Words for Wednesday :: How I became a Shoplifter - a Dream

The Word for Wednesday challenge started a long time ago. Now it has turned into a movable event with Elephant's Child as our coordinator; and the Words provided by a number of people.
The prompts for January are provided by Elephant's Child and can be found @ Elephant's Child.

The general idea of this challenge is to make us write. Poems, stories, subtitles, tales, jokes, haiku, crosswords, puns, ... you're the boss.
Use all Words, some Words, one Word, or even none of them if that makes your creative juices flow. Anything goes, only please nothing rude or vulgar.

 It is also a challenge, where the old saying "The more the merrier" holds true.

So Please, remember to follow the links, go back and read other peoples' stories. And please leave a comment after reading. Challenges like this one thrives on interaction, feedback and encouragement. And we ALL need encouragement.

- - A - - B - - C - - 

This week's prompts are:
Kiss
Hope
Grinned
Dark
Shock
     and/or
High
Places
Fiends
Friday
Why

I only used some of the words, as can be seen. Not in any particular order either. 

A Friday a few weeks ago I had an appointment in a big city. I arrived about an hour early because even if it was snowing the trains and buses were less delayed than I had expected. So I hoped I could do some shopping. The first two errand were quickly done, as the places were either closed for repair or for holidays.
     I also needed some minor items that were sold out or not in stock in my small town. First I went to some Target-like shop. They had one of the items only, cheap, but equally poor quality. The bookshop had the same item only, but in a super-luxury edition; and I won't pay more for a notebook than for a nice meal at a restaurant! Then I went to a big supermarket advertising that they carried everything. They did, but what a mess; No price tags, things in a jumble on all shelves ... luckily I found a scanner and checked the prices. Both items were reasonable, and the notebook was on sale. They were both the last of their kind. There were more notebooks, but only dark pink ones!
     With twenty minutes to my appointment, I got in line. There were TWO manned tills open, and queues as long as my arm. Oh well, my appointment is just around the corner and down a street, maybe three minutes, I can make it.
     Ten minutes later, the brand new employee at the till had served one or two customers, and it was the same at the other till. Another employee walked by and I asked if he could please open another till. "I'll try," he replied and ran off to the left. A little later, he passed by again, this time closer to the till, and a man asked the same question and got the same answer. I looked at the clock ... five minutes to go. When I looked up, he was helping one of the two customers at the self checkout. I looked around in despair.
     There was my way out! I spied Exit without payment, Complaints & Customer Service written on a sign above an exit. "I'll go there," I thought, "and let them look after the goods until I can return and pay." At the door I was quickly let through by a smiling young man. But then ... there were at least twenty people with numbers in their hands waiting to be served, and behind the counter a single tired and dejected-looking young man. What to do now? I wound my way through the crowd towards the take-a-number thingie -- and the exit.
     Then I thought "What the heck!" and just walked out, still with my unpaid items visible in my hand. Nothing happened, no beeping and no one shouting at me.
     I rushed across the road, down the side street and up the stairs, just in time to put the goods in my bag before my name was called.
With a shock I realized I was now a criminal, then I grinned at how easy it all was - and then I woke up.