My fabulous partner and I were out doing last-minute costume shopping on Halloween, and we made the obligatory stop at the craft store. The fabric section was surprisingly quiet. I’d expected to see people looking through the bolts of vinyl, felt, and fake fur. Instead, we were two of only a handful of shoppers in that section of the store, and this guy was one of them. I don’t even think he was looking for anything related to Halloween. He was browsing through some lovely vintage-style floral fabrics that seemed best suited for draperies, wallpaper, or table cloths. Perhaps he was going to be window dressing for Halloween, or maybe even a classic Victorian parlor.

Ajuan Mance