Chapter Nine: Magic Isn't the Answer

My little shadowy invisible heart was pounding rapidly inside of my ghostly body. As Mom and I stepped inside of the dark, rundown magic store. The chandelier lights from the ceiling turned on, automatically. As Mom and I stepped into the door and closed it behind us. There was a doorbell that jingled every time we opened and closed the door.

Taking a look around, I felt we shouldn't be doing this. I thought nobody was here except Mom and me. But as I turned to look through the glass window, there were a couple of mannequins wearing fancy matching magician outfits and smiling at us. Like they were modeling for a display of advertising for a really unique magic mystery box supply.

I turned and looked away from the display windows. There was an old fashioned cash register covered in dust and cobwebs at the front desk. Also a telephone with a switchboard was also next to the register at the desk, where customer's made purchases.

"This place is freaking me out, son," Mom complained. Suddenly, there was fog coming in through the window of the magic store. Suddenly, we turned at the sound of the two female mannequins laughing idiotically at us from the display store widow. 

Then, they stopped just as sudden. "You didn't hear anything, darling," Mom said. I gulped and continued browsing the beautiful store. I had a bad feeling we weren't alone, here. Even if the store owner walked out on us.

Looking around at all the magic store items and Halloween costumes in a rack for sale, caught my attention and interest. I floated over to the costume department, looking through the scary monster movie Halloween costumes. Each costume was something I have never seen before. 

Mom was looking at a display of masks and monster make-up on a display next to the window. Mom and I were going to enjoy spending a lot of quality time here. I knew this store has a connection with the underworld of monsters that feel home in Supernaturalville.

As I was admiring the scary monster Halloween costumes on the rack in the back of the store, Mom was putting on black lip-stick from the make-up container. Then, suddenly, the doorbell jingled. Mom and I stopped what we were doing. I hide behind the Halloween costume rack. And Mom hid behind the register desk.

Peeping behind our hiding spots, we stared in disbelief as the old shopkeeper had returned. He looked around his still lighted store and frowned. He knew he had locked up the store after Mom and I scared him off.

The floorboards creaked under the wooden floor as he stepped around the magic store, cautiously. Mom and I held our breath. There was no way he knew we could be here. Then, as I moved throughout the Halloween costume rack in the back, the store owner quickly turned in my direction…

He hurried over to me, and pushed the costume rack aside. And grabbed hold of me by the shadowy ears. Walking me toward the front door, the magic store shopkeeper was about to get ready to toss me out of his store. When Mom suddenly popped her head out from behind the cash register desk, in surprise.

Startling the magic shop owner, he dropped me to the wooden floor. Next to his pointy, blue elf feet. "What is the meaning of this, you two?!" he said, his voice booming and distinctive. Mom walked over to me and helped me to my feet. "I only had to step out of the store to go on my quick lunch break. And come back and see it has been ambushed by two sneaky little shadows without a care in the world," he yelled.

I wanted to apologize to the shop owner. But he was bellowing at us in an outrage because we snuck with the keys he dropped going out. Every time Mom or me opened our mouth to respond, the angry mad magician would bark at us with a bad attitude.

"We'll be on our way," was all Mom could reply with a little smile. As Mom quickly grabbed hold of me by my arm, she led Mom and me to the front door to the magic store. But the store owner wasn't done yelling at us.

As Mom and I made our way to the front of the store, the magician quickly disappeared in a puff of smoke. And reappeared by the front door, blocking us from escaping so easily. "How did you do that?" Mom asked, surprised. 

The magician store owner just smiled and pointed at us. "A true magician never reveals his secrets. But I must be reassured there are many secrets you shouldn't know about to be revealed in Supernaturalville just yet," the magician responded.

"Let us go, please," I pleaded. I was shivering because I was afraid the shop owner might use his gifted magic on us. And do something horrible to Mom and me, again. "We just need answers about what's happening to us and everybody living in Supernaturalville," I continued, my shadow moving swiftly in the air.

The magician didn't respond. He locked the front door and stayed in front of it. "I can't let you two leave," he promised. "One of you has my keys to the magic store. Give them to me, and only then can I think about letting you both go," the magician said.

Mom and I looked at the old magician with confused, skeptical glances. Mom quickly handed the store keys she held onto to the shopkeeper. Taking the keys quickly away from Mom, the store owner quickly unlocked the front store door. The doorbell above the shop, chimed.

"You're free to go," he said, beckoning us out the front door. Cold fog swirled inside the store, making the lights flicker. But stay on. "On the contrary, I will offer you one free prize as a token of my appreciation. With anything here in my magic store for you. If you can please explain what your purpose for coming here is," the magician asked us.

Mom and I paused and looked at each other blankly. Then, Mom and I turned our attention to the old magician. "We need answers about why everybody's shadows in Supernaturalville suddenly have a life of their own?" Mom asked.

The magician slowly closed the front door. He turned to us and waited for the bell jingle to stop. "Many things are happening here in Supernaturalville that nobody really has the answers for," he said. "It seems the Shadow Who Glows in the Dark knows something important about anybody having a shadow will not want to be able to keep it anymore. Because the Shadow Who Glows in the Dark is coming to Supernaturalville. You must know he is not someone you want to get to know. The Shadow Who Glows in the Dark only wants to make your shadow become alive like having an evil twin. Only to keep the shadows from running away from the darkness of someone's imagination," the shopkeeper explained.

I didn't feel comfortable trusting this old magician. He didn't make much sense about what to expect and what our purpose for having a shadow meant to us. "We'll just be going," I said, nervously with a wry smile. Before I could lead my Mom out of the store, the shopkeeper quickly turned and locked the front door. And blocked it in front of us.

"No! I must be warned the Shadow Who Glows in the Dark knows you are here to curse our gifted shadows from getting away with us!" the magician shouted. He walked over to the shelf in the back. He started looking through the bookshelf for something important to read. 

"I promise you will never have to see again," Mom said, quietly. "Just let us go," Mom continued, sadly. She wiped away a watery tear from her eye. But the magician kept tossing old bound leather books out of the bookshelf…

Mom and I started to slowly back away from the shopkeeper. He was busy paying attention to something else. Mom slowly started to unlock the store door. When the door opened, the bell jingled above the shop, the magician quickly stopped his frantic search in his bookshelves. 

When he looked up, Mom and I were gone…

Mom and I couldn't be happier to get away from the magic store. We were already laughing and talking to each other in excited voices. "Never trust somebody who messes with magic," Mom said.

I laughed and nodded. There were a couple of people who were walking around the neighborhood during the night. 

Not thinking anything about it, Mom and I continued walking home. It started to rain and storm on us as we hurried the rest of the way home. Supernaturalville needed to know the truth about the world of monster shadows from taking over everybody's personality.