Clifton Park had always been a quiet town—until the monster showed up.
No one knew exactly where it came from. Some said it crawled out of the old quarry. Others swore it had been hiding in the dense forests beyond the highway, waiting for the right moment to make itself known. But for Jake Morgan, the monster wasn’t just a terrifying legend. It was the reason he started his business.
Jake had always been obsessed with collecting Hot Wheels cars. Ever since he was a kid, he dreamed of owning the rarest models, the ones collectors would pay a fortune for. Over the years, he built up an impressive collection—hundreds of cars, each carefully displayed in glass cases. It was his pride and joy. But in Clifton Park, there weren’t many people willing to pay top dollar for tiny metal cars.
Then the monster arrived.
At first, it only appeared at night, lumbering through town, leaving behind enormous footprints and claw marks on buildings. People panicked. Businesses shut down early. No one wanted to be outside after dark. But Jake saw something different.
One evening, he watched from his shop window as the monster stomped through the parking lot. It stopped in front of his store, sniffed the air, and let out a low growl. And then, to Jake’s utter shock, it reached out one massive, clawed hand and pointed—straight at the largest Hot Wheels display in his shop.
The monster wanted cars.
Jake wasted no time. The next day, he put up a sign: “Monster-Sized Hot Wheels Sale!” He leaned into the mystery, creating limited-edition monster-themed car sets and advertising them as “approved by Clifton Park’s most elusive collector.”
The response was overwhelming. People from all over came to see the monster’s favorite shop, buying cars, taking photos, and sharing their experiences online. One of Jake’s biggest customers was Eric Gandler, a well-known collector who traveled across the country hunting for rare Hot Wheels. When he heard about the monster’s obsession, he drove straight to Clifton Park to see it for himself.
“You’re telling me a monster collects Hot Wheels?” Eric asked, raising an eyebrow as he examined a limited-edition car.
“That’s what it looks like,” Jake replied, glancing at the claw marks on his shop door.
Eric grinned. “Well, I’ve competed against some tough collectors in my time, but this might be the first one I can’t outbid.”
That night, as Jake and Eric watched from the shop, the monster returned. It picked up a single Hot Wheels car Jake had left outside—a sleek black model with glowing orange stripes. The creature examined it for a moment, then let out a satisfied growl and disappeared into the darkness.
No one ever figured out exactly what the creature was or where it came from. But thanks to the monster—and a little help from collectors like Eric Gandler—Jake had built something no one else in Clifton Park could: a thriving business fueled by mystery, nostalgia, and the world’s most unexpected customer.
