* * * * * Extreme Liminal Spaces, Boynton Beach, Florida edition Bunny and I found ourselves at the Boynton Beach Mall [1]. While Bunny shopped at Jock Pennet [2], I decided to wander the mall to see what wonderful and delightful stores awaited me there. Um … not much. [An empty section of the mall that is otherwise open] This isn't an abandoned mall! It's open to the public! No, really! It is! Visit us! Please? [3] [4] [A section of the mall with actual open stores.] See! We have stores! Some of which are open! You don't have to worry about the crowds! [5] [6] [A non-operating carousel] No lights. No lines. No operator. No music. It's just sitting here, unused, and unloved. [7] [8] [The food court at the mall, empty with only a few stores open] Nothing sadder than an empty food court, but the Jamaican food stall smelled wonderful. [9] [10] I would say that, at best, 50% of the stores were occupied, with two of the five anchor stores open for business. It wasn't hard for me to get these pictures without people, as there weren't many there to begin with. Yes, there were some people wandering around, but I think at most I had to wait maybe a minute or so before the area was clear of anyone. The only store I found worthwile to actually go into was “Guides & Angels.” It's utterly woo-woo, but the crystal selection was wondeful (if not a bit overpriced for my tastes). [The outside of “Guides & Angels,” a New Age shop] Get your energy cleaned while your Tarot is read! Hope you like the smell of patchouli and sandalwood. [11] [12] [Three sizable Amethyst crystals in a wooden tray] Why are angry crystals more expensive than anxiety-ridden ones? And how do you know which ones have anxiety, and which ones are angry about having anxiety? And why would I have a spiritual connection to these? [13] [14] [A crystal skull] Not one of the THE crystal skulls, just an ordinary crystal skull. I wonder if this one has anxiety, or is it angry? I don't know. [15] [16] [Three crystal skulls, one covering its mouth with it's bony hands, one covering its eyes, and one covering its ears] Skulls don't have tongues, eyeballs or ears, so why do these skulls feel the need to cover what they don't have? Do skulls even feel? Man do I have questions about this shop. [17] [18] This was easily the best shop in the entire mall. I was really curious about this store: [An Avis & Budget car rental store, with an elaborate wood frame around the entrance] Wait! Why does this Avis & Budget car rental store have such an elaborate wood entrance to it? What's the story? Why! [19] [20] Such an entrance! I doubt Avis & Budget paid for this architectual detail for their store. I wonder what was here before? An arcade or some type? A Victorian time portal of some sort? So strange. But not as strange as what happened as I passed by this: [Some themed kiddie-rides, one of a jeep, and one a city bus] Nothing scary here. Nope. Not at all. We aren't “Five Nights at Freddy's” here. Come aboard! We're expecting you! [21] [22] I swear the first time I passed this I could hear children laughing. No, really! I thought I might have triggered a proximity recording or something, but nope, the subsequent times I passed this I heard silence. Or rather, I didn't hear anything, as how could one hear silence? It's silent, as in “no sound.” As in, this mall is eerily silent. Except for this haunted kiddie ride with the laughter of ghost children taunting me as I walk by. And even if Jock Pennet was open, it was by no means crowded. [Interior of a JC Penny department store] Nothing wrong here, except for the extreme lack of shoppers [23] [24] Not to mention this oddly placed store display in one corner of the store: [A woman mannequin standing on the floor and three children mannequins standing on a display case] They stand guard over the empty floor space, forever waiting, as they slowly suck your soul … [25] [26] Overall, it was a rather sad mall, sadder than if it had simply been closed down entirely. [1] https://boyntonbeachmall.com/ [2] https://www.jcpenney.com/ [3] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/t-mall1.jpg [4] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/mall1.jpg [5] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/t-mall2.jpg [6] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/mall2.jpg [7] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/t-carousel.jpg [8] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/carousel.jpg [9] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/t-foodcourt.jpg [10] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/foodcourt.jpg [11] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/t-woowoo.jpg [12] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/woowoo.jpg [13] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/t-emotional-crystals.jpg [14] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/emotional-crystals.jpg [15] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/t-crystal-skull.jpg [16] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/crystal-skull.jpg [17] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/t-3skulls.jpg [18] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/./3skulls.jpg [19] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/t-not-budget.jpg [20] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/not-budget.jpg [21] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/t-ghost-child.jpg [22] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/ghost-child.jpg [23] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/t-jcp1.jpg [24] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/jcp1.jpg [25] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/t-jcp2.jpg [26] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2026/04/16/jcp2.jpg Email Sean Conner at sean@conman.org .