According to Google, Kitty City opened at seven. Why people would need to buy a cat at such an early hour was beyond me, but I didn't make those rules. The bell above the door dinged my arrival, and then I stopped in my tracks. Silence. Zero movement inside the various cages. For a pet store, I sure expected there to be more, you know, pets.
"Take that!" a voice shouted from the rear of the store. Then a woman in her forties appeared with a shock of bright red hair and colorful ribbons twisted through it. She wielded a fly swatter. Her beady dark eyes darted around behind a pair of red glasses. Another pair perched on top of her head.
"Um, excuse me?" With cautious steps, I moved toward her.
Thwack! She smacked her fly swatter onto the checkout counter. The force popped out the drawer in the old-fashioned cash register. She cackled gleefully.
"Hi." I waved. "Do you think you might be able to help me with a potion?"