Grocery stores were heaven.
They were heaven on earth, Cecilia concluded as she drifted through the brightly lit aisles. Her cart rolled smoothly over the polished floors, and her eyes wide with wonder.
The sheer abundance. The variety, the endless, colorful, meticulously organized shelves stretching toward the ceiling like a cathedral of consumer goods. Fruits from every continent, spices she had never seen.
Aisles dedicated entirely to breakfast cereals, an entire wall of dairy products, a section for "international foods" that made her want to weep with joy.
But the moment she looked at the prices—
Cecilia had done the math. She had sat down with her phone and a calculator app. She had converted the currency of this world into the gold and silver she understood. The results had made her want to lie down in a dark room.
