Unredeemed items
Stepping across the threshold, I noticed a musty smell that permeated throughout the poorly lit shop. The place was overflowing with knickknacks and trinkets. No particular item claimed to be the store’s raison d’être. It could have been a pawnshop of sorts.
In hindsight, it felt like I had stumbled into Stephen King’s Needful Things emporium. I considered avoiding eye contact with the proprietor, casually back away, and wander out never to return nor utter of its existence to anyone.
… Back to reality…
I glanced up and down, left and right until something caught my eye. I walked towards the salesclerk and tentatively pointed to an item located on a shelf behind him. He turned around, grabbed it and placed it on the counter.
The object in question was a turntable screwed on top of an amplifier. It had thin wires protruding out to two small wooden speakers. The system was seriously on the low end of the quality spectrum as it lacked Treble and Bass. These two audio essentials were shamelessly replaced with a knob labelled Tone. This button modified the sound from dull to harsh.
Despite being of questionable value, I was pleased as punch to acquire my first stereo set. The owner must have felt fortunate that a gullible teenager took this piece of junk off his hands.
Over the next couple of years, I quickly shifted from Classical to movie soundtracks. This transition followed the rule of logic since these composers had significant classical training, and their work echoed that fact.
My interest in popular tunes came about when I discovered The Beatles. I was amazed that the band had managed to amass a considerable volume of memorable melodies in a mere nine years. I enjoyed their music until my attention leaned toward a different direction.
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