he's a cannibal

Florescent light reflected every off-white surface as if trying to prove how clean the mall was. So white and so seemingly spotless. Everyone knows that a black car will show dirty far faster than a white one, but not one patron gave it a thought as they stepped from the warm sun into the temperature controlled air on their way to the latest sale at the department store. The crowd filled the space just enough. Today was not part of the holiday season or some one-day clearance stunt. These shoppers needed new pants for a new job, make-up to impress the date, dress for that cocktail party, shoes that feel perfect until you've worn them after purchase. No one expected the shrill cry just after the lunch rush, because it is impossible to expect the unexpected.

CANNIBAL!!!! Cannibal! He's a cannibal!

The young age of the voice and the repition of the phrase generally would have lead most people to ignore the screams, but cannibal is such an odd and rarely spoken word that people reacted. Parents with children quickly marched them out of the building and seatbelted them into the car before driving away so cautiously that they caused a wreck at the exits. Teenagers ran toward the noise, pushing to get a look at the scene. One barely escaped being suffocated between the mob and his asthma. 

CANNIBAL!!!! Cannibal! He's a cannibal!

The little girl's mother raced across the suddenly empty and snatched her up into her arms. What was the matter? Why was she screaming? Who was a cannibal? The small arm wriggled its way out of the mother's grasp and pointed. The onlookers followed the tiny finger across the floor to a figure standing next to the free-standing coffee shop. It was a boy barely older than the screaming girl.

Thomas Bell! How many times do I have to tell you? Do Not Pick Your Nose and Eat Your Boogers!

This story is much shorter than I imagined it at first, but I don't have time to edit and expand at the moment. Here's hoping (or not) that I have time to come back to it. Also, do we consider people that eat their boogers or chew on their fingers or whatever else auto-cannibals? Just wondering.