Dragon Teapot

Lydia was always interested in Eastern objects even though she was middle class American. That was just her taste. Her single room apartment wasa shrine to Buddhism and Hinduism. She felt it was a more peaceful way of life. She also wondered at times if her collection was healthy. She was employed as a social worker and saw a lot of evil done to good people. One day her Supreme Being told her to go shoppping on a long luch. She came across Alice's Curiosity Shop. It sounded lke a storeshe'd like. She might find another statue or a dish for her collection. A bell rang as she entered. She was greeted first by a woman with brown hair and amazing green eyes. Her name was Angela. A calico cat followed Angela and had eyes just as green.
"Feel free to wonder around. I'm sure you'll find what you need." Angela told her.
The words find what you need put her off but she saw so much there. There was a snow globe with light blue water, black sparkles and a clock inside. She also admired a brown glass jar with a scalloped rim. But what magnetitized her was a teapot in the shape of a dragon. She loved tea and had quite a few dragon paraphernalia at her apartment. But the more she thought aboutit, she did need it. Drinking tea is healthy for you and it was in the perfect shape for her. She had a few bills to pay but this suddenly seemed more important.
She was instantly sold. She could have tea parties with her anthropology friends or by herself. She looked for Angela who had gone behind a paisly curtain covering an open door. The cat lurched forward to her from behind the curtain. She was the only customer but still she thought they'd keep watch.
She called for Angela for assistance and said she'd like to make a purchase. Alice, a woman with bright red hair, deep brown heavily lined eyes who wore multiple bracelets came out.
"Yes, I can help you. I own this store. I'm Alice. What can I do for you."
"There's a dragon teapot I'm interested in buying. It will fit my decor."
"Ah, it is lovely and mysterious. It looks like something youcould use. It cost $25.00. Will that be okay?"
"That's fine. I'll use my card."
"Most people who come here pay with cash. We used to only accept cash. But it will be alright. There is another thing. You canot return it."
"That's okay. I probably won't want to anyway."
Alice carefully wrapped the teapot in tissue paper and put it in a large cardboard box.
Lydia wondered why she had never seen this store before.
That evening she bleached the teapot since it was second-hand. She got her oolong tea out. She put soothing music on, heated the water and put the teabgs in the teapot. She planned to relax tonight. She got out her favorite tea cup and put that and the teapot on a tray with a dragon on it. She thought about ordering Chinese food but did't feel up to it.
It tasted heavenly when she drank herfirst cup. Then she began to feel different, numb. She began to alk around her living roomand absorbed the power of her Asian objects. They spoke to her. She was not of them truely. She however became one of them. Without her volition she took her saboteur sword down and disemboweled herself. In her last moments everything spinned and every object glared at her in hate. She felt betrayed. The teapot returned to the Curiosity Shop.
The next day a fellow student wondered why she wasn't at class. She visited Lydia's apartment and heard a wooden flute playing. She assumed everythingwas okay. But later Lydia's phone didn't answer. And her friend had a weird feeling. The door was half open. She smelled the sick smell of blood. She called the police and was afraid to enter.
Her friend went into shock that the things that Lydia loved so much killed her. A few days after death Lydia recieved in he mail a copy ofher receipt from the Curiosity Shop forthe teapot. But it was nowhere to befound in her apartment. They had a small investigation and were puzzeled over the receipt. But in the end the chalked it up to obsession and suicide.