- 2025 -

He could feel the cold air whip across his face as they passed through the vast clouds. Water vapor chilled him before the sun bathed him with intense warmth. He moved to the railing of the airship and looked down towards the vast land below. Covered in thick woods with bursts of meadows here and there, lakes and waterfalls that held a few small villages on their shores.

“Capitan Roan, we are coming upon Lum Falls,” a woman called out from behind the wheel that was up a set of stairs towards the back of the ship. He turned and looked through the cloudy sky to see a large island floating with vast mountains and water flowing from it to the mainland below. He moved up the stairs and took the wheel from his first mate and with expert handling maneuvered the ship through the clouds and up to the island. As they got closer, the mountains on the north side of the island rose all around, and a large port town surrounded the crystal-blue lake which seemed to materialize out of nowhere. Endlessly it filled and emptied in a torrent on the south side of the island. He moved above and pushed a lever towards the front of the ship. In a sharp motion, the ship dove towards the water. A smile spread across his face as the adrenaline of making an entrance coursed through his veins and heightened his precision. While most of his crew enjoyed the rush, his first mate held white knuckled in the corner, throwing every curse she could at him. The air sliced past them as the mountains framed their view, and the lake grew larger by the second.

Not yet. His hand faintly gripped the lever.

Not yet.

It seemed every time they came to Lum Falls, the captain would play chicken with the lake. Would this be the day the lake won?

Not yet.

Now!

The captain pulled the lever as his vision filled with blue. The ship lurched up, and the bottom glided and slipped into the lake effortlessly. Like it had all been planned. The engine in the back spun in a new direction, and the flaps on the side of the ship closed as they dipped into the water and returned to the origins of what ships were made for.

He laughed. “Did you see the Celeste?” he turned to his first mate. She pried herself off the planks and, with shaky legs, her long bluish hair in a mess, moved towards his side, gripping the wheel.

“Must you play your silly games?” Celeste growled . “One day -“

“Yes, yes, one day we will plunge into the water and meet the great cultists of the oceanics themselves. One day, which” he cleared his throat “is not today. Take the wheel. Get ready.” He called to his crew. “We meet port soon, and we need to unload all the goods from Thuncil. Remember, blue x means they are fragile; they break easily if dropped. Use your heads and soft fingers.” The crew responded with a cheer, and as he descended to the deck, they applauded his descent and recalled the last time he had played the daring game. Their adrenaline rushing and moods lifted from staring death in the face. He riled them up and pushed past to his captain’s quarters. As the door closed, he let out a deep breath and slumped against the door. The crew moved among the deck, and he could hear the creaking of the wood as the ship moved about the water.

It had been a long journey to get here. An endless storm had followed them for miles, an air dragoon had almost melted the whole back of the ship, the Imperial Order had set up blockades that they avoided, and food and rum were down to their last crate. They might stay a while. In the center of the room was a large flat table with a Northric air map. The map was a three-dimensional hologram which was projected from a small set of three rings that wrapped around each other. It showed the land below, floating islands, and cloud types above. Above the clouds, it showed static. He moved and waved his hand through the image, and it reacted to his gesture. The land and airscape flew by him until he saw Lum Falls. The large island floating above an even larger lake. He spied something on the other side of the mountains, floating, attached to the side. It was a small island of sorts; water spewed a little from a pond that was probably in the middle of it, but with the dense pine that kept everything on the island invisible, he could not determine what was on it. Pines in this region? The island must have an atmosphere generator on it. His Northric map was different from most maps.

It updated.

Wherever the rings were, they sent out some sort of energy which would feedback into the map. This meant that it would see things that others would not, mysteries that showed up, or small islands that crept up or had been missed by the cartographers. It showed hard-reached spaces and under islands. While it offered details, it did not go too deep. Large structures, fauna, lakes and water, roads, and layouts of cities, but the context was not recorded. But it gave him enough detail to make decisions and inductions.

The Northric map was his most prized possession. It, mixed with his high intuition, made his ship a mystery among the air. He moved towards his bed, which lay beneath some bay-criscrossed windows. On the right was a small wooden dresser. He opened it and retrieved a blue box. The small, unknown island winked at him from the middle of the room, and he smiled, putting the blue box inside his large captain’s coat. He felt the ship start to slow down. They were docking. He moved back towards the door and flicked his right wrist towards the Northric map. It spun and then collapsed and, with a smooth but fast motion, latched onto his wrist, burning into his flesh and becoming one with him. Three rings wrapped around his right wrist in infinity once again. This time, burned black and red. They were bonded to him.

He made sure of that. A price paid. A heavy price.

The ship glided into port and with a fanfare of sailors and onlookers. Hoots and hollers came from the residents of Lum Falls that had witnessed the captain’s daring feat. He smiled and waved, shaking hands and clasping wrists, feeling the energy spread among the dock and into the town. He always had to make an entrance. Let’s spice up this life we live! He would yell in times of depression.

Lum Falls was large, spreading along the coast of the large lake, with another waterfall to its west which spewed from the incredible mountains that overlooked the town. Buildings of stone and wood with charming accents rose two to three stories and ran up a Main Street. Little alleys with houses and merchant houses spread out in all directions. It was a lush and beautiful town. The town sloped up the mountain in a mild climb and ran all the way to the base where the governor’s mansion and royals lived. Their houses built half in the mountain itself with some terraces that etched themselves into the rock face. There was a main square halfway up towards the mountain and many small coves of nature that presented themselves if you explored enough. Brightly covered banners hung from terraces and potted plants of lush green hung and draped all over. The water gave a tropical feel to the whole town and the sun always seemed to shine on them. This led the town of Lum Falls to prosper and become a lead trading port among the imperial islands.

“Careful with those blue crates, remember, fragile.” Captain Roan called out to his crew and the port staff that was helping out. He and Celeste moved to a small building in the middle of the dock. Inside it was musty, filled with eclectic goods from all over. Dust floated and created a small haze as the floorboards creaked over the water.

“Captain Roan, how good to see you. It’s been quite a while since we saw you in Lum Falls. Another spectacle, thought this time it might be the last.” A big man laughed and pulled up a chair to the table and set a large piece of paper down. He ushered them to take seats in front of him.

“The cultists haven’t got us yet.” He smiled a toothy grin. “Now let’s get this over with. What do you think?” He tapped on the large paper. “Pretty neat stuff, huh?”

The man looked over the paper slowly and looked up at him from time to time with a quizzical face.

The man sat back and brushed a hand through his thick black hair. “ Where did you get these?”

Captain Roan leaned back and crossed his legs. He looked over with his deep emerald eyes. “You wouldn’t want to know, my dear Rye. He and his crew were lucky this time. He turned an eye to Celeste, who stared steely-eyed at Rye. He would treat her to a good drink and meal while they were here. She had saved his life on multiple occasions in the last journey. As she always seemed to do.

Rye shook his head and returned to the list. “It will take a while to get the funds and sales for these items. Some of them are big-ticket items. You have enough here to dock forever, so I am not worried about the port fee. You are not looking to get out of here quickly, are you?”

Captain Roan put up his hands. “No, no, my crew needs some rest. If you could arrange that little villa on the west side of town for us. Like last time. They need some good old rest and relaxation for a bit. They deserve it.”

The man rose. “It shall be done.” Captain Roan rose with Celeste and shook his hand. “Give us an hour or so to get the villa ready. You bring a certain energy to the island, Captain Roan. Glad to see you again.”

Captain Roan smiled and nodded. “Thank you for the kind words and your continued support.

The goods were still being unloaded and itemized as they stepped into the fresh air and sunlight.

“The villa will be ready within an hour. We will discuss payment and rewards in a few days as everything needs to be taken care of. We will be here for a while. Get comfortable and regain your strength. Let the great waves of ocean and air bring you glory,” he called to his crew, and cheers erupted.
“Come on, let’s get a drink to celebrate,” he motioned at Celeste, and they descended into town.

A very special game introduced me to the world of ships that sailed the skies, going from floating island to floating island. That game was Skies of Arcadia on the Dreamcast. An incredible game that, in my eyes, was perfect. The characters were all charming, the world was vibrant, and you could explore to your heart’s content. My captain and crew would fit right into that world. Captain Roan is a mix between the character Gilder and Vyse from that game. Loyal, steadfast, and ready for adventure, but being suave and into the riches of the whole thing. His last name is from the character Roan from Grandia II. I was playing both games around the same time, and both role-playing games played a significant inspiration for my imagination. His first mate, Celeste, is a buttoned-up, all-business sort of girl. Fiercely loyal to the captain for reasons unexplained.

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into the world of the skies. We will one day return to continue the tales. Like, what is the small island and the blue box? What price did Captain Roan pay for the Northric map?

Until then, Cheers~

Let the great waves of ocean and air bring you glory.

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A light strobed back and forth from the ceiling. Every time it hit the north wall it revealed a man slouched in a pool of blood. On the opposite, a women stood motionless, stern faced and holding a large knife. She tipped her up and looked down at the corpse as the light blinded then illuminated with each swing. She left the small room and set the knife on the counter and waited.

“I killed him” She stated to the detective. “Stabbed, multiple times. Do I feel bad, no, should I?”

The detective across from her took notes with a sullen look on his face. Henry had too little sleep, too much booze and absolutely no patience left for the world. Yet, here he was, taking more cases, grinding the gears once again.

“And why did you kill him again?” he asked staring with his bloodshot eyes.

The women who was in a skin tight blue dress had her arms perpetually folded and a bored look on her face. She spoke matter of factually.

“He was a monster. Not figuratively. Really, he was a monster. Teeth, claws, dark energy, all that. I waited years to gain the courage, but on that night. I knew I had to protect the world. It was time”

“And why that night?”

“It was our anniversary”

Henry exited the questioning room and roamed down the hall for some coffee. A man dressed in a dark blue suit leaned against a cabinet next to the coffee machine. Ned Pentul. Another detective that Henry had known for a long time through all the ups and downs. A pretty straight shooter.

“How come you always get these type of cases? Your a magnet for the crazies Henry.”

Henry poured and downed the cup of coffee then refilled it. He stared at the bulletin board above the coffee machine. A flier was posted at the top right. Printed on green paper, the ad read :

“The greatest wonders you have ever seen! Who knows who anyone is. Who is in control? Who is watching? It’s time to find out.

The world will never be the same!

Friday Night 7 p.m. Central Tower plaza.

Time to open the eye -“

Behind the text was a large light gray building with a crown on top and below the text was a intricate sun with symbols circling the outside of it.

Henry pointed to the flier.

“No clue. I asked around to see who placed it up there,so far no one is claiming it.” Ted leaned in to Henry “I left it up see if I could hear any clues from people. It’s tomorrow night, I’ll keep my ears open”

Henry nodded and made note of where it was taking place. “Thanks, and to your question. I might have an idea, but who knows, maybe it’s my cologne.” he smiled and raised his brows with a shoulder shrug. “Keep me informed, I gotta get back to Miss monster hunter”

He sat back down in front of the lady. She still sat up with her arms crossed, eyes half lidded looking at him.

“You know detective. You think I am making this up. If you have seen the things I have seen, then you would be in the same situation as me. Monsters are every where. Every place that you look, you will see one.” She uncrossed her arms for the first time and leaned forward this time crossing her fingers, resting her elbows on the table. “but I wouldn’t worry, you will see soon”

“Ma’am, you have been convicted and you have admitted to your crimes. I was brought in to find your motive, are you sure you want me to repeat that your husband was a real monster? You have not summoned a lawyer or pleaded anything but guilt. I shouldn’t be surprised, I have seen everything, but this is beyond most.”

“Behind bars, here, would be the safest place until Saturday. I don’t think I will be making it to the jailer, I will take my chances” she smiled. In her head the plan had worked.

“What happens Saturday?”

“Not Saturday, Friday”

The flier flashed in Henrys mind. “What happens on Friday?”

The lady rose her hands and formed a triangle by overlapping her thumbs for the base and connecting her index fingers to the point then held it to her forehead.

“You will see”

Gun shots rang through the agency as Henry unloaded his revolver into the thing. He didn’t know what it was or where it came from. Anything with multiple tentacles, teeth and claws that approached was no friend of his, even if it wore a signature blue jacket. He dropped back and moved towards the holding cells while reloading. For once in his life he wished he had not drank so much the night before. He moved to the middle cell. There she stood, arms crossed, blue dress. A smirk on her face.

“Miss Thompson”

“Call me Sue” her smile grew.

Henry unlocked the cell door and waved her out “Sue, you and I are going to become partners for a moment in time. You know more then your letting on”

“Do say?”

“Yeah, I say.” He moved next room and rummaged through a drawer. He then withdrew a pistol and a couple of magazines. “You can stab, but can you shoot?”

Her hand reached for the pistol and he stopped her.

“Shoot at monsters” he met her eyes with a cold stare. Her eyes portrayed years of tip toeing, manipulating to stay alive and anger. Burning vengeance against creatures that had stolen her joy. It wasn’t just her husband she had seen, it was friends, family, co-workers. Once her eye had been opened she could not shut it. She could see them all.

He let her hand grasp the pistol, she retrieved a bag and put the extra magazines in it.

“All Worlds burn but ours” she checked the safety and racked the slide.

Henry nodded “Ya, I like ours”

I’ve been watching a bit of murder mysteries. Mainly Murder She Wrote and there is a PI named Harry McGraw that Jessica Fletcher meets and becomes a reoccurring character. He seems to be always stuck between a rock and hard place so I drove up some inspiration for our main character Henry here. Overworked, cynical and just going along. I started with the murder, but then when writing this flier hopped into my mind, an event, maybe something that proves that this weird tale might be true?

In the end Henry gains a uncommon ally and partner in Sue Thompson. Will they be able to survive and escape?

Maybe!

Cheers and stay warm out there if you are in a cold climate. Snow be approaching.

Simon rolled around in bed, then finally after some minutes rubbed his eyes and sat up. The clock had just struck 3:33 AM. The moon was full and strobed white beams through his bedroom window. Faintly he could hear voices speaking. He rubbed his head. The voices grew a little louder. It seamed like they were coming from his floor. Simon slung himself to the side and squinted looking down to the edges of his bed for the voices then he crawled to the front and looked down.

Mr.Muffins, his American short hair blond fur, sat in the moon beams in the middle of his floor.

“By Joe, did they ever find those blasted mice? I heard Chester over on 45th street was having a hard time” The voice was deep, raspy with a heavy British accent. Like a old school butler from those old 60’s movies.

“Nah, hes still chasing his tail all over the place” A childs voice answered back.

Simon popped up from his bed “Muffins, who is that? Do you hear that ?”

Mr.Muffins turned to Simon his big green eyes brightened. “Poppycock, I knew we should of met somewhere else”

Simon stared at Mr.Muffins. “You?”

“Hello Simon, welcome to the cats circle” Mr.Muffins said.

Next to Mr.Muffins two cats materialized into semi see through apparitions. Simon gasped.

A big Norwegian Forest Cat with fur of light blond and black shook its long hair and licked its nose. “Hello Simon” It said in a soft female voice. He recognized this cat. Four years ago a cat had crept onto his families porch and refused to leave for a week. So his mom kept it around, fed it and gave it water for a whole month. Simon would sit on the porch in that mid summer and watch the cat come and go. A rare breed for middle America, he imagined that its owner had gotten lost and the cat was out looking for them. He took to giving it treats until one day it never returned. He had called her Tempest. Her fur was long, light blond and black and her attitude was fierce and noble like. She had principles, but with a side of wilderness.

Next to Tempest was a very small cat. Barely two years old. It’s tail was a small bob and it’s fur gray and black. Simon got off his bed and sat next to Mr.Muffins.

“Tempest your….” Simon held the word in his throat.

“Dead?” Tempest said.

Simon bit his lip and held back tears “Yeah” he croaked.

“Oh boy” Mr.Muffins side eyed Simon “You humans are so ignorant”

“Muffins, be nice” Tempest.

“Whats he talking about?” The small cat spoke up.

“Humans think the world revolves around them. Things go and just poof. No longer relevant or exist anymore. If only they would get out of their own heads and open their eyes. Be aware” Mr.Muffins sounded like he snorted behind the statement.

“That means you are dead too?” he looked at the small cat.

“Berry, call me berry.” The cat loafed and began purring. “Yeah, I was out there hunting some dinner. Fish. I almost had it”

“It was a killer whale, Berry.” Tempest gave the Berry a look.

“Well, I almost had it. Then it dove and I refused to let go. As I said, almost had it”

“Good show boy, you have to show those floppy things who’s boss”

Simon stuck out his hand and reached out to Tempest. As his hand touched her ghostly body it went right through, but did not disturb the apparition. “I’m so sorry to what happened to you. How are you here?”

“Oh Simon, not to worry. I found my owner and we spent a moment together because of you and your families care for me for that short while. I didn’t have much time left anyway. I needed just a little strength to get me there and your moms chicken helped me the last leg of my journey.” Tempest straightened up and blinked, her ears flicked back and forth. “See there is something like the witching hour for cats. It is 3:33 in the morning, who knows why, but we cats can usually come out and talk to other cats at this time. We usually don’t meet with humans, not good to meddle. One thing is that we are always around. We never really leave you Simon. You gave us shelter, food and kept our spirits up. So we keep an eye out on those who treat us well. We might be small, but we can help you out from time to time. “

“Really?” Simon looked at Mr.Muffins. “That means when you-?”

“Yes, Simon, even I, will come help you out. As much as I- ” Mr.Muffins scratched his right ear “find you humans incredibly foolish. I have yet to have an owner in my many lives treat me poorly.”

“Many lives” Simon patted Mr.Muffins head and he purred in response.

“Sorta reincarnation, you humans do it too. By Joel, you ever have deja vu or memories that don’t seem to be yours? Well your young yet, maybe not too many of those, but you will. I once sat on the lap of a grand British general in the Great War you fools had. I smoked many cigars” Mr.Muffins closed his eyes and rose his nose to the air, remembering a different era. “Now, I chase those infernal creations out side with the bushy tails. Much more peaceful if I say so my self”

Simon straightened up “Explains the accent then. You can do this every night?”

“We can only be full form in one place at one time, so we pick and choose the location for the night, but yes, technically we could every night “ Tempest licked her paw and started cleaning her face “But we can only remain for a short time and our time is up for tonight.”

Tempest and Berry moved towards the window and with a silent motion leapt through the glass to the roof top outside. Simon moved quickly to the window with Mr.Muffins thumping up onto the shelf to look out as well.

“Till next time Simon. Muffins, regular time?”

“Of course, no better time. See you then you long haired devil”

Tempest narrowed her eyes and shook off the remark “Come on Berry”

“Bye Simon! Tell that fish if you see it that I’m still coming for it”

Simon waved and the two cats seemed to dissipate into white moon dust. Tears rolled down his cheeks. This time from relief of a bigger universe, this time not for a good bye, but for a see you later.

He rubbed his eyes and looked over at Mr.Muffins. The cat gave him a gruff meow and head butted his arm. Simon smiled “Only during a certain time huh? Well if you need something wake me up, okay?”

Mr.Muffins rubbed himself against Simon, gave another confirming meow then jumped off and exited his room.

Simon returned to his bed. Till next time.

I have had a lot of pets in my life. It is always a tough time when they have to leave us, but thinking about how everything seems to be apart of something I feel as if they never really leave us. I had this idea last year. I was up late at night and thought about the witching hour, but what if it applied to pets, this case cats. It seems like an appropriate time to finish this story.

Feel the wisdom of life they give us with their departing, but remember we are all apart of it all. Connected. No matter what form.

Cheers!

“I think we are lost”

“We aren’t lost, we’re-” Tom leaned forward over the steering wheel and looked up through the pine trees to the sky “we’re just off course”

Charlie leaned back into his chair and pulled out his phone. He opened the screen then immediately put it away “No signal and my phone is about to die” he stated blankly.

Tom came to a turn and rounded the car around more tall pine trees. The winter night cast everything to pitch black. The trees seemed to form endless corridors. A wrong turn here and another wrong turn there and they were officially lost. Tom flipped the radio back on. They had turned it off about an hour ago when they realized something was off and their destination was no in sight. Smooth jazz of piano and bass guitar filled the car.

“You have a radio phone somewhere?” Tom glanced at Charlie.

“Not a chance, what else is on” Charlie flipped through the other stations. Only static played for him until he returned to the jazz station. “Jazz it is”

They had left at nine a.m. to cross the country from Nebraska to Minnesota to visit their cousin. It was now eleven p.m. and with the sun resting at six it had seemed that they were driving all night long. They had some how gotten off 29 near Fargo to head east towards Park Rapids. A road bent here and there and soon they lost in a maze of pine trees.

They rounded another bend and red hazy light filled their vision. Tom shielded his eyes so they could adjust to brightness.

“What the hell is that?” Charlie rubbed his eyes and leaned forward trying to focus.

Cut from the path was a cross roads with a full sized traffic light hanging in the middle. It shined red for all the directions. Tom pulled the car to the edge of the road and looked. It was a standard light, its wires pulled in four directions out into the forest and somewhere out there power was being pumped into its electric gaze.

“We must be getting close, why else would there be a light here” Tom posed the question to himself.

“I don’t know, feels strange. Lets get out of here”

The light stayed a solid red and they sat there for a moment. Tom inched the car forward a bit to see if the light sensors would pick them up and turn green, but it seemed to ignore them. Tom looked both ways then ran the light. As soon as he got to the other side, the light went to green and filled his rearview mirror.

Their pace kept up yet no exit presented itself to them. The trees closed them off into narrow corridors and endless hallways of pine. Charlie looked at his watch. Midnight.

“Next place we see let’s just stop and get a room for the night. I am pretty sure we are lost and at night everything looks the same.”

Tom roped around another corner and red light filled his dash. Another traffic light illuminated their path. Once again a four way stop. All directions red.

“Just make a right” Charlie said. Tom came to a stop and turned.

The car entered another long road, but instead of being a long tunnel of darkness traffic lights hung down the corridor every ten feet from each other. He could see the red lights extend farther than his mind could reach.

“What the hell is going on? Go back Tom” Charlie yelled, but Tom’s eyes stared into the rear view mirror. “Come on Tom, turn aro-“ Charlie spun in his seat to see what the issue was. All he could see from the rear view was lines of trees. The forest had swallowed them, cutting them off from their previous route and forcing them down the tunnel of lights.

“We can get out, run” Charlie panicked and went for the door handle. Tom clicked the locks immediately.

“Shut up Charlie. Think for a moment. You think you can escape this on foot? The road is gone, the trees cut us off. What would happen if you were outside the car?” Tom returned his view to the endless traffic lights. “We have to drive.” He whispered and slammed the gas pedal to the floor. Charlie screamed and grabbed the door handle for security. The car screeched and barreled down the corridor, each time it passed under a light it turned green behind them. Red and green lights strobed through their car as they climbed speed. 70, 80 , 90 , 100 miles per hour. The car shook violently as it reached speeds it was not meant to. Charlie screamed until his voice could no longer take it and went horse. Tom grit his teeth and heighten his focus as the tunnel materialized infront of him. Every light passed faster and faster, but there was no end.

Until there was.

The car tore through the lights and one light remained. As they passed it, it turned yellow. Tom some how knew, a sense in the back of his mind. Yellow. Caution.

He let go of the gas and slammed on the breaks. Trees disappeared from their view and fields opened up under a moonlit sky. The road T’ed into two different directions and past that was a cliff. The car screeched, shook, and slid side to side in violent jolts as the tires burned against the road and brakes held against metal. The car smashed through the caution sign and on to the grass, swept side to side and came to a grinding halt a foot away from the edge of the cliff side.

They both breathed heavily, sweat ridden and numb. Charlies face was frozen in a scream as he still held the door in a death grip. His eyes were wide and he stared out into the night sky over the plains down below. Toms jaw was a vice while he white knuckled the steering wheel. Eyes unblinking as staring at the night sky.

They both broke their stances and flew out of the car, falling hands and knees to the ground and moving away from the cliff side.

Charlie flopped on his back “What the hell, what the hell. We could have, we would have. Holy shit Tom.”

“I know, I know”

“How did you know what to do?”

Tom looked back towards the forest entrance “I just knew somehow. I felt it in my gut. I trusted it”

Charlie laughed “Thank god you did” he sat up “Where are we?”

Tom pulled out his phone which as now working. They were a half hour away from their cousins. He looked through the maps to see the route the gps might of recorded. For 10 hours it said the car stood still at an intersection near Fargo.

What would have happened if he had not trusted his intuition? Would they still be stuck there? Lost in an endless forest of lights. What had even happened? His mind stretched and he decided to let it go for the moment. To keep his sanity for a little while.

They both made it to his cousins and neither said anything about the forest. A breakdown and waiting for a repair man was their excuse. Every traffic light took on a different light. Could they get lost again?

Would the lights guide them or trap them.

I liked this youtube video called Detour of a traffic light appear in a forest and it being a monster. I thought it was really clever and seeing something somewhere it should not be is a disturbing instance. I didn’t want to do the same thing and I got a bit lost when they saw the first light (Kinda like they did). When they turned onto the tunnel of lights, that’s when it turned to speed and I knew what I wanted to do. Be careful when things are no where they are supposed to be. Trust your gut and go for it.

The door opened and the bell sounded as a man stepped in. Suzy turned up from the inventory sheet to see who had entered their magic shop. A place of crystals, tarot, psychic readings and all the herbs and mystic incense you could find. All wrapped in a modern yet charming shop that had a fake tree branching off one wall and covering the ceiling with plastic autumn leaves. She moved from the counter to the front of the store.

“Hello, can I help you find something” she smiled apprehensively.

The man wore a black leather jacket, black hair in a modern greaser style and was smacking gum to build a jaw of steel. He was tall and in good shape with wide shoulders.

He smiled through his chewing and picked up an obsidian obelisk “Yeah yeah, this protect against negative things?”

“uh, yes, it can help ward off negative energy and - “

He grabbed a basket and threw the crystal in and moved to some selenite and picked up one in the shape of a heart “this too?”

Suzy nodded and he threw it in the basket.

“Can I ask what you are needing them for?”

“You got anything to cleanse the space, like some santo, what do you call it, wood, you burn, peppermint smell” he bent down and and observed some more crystals.

“Palo santo?”

“Yeah, thats it, that and maybe something else, you know to compliment that. Something else to burn”

Suzy stopped and observed the man grab a few more crystals of different sorts and float up and down the isle seemly grabbing anything that caught his eye.

“Sage might do the trick” she finally said as she grabbed a bag of Palo Santo and then some sage “Do you know how to use these?”

The man waved his hand in the air “Light it on fire, blow it out and wave it around.” He saw a statue of Baphomet and threw it in his basket “As above, so below my buddy”

He heaved his basket to the counter and Suzy met him with the sage and Palo Santo. The mountain of items he had gathered were if she could describe a smörgåsbord of mystic crystals, statues and now incense.

“So you putting together a party or something” Suzy asked as she started to ring up the items. Never had she ever seen someone buy as many or varied items. She peeked up from the items and saw him staring at something past her.

He slipped his glasses down his nose revealing piercing spring green eyes. He stopped chewing for a moment and asked “Is that an eye of Amalgama?”

Suzy turned around and looked past a current that was half drawn into their rare gem section. On a large pedestal there was a sphere of hazy black with a slit of bright red crystal in the center of it. It looked as if a giant eye was starting at you from any direction. It had been at the shop for years after some one dropped it off in a hurry. It was rare and priceless.

She turned slowly back to him. “Yes, that is an Eye of Amalgama. Now tell me how you would know that”

“I’ll take it” He pushed his glasses back over his eyes and returned to smacking his gum “Sorta a collector, you know?”

Suzy crossed her arms “I’m not selling an Eye of Amalgama to some random guy buying up the whole store, spill it, what is all this for? You warding off demons?’

He stuck out his hand “Marshall Granton”

She shook his hand “Suzy”

He smiled “Good, not random anymore. What ever the price, just name it”

“One million”

“Done” Marshall took out his wallet and pulled out a black card.

Suzy threw out the number expecting him to decline. She had played her hand and now her bluff had been called.

“The eye is too valuable, we need to do some vetting first” She tried to dodge.

Marshalls face broke out in a large grin “Look, Suzy, I get it. Look a got a problem. Ghostly demon problem. Big house, some people in trouble, time and space not working in my favor, until now” he pointed to the Eye “Some major demon butt kicking needs to happen and that right there is my cement brick”

“I will loan it to you then, One million now, you get five hundred thousand back when returned.” Her eyebrow rose and this time she held out her hand “Do not shake if you cannot do it”

He nodded “If I don’t come back, money is the least of my problems” He took her hand and gave a hearty shake “You’re a life saver, multiple if I can pull this off.”

She rang up all his items, boxed and bagged them, then helped pack them all in a black classic Lincoln parked out front.

Marshall open the door to his car and looked over the top “Thank you again, you at least gave me a fighting chance.

Something in Suzy wondered. She had dealt with these things her whole life, but never face to face. Always on the sidelines. The vendor.

“Do you need help?” she heard herself say.

Marshall stood for a long moment between his open car door looking at her with what she could tell was a serious expression behind his glasses.

“If this works out Suzy, next time. Next time I will need help” He dropped into the front seat and the car door slammed behind him. The car glided out into the street and Suzy returned to the inside of the shop. It looked like it had been raided. Most of the shelves were now half empty and things were misplaced and out of order. It was going to be a long night. She went into the back to see what they had in reserve when she heard the front door bell chime.

“Welcome in, sorry for the state of the store, just restocking”

Suzy returned to the counter to see Marshall standing in the doorway, The Eye of Amalgama under his arm. The red eye was glowing furiously.

“Your help might be needed sooner then I thought” Marshall laughed nervously.

“You” a voice called from all directions. Suzy whipped around looking for the source. Marshall held up the eye “Girl, yes you” the eye pulsed with each word. “You are needed”

Marshall shrugged and smiled “What do you say? Offer still stands?”

Suzy rubbed her forehead “Oh boy”

I was in a magic shop recently with and a man came in and when the person in the shop asked what he needed he answered saying he needed something cleanse negative energy. I took this concept and dialed it up a bit. I thought it would be funny for a person that looks as if they would have nothing to do with crystals and magic asking and buying all sorts of things. I made up the Eye of Amalgama, but I thought it would look like a dark crystal version of the Eye of Sauron form Lord of the Rings.

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