One day at work I fall into brine and they close the lid above me by mistake. Much time passes; it feels like long sleep. When the lid is finally opened, everybody is dressed strange, in colorful, shiny clothes. I do not recognize them. They tell me they are “conceptual artists” and are “reclaiming the abandoned pickle factory for a performance space.” I realize something bad has happened in Brooklyn…

In Simon Rich’s humorous new novella “Sell Out,” a pickle maker from the early 1900s topples into brine, and is magically transported to modern-day Williamsburg. 

Over the next four days, we’ll be serializing an excerpt of Rich’s story on our website. Click-through to read Part One, and return tomorrow for Part Two: http://nyr.kr/114ObWW