Try the Other Place

The phone rings one morning at around eleven. It is an hour before opening, but Fernando picks up anyhow. “Hello, Dominion of Movies.”

There is a woman on the other end. She sounds old. “Do you know where I can buy Christmas movies?” she asks without any preamble.

Answering that question blunt- and honest-like would get Fernando into a heap of social trouble, so he works to ensure he's giving the woman an answer which she'd find palatable. To do this, he fishes for more information. “Any particular ones that you have in mind?”

“Just Christmas movies.”

How specific. Maybe it's time for the honest answer after all. “Well, aside from retail stores--”

“No, I've tried there. Other places.”

May as well try to make a buck. “I could order some in, if you wanted to give me specific titles--”

“I want to look around on my own.”

May as well be as helpful as possible. “In that case, the best place would be online, Amazon or eBay or sites like that.”

“I don't trust 'em.”

Oh okay. “Perhaps Goodwill, then?”

“I've tried there. They don't have anything.”

“Then I'm afraid I don't know where else, no.”

This statement does not meet with a warm reception. “How can you not know about any other places or have any? You're in the business, aren't you?”

Fernando had awoken late that morning and hadn't yet consumed the necessary ration of coffee to fortify his willpower and avoid transforming into an snippy dick in the face of a crabby woman. “Sorry, I can't yet cast fabricate. I'm not quite ninth level. If I find anything I'll be sure to let you know, though.”

Either the woman comprehended Fernando's deep foray into nerdery or she didn't care. “Okay. Call me then.” She hangs up.

Fernando replaces the phone in its cradle, then starts resolving his deplorable coffee situation.