An apple pie and a cup of tea. How difficult could it be? Apparently
very difficult for this incapable attendant. Who would of thought that the very concept of small change could confuse him? EVERYONE knows that small change was legal tender up to 20 copper coins. Well, everyone apart from this... this... grease laden imbecile. "What do you MEAN you can't take my change?" Jack had yelled for the third time, "It's LEGAL TENDER."
"I'm sorry sir, we just can't accept it, the management won't let us," the teenager on the other side of the counter replied, his voice fluctuating between a low and high pitched tone due to the stress.
"Look, just get me my food, I'll pay your PITIFUL price with my card," Jack exclaimed shaking his head, what did it take to get decent customer support in this city?
"But, sir, your order doesn't come to the correct price to use a card," the attendant replied, trying to feign some form of control of the situation, a small but inexplicably obvious bead of sweat dripped down his forehead.
"So, you won't take my change which comes to the amount you want, but you also won't take my card!?" Jack yelled, slamming his hand upon the counter, quickly removing it after realising how... slick it was.
Enough was enough. Jack would not tolerate this anymore. "You have ninety seconds," he said, trying to appear calm - although this was shown up by his furrowed brows and the slight strain to his voice, "get me my order, no rules, if you win, I will walk out of the door, to the cash point and return with the amount you need in bills. If you lose however, I get my meal for free."
When the conditions were said, the effect was difficult to explain, time appeared to briefly stop, a ripple effect breaching from Jack as the world changed to accommodate the games rules. The employee seemed to not take the game seriously. Not many people did. As he began to gather the ordered items, he saw the price on the till begin to tick down, signaling his remaining time. He panicked. Tripping on the way back to the counter. As he fell, the apple pie and tea were flung into the air, the former of these items landed with a satisfying 'thud' on the counter. The latter however burst open, dumping it's content on the crowd below. Including, to his great dismay. Jack.
He flinched back, ripped out his coat and let out a scream, he threw it to a nearby seat, hoping that it would land on it perfectly like in the movies. It did not. "Fucking hell man! What in gods name are you doing!" He screamed, shaking from this unexpected emotional trauma a slight tear flowed down his cheek. The attendant gave his apologies and began to pour a new drink out, the till however ticked down to zero. The manager was hurriedly called over, he tried punching the order in again, no price was attached to the items, he tried on another machine. But when the receipt printed out, it was shown as complimentary. Seething, Jack grabbed his order and some paper towels from a dispenser to dry himself off. "Here" he muttered, throwing a card at the counter arms still shaking, "The Dancing Jack leaves his regards," both the manager and the teenage employee looked at each other as they turned the card over, a jack of spades. A bell rang as the door opened, and then all that was heard was it faintly closing after the man who caused this fiasco left. Who was he? Could they even call the police? If the receipt counted it as complimentary they couldn't accuse him of stealing.
As the figure of The Jack disappeared the small radio in a corner of the establishment sprung into life, a
song began playing. Considering what had just transpired it seemed appropriate, and so, The Dancing Jack had struck again.