The Magic Shop

by Justin Swapp

  “Move over, you fool,” the short female elbowed her companion as he had done to her just minutes before. She swiped the shard from his hand. “You can’t even control that thing.”

  Winston reached into his pocket and removed a crystal sphere, which glowed a faint blue color at his touch. But before he could use it, the short woman pointed the shard at him, mumbling something unintelligible.

  In an instant, thick red wisps shot out of the shard like vaporous ropes. They wrapped around Winston, squeezing him tightly like an angry boa constrictor.

  “Who are you?” Winston wheezed.

  “We are Dun-Bhar,” the short woman said. “And we’ve come to—”

  “You’re no Dun-Bhar,” Winston coughed, his eyes vacillated from looking at the wisps that made their way up his arm, to glaring at the intruders. “I would have sensed you. Besides, the Dun-Bhar don’t capture, they kill.”

  “If that’s a request,” the short man said, “it can be arranged.”

  Marcus watched helplessly as the ropes enveloped his grandfather like a cocoon. Grandma’s eyes welled up with tears. He had to do something, but he had no idea how to face these people.

  “Enough of this,” the short man said. “Our orders were straightforward, and it’s clear by his devices that he’s the Dun-Bhar. Let’s take him and get out of here.”

  “No!” Charlotte lunged at the short woman, reaching for her locket. “You’re not taking him anywhere.”

  The short woman redirected the crystal in her hand with an effortless flick of the wrist, causing another blinding flash and sending Charlotte crashing against the wall. She fell, unconscious.

  “Old fool,” the short man said. “Let’s go.”

  Marcus searched the room for something to defend his family, but found nothing; not unless he wanted to throw a deck of cards at them or try to hit them with a pair of steel hoops. Instinctively, he put his hands in his pockets. He felt his wallet and his phone. Neither would do any good.

  Then he felt the small marble his uncle had given him. Maybe he could throw it at them or roll it and make them trip? No. The thought was ridiculous. Caleb had asked him to keep it safe at all costs. To toss it would be to throw it away and never find it again.

  Marcus pulled the marble out anyway. He had no hope of doing anything real with it, but it was all that he had, and he wanted to feel like he was doing something. He wouldn’t just sit by like a sissy as his family was torn apart.

  The moment he showed the tiny marble in his hand, the two strangers stepped back and shielded their faces.

  But nothing happened.

  A second later, the intruders let down their guard. “Think you’re funny, do you?” the short woman asked, pointing her crystal shard at Marcus.

  He closed his eyes, bracing for whatever hideous power she was about to unleash on him. Then, although he didn’t see it right way, a blue wisp appeared just above the small marble in his hand. Not a moment later another wisp appeared above the intruders’ shard, and then another, until an obvious trail of misty blue fibers connected it to Marcus’s small sphere. Marcus opened his eyes. The hungry marble didn’t look the same. With each passing moment the crystal sphere fed, he felt it get heavier and grow larger, filling itself with the blue magical substance.

  “Do something,” the short woman said, only the word “woman” no longer described her accurately. Her voice had changed. It was no longer deep and mature. Gone was the raspy voice from minutes ago, replaced by the high-pitched voice of a young girl.

  “The drain!” the short male said, his voice remained intact. “We’ve got to get out of here with the Dun-Bhar.”

  “Stop him!” the girl ordered, shaking her fist. Her voice now sounded vaguely familiar to Marcus. Struggling against an unseen force, she reached inside her shirt and pulled out a second crystal shard. She tossed it to the short man.

  The short man mumbled something and pointed the shard toward Marcus. The crystal instantly came alive with a red glow at his touch.

  Marcus thought he heard a low growl. The two intruders must have thought the same as they turned toward the source of the noise just in time to see Tofu jump off the back of the couch and onto the short man. The dog rebounded off the short man’s torso then lunged at his arm. Tofu bit deep into the wrist that held the shard and dangled there, writhing. The short man released the shard and fell screaming in pain.

  Tofu then leapt on the girl, who instantly fell to the floor, surprised. She wrestled with the dog. Tofu defended better than his size would have indicated. He clawed and snapped at her, preventing her from gaining a true hold on him.

  A scratch from Tofu’s nails across the girl’s face removed a portion of her mask. She screamed and threw Tofu then scrambled for her shard. She grabbed it and got to her feet in time to take aim at Tofu. A blinding red flash followed, and for a moment Marcus thought he saw the angry face of a girl he had seen the last day of school. Then his attention was diverted to the yelp of their beloved Tofu, who had been tossed through the air and into the far wall.

  The girl pointed the shard towards the ground. With a flash the room filled with light and smoke. Marcus coughed. While he couldn’t see, he felt the ball in his hand, its size more like a marble again. he shoved it back in his pocket. He felt weak.

  “I would have finished you, boy, but alas, today it was not in the cards.” These were the last words that he remembered the girl’s familiar voice say.

  Marcus struggled to hold his weary eyes open. The prissy little voice was Elizabeth’s; he was sure of it.

  7

  A Strange Visit

  Marcus reached out to his sister. “What is it?” He hadn’t seen her react to anything this way before. “Are you hurt?”

  “No,” Ellie breathed deep. “Just spooked.”

  “About what?”

  Marcus hesitated a moment, and then bent to pick up the paper. He wanted to know what would cause his sister to act like this, but he didn’t expect what he saw.

  He held the sketch that Caleb had drawn for Grandpa that last time they had visited the State Hospital. But Marcus realized that this wasn’t why Ellie had reacted the way she did. Caleb had drawn the man who had visited the shop and had stolen the skull.

  Marcus stood and considered the drawing for some time. “How could Caleb have drawn this?” he asked in a hushed voice.

  “I don’t know, but this is starting to freak me out a bit. I think I need to just get away for a little while.”

  “You need to get some rest,” Marcus said. “Why don’t you just go to bed? We’ll figure this out in the morning.”

  Ellie nodded and crossed her arms in front of her. “Okay.” Then she left for her room.

  Marcus made his way to his bedroom slowly with Tofu sauntering after him. He had so many questions and no answers. He flopped down on his bed. His mind wandered all over the place. Tofu curled up in his regular spot at the end of the bed.

  Mixed emotions filled Marcus as he held up the picture. Was he going crazy? He felt angry and afraid. He felt like he was experiencing a sensory overload. Like Ellie, he just wanted to turn off for a while.

  Marcus pounded his pillow. His curiosity was piqued. He had seen the unexplainable before; things he didn’t dare put into words. He wanted to know more; he wanted to understand.

  Every few minutes Marcus tossed and turned. He played things over and over in his mind. His grandparents wouldn’t tell them anything; that much was certain. But they were running from something, perhaps this man on the sketch in his hands. But how did Caleb know to draw him? How could Caleb have known something before it happened? Was this paper a warning to his grandparents? No, that thought was insane. But while he couldn’t explain it, he had the proof right in his hands. Caleb knew something.

  And that was the last thought Marcus had before he fell asleep.

  He awoke to a dull ache in his head. He rubbed his eyes and tried to run a hand through his hair, but something was in the way.


  “Get off my head,” Marcus said with a chuckle as he pushed Tofu to one side. The dog rolled over, and then popped his head up and yawned wide. His little tongue hung out of his mouth.

  “Tell me that yesterday didn’t really happen,” he said. Tofu whimpered.

  Marcus got out of bed and heard something crumple beneath his feet when he stood. He stooped and picked up the piece of paper—Caleb’s drawing.

  “Marcus, Ellie!” Grandma called from downstairs. “Come down for breakfast, please.”

  Ellie emerged from her room dragging her feet one step at a time like a zombie. Her eyes were only half open.

  “Did you get any sleep?” Marcus asked, meeting her at the banister. Ellie curled her lip at him.

  They went downstairs and entered the kitchen to find eggs, toast, and a bowl of cereal at each of their places. A pot steamed on the stove. Grandma scurried around putting kitchen items in brown boxes.

  “What are you doing, Grandma?” Ellie asked, her shoulders drooping.

  “I’m packing, dear, just like we talked about last night.”

  “Can’t we talk about this some more? I don’t want to move.”

  “This isn’t up for discussion, Ellie,” her grandma said. “This is a decision that your grandpa and I made for the good of the family.”

  “I hate this,” Ellie balled her fists, “you’re ruining our lives.” Then she ran out of the room.

  Charlotte sighed. “And how are you handling this, Marcus?”

  “I’m confused, and I’m worried about Ellie. A lot has happened recently, you know, things we can’t explain.”

  “Can’t explain?” Grandma retrieved ingredients from their pantry and added them to pot. She didn’t say anything else for a while. “Maybe you should take Ellie to a movie or something.” She stirred the pot on the stove. “Maybe that would get her mind off of this a little bit.”

  Marcus opened his mouth to say what a silly idea that was; that Ellie didn’t really like movies, she liked books. He wanted to say that she should toughen up.

  The first words passed his lips. “That’s a stup—” then he stopped himself mid-word. As the words started to come out, he realized that he had an opportunity here.

  “That’s a stupendous idea, Grandma.”

  “Well then,” she said, surprised, “let me get you some money.” She left the kitchen to find her purse.

  He couldn’t believe this. He needed to find Ellie to explain that this was their chance.

  A minute later she returned with her handbag. “Okay, here’s some money, Marcus,” Grandma flicked through bills like a banker at a teller window. “You should have enough there for the movie, some treats, and even a meal.”

  “Thanks Grandma, I’ll go find Ellie and see what she wants to see.”

  “That would be nice of you, dear. She seems like she could use a few hours away from all of this. Just make sure you are home by 6 P.M. tonight. You still need to pack, you know.”

  With a nod, Marcus stashed the cash in his pocket. The stove pot began to bubble.

  “What are you cooking?” he asked, smelling something odd.

  “Just making some of our homemade licorice, dear.”

  “You know I love licorice,” Marcus raised a hand approaching the licorice playfully.

  “Oh no, you don’t,” she wagged a very straight finger at him. “You know that this is for your aunt and uncle. Special family recipe. I can make some for you later if you’d like.”

  “Thanks, Grandma,” he saluted her, and then left the kitchen to look for Ellie.

  Marcus went up to his room to find Ellie sitting on his bed petting Tofu.

  “Hey,” he said, unsure of how approachable she would be.

  “What do you want?” Ellie tossed the dog lightly to one side.

  “Your allowance,” Marcus said with a playful grin.

  “What?”

  “Guess what just happened?”

  “I don’t really care,” Ellie said.

  Marcus didn’t need her consent. “Grandma feels sorry for you, so she just gave me some money to take you to the movies.”

  “Why would I want to go to the movies?”

  “I know, right? But don’t you see? This fits right into our plan.”

  “I don’t have a plan, Marcus. This is all your idea. If it weren’t for you and your nosy nature, we wouldn’t be in this mess, and we wouldn’t have to move.”

  “Whoa,” Marcus said. “Hang on just a minute there. I didn’t do anything wrong. I was just the witness. I have told you everything I’ve seen and everything I’ve heard. I didn’t ask for this.”

  “Well, I want out. I’m tired of all this.”

  “We have to understand what’s going on here, Ellie,” Marcus pulled out the wad of cash their grandma had given him, “and Grandma just gave us the way to do it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We’ll take this money that Grandma gave us, add ours to it, and we should have enough for the taxi to go visit the hospital.”

  “Are you crazy?”

  “You saw the picture and Grandma’s locket, Ellie,” Marcus said. “Come on. We don’t have time to waste.”

  “Fine.”

  He grabbed Ellie’s hand and pulled her off the bed. “You have nothing to worry about, unless you’re afraid Caleb will drool on you.”

  They made their way downstairs, through the living area, and to the shop’s front door when Marcus managed a token, “bye Grandma.” They scurried out the door.

  They walked several blocks before hailing a cab. Marcus didn’t want to risk their grandma seeing them get into a taxi when the movie theater was so close to the shop. She would assume they went to that one.

  A moment later a cab pulled to a stop in front of Marcus and Ellie. “Where to?” the dark-skinned driver asked when they climbed into the cab.

  Marcus answered inconspicuously, “Nevada State Hospital.”

  At the sound of Marcus’s voice, the cab driver raised his eyebrows over his sunglasses. He tilted his head to look up through rearview mirror. “The mental institute?” he asked.

  “Yes, sir,” Marcus said confidently. He and Ellie exchanged a sheepish look.

  The taxi driver shrugged and pulled away from the curb after the road was clear. “You know that’s quite a drive, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” Marcus said, a little annoyed. “We have enough money.”

  “Okay then,” the taxi driver looked into the rearview mirror, which had green, fuzzy dice hanging from its mount. “And hey, I didn’t mean anything by it, just so you know. I treat all my paying clients with the utmost respect.”

  “That’s great,” Ellie said as she turned back to Marcus. In a lowered voice, she added, “What a weirdo.”

  The sun beat down on the cab, and Marcus was grateful to be on this side of the tinted windows. He had a lot to think about, and he hadn’t quite worked out what they would say once they got to Nevada State.

  The cab driver asked, “So what are you all doing at the hospital today, visiting family?”

  “Yes, just visiting,” Ellie answered, and Marcus chuckled at her wording.

  “How long before we get there?” Marcus asked. He wasn’t sure if this cab driver was the talkative type, but they needed the time to plan out their approach.

  “Should only be twenty minutes or so.”

  “Thanks,” Marcus said.

  “You know,” the cab driver added, “it’s good of you to go see your family. Not everyone has that luxury.”

  “Thanks,” Marcus said in an even tone, trying to contain his growing annoyance for a cab driver who wouldn’t shut up.

  “What are we going to do when get there?” Ellie asked, huddling up to Marcus. “We’re going a long way for not even knowing if they will let us in.”

  “They have to let us in. It’s never been a problem before, right? Besides, our families seem like old friends. How many recipes has our grandma given to the warden?
I’m guessing that if it weren’t for Grandma, that woman would starve.”

  “I know, but I don’t think they let just anybody walk into a place like that, you know?” Ellie asked. “I mean, why the cameras and all the security then?”

  “Maybe you’re right. We’ll have to come up with another plan.”

  They drove for some time and all the while Marcus racked his brain for something they could do to get in and see Caleb and Anabell. Perhaps they would, in fact, just let them in, but if they didn’t, he wasn’t sure what to do.

  “Do you visit your family often?” the cab driver asked after some time.

  “Once a month or so,” Ellie cut Marcus off as he was about to say something that certainly wouldn’t have been as polite.

  The driver drove through the State Hospital gates around ten minutes later. The creepy statues of the winged animals still stood outside the gates and overlooked the security kiosk that the taxi was pulling up to.

  The taxi driver looked in the rearview mirror. “What do I do?”

  “Push the big green button on the kiosk,” Marcus said.

  The driver hesitated a moment, and then pushed the button.

  “Nevada State,” a man’s voice said from the kiosk. Marcus recognized Roger’s voice. He was a little surprised, considering that Pat had always answered the machine before. That said, he couldn’t forget Roger. How could he forget getting the third degree, free pat down included?

  “State your purpose,” Roger said.

  “Visiting family,” the taxi driver said.

  “Name of the person you would like to visit?”

  The driver looked back at Marcus and Ellie and shrugged.

  Marcus whispered, “Caleb and Anabell Fith”.

  The driver repeated the names back to Roger, who reacted very strangely.

  “Caleb and Anabell?” Roger asked, then paused before adding, “Who is this?”

  Confused, the driver looked back to the kids again for an answer.

  “Tell him that we have a recipe for Pat,” Marcus said, scouring his brain for something. “A licorice recipe.” It was the only thing he could think of.