Part 2

I should have left. That thought crossed my mind more than once, but it never quite reached my feet. Instead, I found myself moving deeper into the shop, drawn in by something I couldn’t name. The air felt different the farther I went in, warmer, heavier, like the space itself was aware of me.

The shelves stretched endlessly in both directions, lined with objects that didn’t belong together and yet somehow made perfect sense in this place. Glass bottles, small wooden boxes, folded slips of paper tied with thread. None of it looked valuable.

And yet… all of it felt important.

“Has something caught your eye?” His voice came from behind me, calm and steady, like he had been expecting this exact moment. I turned slightly, catching sight of him leaning against the counter now, his posture relaxed but his attention entirely on me.

“What does this bottle mean?” I asked. The label was simple. The Words You Never Said. After reading it my stomach tightened slightly.

He Stepped away from the front counter and walked toward me at an unhurried pace. “It means,” he said, stopping just beside the shelf, “Exactly what it says.” He continued, “Although, it depends on whether you’re ready to let go or not.” He reached past me, picking up the small glass bottle with careful, deliberate hands. “This one tends to draw in the most attention besides that one.” He added, glancing at the box off to the side of another shelf with the label “REGRETS” in big bold letters.

I frowned at that, glancing back at the rows of items. I stepped a little closer before I could stop myself. “But what is in it?” I questioned. “It looks like liquid. Do you drink it?”

He glanced at me, almost like the answer should have been obvious. “Of course, how else will it work?” He held the bottle out just enough for me to see it more clearly, the glass catching the warm light from above. For a brief moment, something shifted inside it, like a flicker of movement, gone almost as soon as I noticed it. He placed the bottle back on the shelf with the same careful percision. “It gives you the strength to speak up of things that have been left unsaid.” For the first time, there was the faintest shift in his expression, something between amusement a hint of sympathy. “Some people need the extra push.”

I let out a quiet breath, shaking my head. The words settled heavier than I expected. I crossed my arms slightly, trying to ground myself. My chest tightened again. I looked at the other labels around it, my eyes moving slowly across each one.

The Night You Should’ve Stayed.

The Apology You Rehearsed but Never Gave.

The Version of You That Almost Tried.

Each one felt… uncomfortably familiar. “Do people actually buy these?” I asked, half skeptic.

“No,” he said simply.

I glanced back at him. “Then how do you make money, if no one buys anything? This isn’t a normal shop.”

That earned me the smallest hint of a smile. “No,” he agreed. “It isn’t.” He studied me, really studied me this time, like he was trying to decide something I wasn’t aware of. “They take what they need and change the outcome of their life. This shop is the in between realm.” He stretches his arm out and points to the window showing what no longer looked of the alleyway I once stubbled upon before entering then shop. Now it showed lighted colorful lanterns, ghostly looking people eating and chatting happily with unusual creatures, it looked as though there was a festival going on outside of the shop.

I frowned, shaking my head. “How- how is this possible?” 

His gaze didn’t waver. The lights above us flickered slightly, not enough to plunge the room into darkness, but enough to make the shadows shift along the walls. “This is where the deciding choices are made. Just outside this shop is the realm of the dead. All eventually pass on, but this is where you choose how you ultimately pass on.” He didn’t look away and added. “There’s a different ending with every choice.”

A chill ran down my spine. It was something about that answer that made me pause, not in fear, but in understanding and if I’m being honest a slight uneasiness. I open my mouth to speak but no words escaped my lips. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath and tried again. “Am I dead?” I asked, my voice shaky.

He chuckled lightly, shoulders rising and falling, shaking his head. “No, but you are my chosen replacement.” He smiled softly. “A shop keeper can only live so long and this place must continue on.” He added.

I froze. “Chosen replacement? For a magical shop I just happened to come across late into the night.” I scoffed. “You want me to run your shop? A place filled with peoples’ choices? This is crazy.”

His smile did not falter. The shop keeper turned away and walked to the front counter grabbing a box from a lower shelf and placing it on top of the counter. He opened the box, and inside was a beautiful delicate looking necklace with a bright blue jewel wrapped in metal that what looked like to be some ancient design. He finally spoke again. “If you choose to be my replacement, you will start out as my assistant, and when it is time you will take over completely.”

I walk to the counter and take the necklace into my hand. The lighting swirled on the jewel. I look up at his face, you could see the age in his face sweet, kind wrinkles at the edge of his eyes and forehead. What kind of life did he have before taking the position of the shop keeper? Did he have a wife and kids? Or was he just as lost as I was at my age handed the same offer he gave me now? So many questions raced through my mind. I didn’t know why this was happening and I didn’t know why I was chosen, but one thing I did know was that I was going to give this my all. After all it was a better offer than the life I was currently living. I nodded once slipped the necklace over my head. The sudden feeling of ease and warmth overfilled me. I felt at peace.

I nodded once again. “I will be your assistant.” I said with finally a clear mind.