr. Anderson, had the week off from his job, meaning that the two would be able to spend some time together. Their children were both at summer camp, and were, by all accounts, enjoying themselves. They finally had time to do the things they enjoyed but couldn't drag their children to, like go to the museums, see movies, and, their favorite, see one of the plays or operas being put on by the Salem Theater Association. It was days like these that Mrs. Anderson lived for, and she was quite grateful that she had what she considered a perfect life, and a perfect husband.
Mrs. Anderson was not a Salem native. The last eight years of her life here made the place feel like home. The only thing that ever made Mrs. Anderson question her sense of place here in Salem were the rare occasions that she caught a glimpse or happened to be within the vicinity of the dreaded Abner family. She'd always been taught to be wary of those edgy loser goths and other assorted rejects that wore all black and listened to dreadful music by her private-school teachers and parents, and had always assumed that the phase was relatively self-contained to high school students and Hot Topic employees. She nearly went over to an Abner and gave them a scolding the first time she happened to walk by one, though her husband, a local, hurried her away from the scene and was able to dissuade her from saying anything. "Those aren't goth kids all grown up, those are Abners. I don't know if they're vampires or warlocks or what, but they're weird, and everyone around here knows it's best not to upset them if you find them in your way."
Mrs. Anderson tried to be reasonable about this over the years. She usually tried to be polite and ignore the dark, macabre antics of the family whenever they came to town. But sometimes, she just couldn't stop those feelings from boiling over. She never got into a confrontation, but she would often whip herself into a frenzy, muttering under her breath and clenching her fists about those freaks and how they should just be normal.
So, when Mr. and Mrs. Anderson planned out their perfect week together, they took every pain imaginable to make sure that they would avoid seeing the Abners. Mr. Anderson had even come up with a contingency: if he spotted an Abner, he would make every subtle maneuver imaginable to either scare off the Abner or to prevent Mrs. Anderson from noticing the Abner in question.
Monday. The married couple took to the mall after a morning of coffee and exercise. They had a little bit of shopping they had been meaning to do, and Mrs. Anderson wanted her husband to update his wardrobe for the fall and winter. She had been chiding him about it for months, and, seeing as they had little else to do, Mr. Anderson acquiesced and let his wife give his wardrobe an overhaul. "If you wanted to play dress up you should have bought a ken doll instead of marrying me" he often said in response. It was something of a joke between the two of them at this point.
They had gone to their usual stores in the mall. They bought a few new pairs of pants and some sweaters at Macy's, and were moving on down the storefronts to see what else they might find when Mrs. Abner spotted something (or someone) across the mall. She could have sworn she saw one of those dreadful Abners, lurking near a Forever 21. Mrs. Anderson became quite agitated, her smile disappearing. As her husband tried to hurry her along, she craned her head to keep a close eye on the loathsome Abner. Curiously, the figure was gone. It must have just been a figment of your imagination, Mr. Anderson said, trying to calm her. You're seeing them everywhere. Can't you just relax and have a good time?
Mrs. Anderson tried to calm herself. No need to work herself up. It was probably just some edgy teenager dressing up. The Abners wouldn't be in the mall when they were there... right?
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson continued down the aisle. They stopped in a Nordstrom, and then decided to take a break and grab a quick bite at the food court. Sitting down for a quick coffee or ice cream would be relaxing, Mr. Anderson suggested.
Mrs. Anderson sat down while her husband went off to fetch the coffee. Mrs. Anderson looked around, feeling uneasy. Like she was being watched. Nobody strange was around their table, but she couldn't let the feeling go. She looked over to her husband, who was standing in front of the Starbucks kiosk. He'd only be a few minutes.
Mrs. Anderson's feeling of unease turned into outright anxiety. She went into overdrive, looking around rapidly, attempting to spot one of them. She knew one of them was nearby. She could feel it.
"Honey" her husband said as he walked back. "Is everything ok? What's wrong?" Mr. Anderson said as he approached his wife, who was fidgeting, her wild eyes darting to and fro as she scanned the crowds of people around her.
"There's one here. I can feel it" she whispered.
Mr. Anderson set the coffees down. "Honey, are y-"
He was interrupted by the sudden approach of a woman, dressed in a black sundress and red and black stockings. She wore doc martens, and had on a pair of sunglasses, with a wicked smile on her face. Rows and rows of mall patrons stopped what they were doing and watched the woman move, almost silently, down the middle of the food court. It was almost impossible not to watch. There was an Abner present, and that alone commanded the attention of everyone nearby.
"Excuse me, darlings" she said, approaching Mr. and Mrs. Anderson at their table at the edge of the court. "I could not help but notice you from across the mall." She stood, tall and imposing, like the ghost of a long-dead queen, in front of a table. There was almost something silly about the sight of the Abner woman standing in the middle of a dumpy food court, and, as far as Mrs. Anderson knew, an Abner had never come to a mall before. At least, that's what she read on an internet message board (where, to Mr. Anderson's dismay, she was spending more and more time. She was simply becoming obsessed with the Andersons).
"I thought your necklace and cardigan looked rather chic" the Abner woman said, gesturing to Mrs. Anderson. "Where did you get them from? I am doing shopping, and I think I'd like to make a similar purchase. Unless, of course, you would be inclined to give them to me."
Mrs. Anderson felt her face turn red. Her eye twitched. A vein popped out of her forehead. "Check Hot Topic, you freak" she spat at the Abner woman. The Abner woman's face remained neutral and collected for a moment, and then a sly smile spread across her lips. "Hmm. What exquisite anger. Your blood must be boiling. I wish half of the people here had the gall you do. This little town would be much more interesting."
Mrs. Anderson stood up, breathing heavily. She opened her mouth, and tried to form words, but she was just too angry. She yelled an incoherent mess of words and sounds at the Abner woman, who kept her cool and a straight face the entire time.
"Change of plan" the Abner woman said. "I know exactly what I want to take home today". She snapped her finger and, in an instant, both Mr. and Mrs. Anderson found themselves standing on top of the food court table, only inches tall. Everything and everyone around them looked so large and alien. Mr. Anderson felt exposed and weak as he saw strangers, people he didn't know at all gawking at him and his wife, who were helplessly standing in front of an imposing statue of a woman. Mrs. Anderson, at this point, screamed. She always knew that these Abners were going to do something to her. She couldn't believe it was this.
The Abner woman bent down, sticking her grinning visage just inches above the half-foot couple. "Now, look at you two. How adorable." She reached out towards Mrs. Anderson, grabbing the woman around her torso with one thin, cold hand. The Abner woman held the tiny woman up in the air, swinging her around wildly for the entire mall to see. "I think this is just such a marvelous little trinket, don't you? Does anybody know where, exactly, I can purchase one of these for myself?"
The crowd around the food court was silent. They watched as the Abner woman toted Mrs. Anderson with little effort, twisting and bending the tiny woman's body with just her fingers. They dreaded that the Abner woman might do something similar to them. Or worse.
"Well" the Abner woman said, pulling Mrs. Anderson close to her chest. "I guess if nobody knows what store these cute little things came from, then they must be free. Lucky me".
She grabbed the shopping back that the Andersons had stored their new purchases in and dropped Mrs. Anderson in after dangling her above the open mouth of the bag, teasing the shrunken woman with her fingers. She relished in how Mrs. Anderson thrashed and fought to get out of the giant hand, even if it meant falling a great height. She especially seemed to relish in how Mrs. Anderson squirmed and thrashed as she was dangled by her little legs, pinched tightly between the woman's finger and forefinger.
The woman grabbed Mr. Anderson and deposited him in the bag as well. "Thank god they sell these in pairs" she said. The shrunken couple, now huddle together amidst the clothes they had bought, looked up as the Abner woman smiled down at them, taunting them with a wide grin. "This will be the best purchase I've made in a century!" she exclaimed.
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were being purchased for...
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