Chapter Two
Cam ran to Ernie’s Everything in Music and Video store. She was about to go in when Eric yelled, “Stop! You’re going in the wrong way.”
Cam stopped. She looked at the gate. It was clearly marked EXIT. Near the bottom of the gate were two tiny red lights.
Cam turned around and walked back to Eric. “That gate has an alarm,” Cam told Eric. “Each CD and tape in the store must have a magnetic strip on it. If you go through the gate without taking off the strip the gate beeps. When you pay, they take off the strip so you can get out without setting off the alarm.”
Cam and Eric walked in through the entrance. It was a big store with lots of departments. The store was crowded with shoppers.
Cam stood by the entrance and looked around. Near the front of the store videotapes of movies and old television shows were displayed. Above them were a few television screens showing scenes from some of the tapes on sale.
Eric said, “Let’s buy a movie tape.”
Cam shook her head and said, “No.”
“Then let’s buy some blank tapes,” Eric said. “We can tape television shows that are on while we’re in school.”
“Look,” Cam said. “There’s a map of the store.”
Cam went to the map.
“We have to go past the movie tapes to the end of aisle seven,” Cam said.
Cam started to walk away. Then she came back. She looked at the map, blinked her eyes, and said, “Click. ”
“That’s in case we get lost,” she told Eric. “I’ll have a picture of the map stored in my head.”
Cam and Eric walked down aisle seven.
Music was playing throughout the store. Then the music stopped.
“Make Ernie happy,” someone announced. “Buy a CD or tape. You’ll be happy, too, with Ernie’s low, low prices.”
The music started again.
“The CDs in each department are in alphabetical order,” Cam told Eric.
Cam walked to the end of the aisle. Eric stopped near the middle.
Cam searched for the new Triceratops Pops CD. She couldn’t find it.
“Look at this,” Eric said.
He showed Cam a CD.
“It’s the new Ripe Banana Band CD,” Eric said. “The group’s music is soft and sweet, just like a ripe banana. I love it.”
Cam closed her eyes and said, “Click. ”
“I’m looking at the store map,” she told Eric.
Cam opened her eyes.
“Let’s try aisle four,” she said.
Cam and Eric went to aisle four. But they didn’t find any CDs by Triceratops Pops.
“Hm,” Cam said. She put her hands on her hips and looked around.
Eric looked, too.
“Maybe he can help us,” Eric said. “He works here.”
Eric pointed to a tall young man wearing a yellow and green striped jacket. He was in aisle six next to a cart loaded with boxes. He was taking CDs from an open box and putting them on a shelf.
“Could you please tell me where to find the new Triceratops Pops CD?” Cam asked the man.
On the front of the man’s jacket was a name tag that said: HELLO. I’M ERNIE’S HELPER. MY NAME IS JORDAN.
“Aisle two. Case five. Top shelf,” Jordan said without turning around. “I put six discs there just a few minutes ago.”
“Aisle two? Why aisle two?” Cam asked.
Jordan turned and looked down at Cam and Eric and said slowly, “Because that’s where they belong.”
Cam closed her eyes and said “Click” while she walked. Eric held her hand, so she wouldn’t walk into anyone.
“He’s wrong,” Cam said with her eyes still closed. “Aisle two is for Country music. Triceratops Pops is not Country.”
Cam opened her eyes. She and Eric found aisle two, case five, top shelf. There was a large empty space on the shelf. But no Triceratops Pops CDs.
