by J. A. Areces
Jesse tossed and turned in bed all night. Every time he closed his eyes hoping to fall asleep, he would repeatedly envision the horrific dream. It was enough to make anyone die of a heart attack. He could still feel his heart throbbing in his head, and his hands cold and clammy. The other option was to stay up all night and figure out how the boxes were moved. It was impossible. No one was able to get in or out of Alivan’s Wizards and Witches Corner Store without passing in front of his counter. Even if he had fallen asleep, he would have heard the door bells ring as the front door opened, and it was impossible for anyone to come in through the back door because not only was it locked, the amount of junk piled up against it would require effort and time to move. Over and over, Jesse replayed the events of the evening in his head, and each time he failed to come up with one reasonable explanation for how the boxes disappeared. He searched the entire store. He even went as far as to try to enter Mr. Claw’s office. Although hesitant, he knocked on the office door, and when there was no response, he listened against the door for any sign of movement. All was silent. Determined, Jesse tried to open the door, but it was locked. It was useless.
The morning sun was rising slowly, casting soft shadows across the floor and walls. It was Wednesday, four days before Halloween, and three days before the annual Halloween festival. It was going to be a busy day for sure. So Jesse decided to make an early start of it. Not that he was in a rush to return to work, but on the way he could stop by the Deli and speak to Cindy.
The Mount Dora Annual Halloween Festival was a very profitable fundraiser sponsored by local organizations to help raise money for needy causes. Recently, it attracted tourists from the main city who enjoyed escaping the hustle and bustle for the weekend.
Alivan’s Witches and Wizards Corner Store was in the perfect place at the perfect time to service everyone seeking last minute costumes for the event. That was enough to cause Jesse to be stressed out. He didn’t need to add on top of his work pressure a secret agent wizard out to stop a mad wizard.
Jesse heard a low beep coming from his cell phone as he threw on a clean shirt. He walked around his bed to his dresser where he plugged his cell phone last night to charge.
“Meet me for breakfast at the same place.”
It was a text message from the wizard Beifar. He’s Okay, thought Jesse, somewhat relieved.
“You buying?” Jesse responded.