'Go to your school and leave the cat at the shelter.' Zubera told Ebba.
'I'm already late, and they're not letting me in.' Ebba said, her puppy eyes widening.
'Then return home; I have to visit the Mystic Emporium.' Zubera stated.
'May I accompany you?' Ebba begged. 'OK, but you should go to your classes tomorrow.' Zubera asserted. 'I promise I will,'
They drove to the shop after dropping the cat off at the shelter. It was filthy and strewn with dust. 'Will you also sell the shop?' Ebba wanted to know.
'If it sells, it appears to be worth nothing.' Zubera took a look around.
The back room of the store was filled with stacks of antiquated books and shelves upon shelves of antique jars that had been stuffed with various medicinal plants and amulets. She instructed Ebba to clean up the shop while she perused various books of magic in the store's backroom. She was fascinated by the idea, but she didn't feel compelled to follow in her grandma's footsteps and become a witch like she did. Her skepticism about witchcraft was well-founded.
They had spent the entire day in the shop; throughout that time, Ebba had been nosing around in the various jars of herbs while Zubera read books to pass the time. Often giving Ebba the cold shoulder anytime she asked about something.
Alfalfa, basil, blue vervain, chickweed, cleavers, Hawthorne berries, hibiscus, juniper, lavender, lemongrass, mugwort, penny royal, st john's wort, Ebba wandered throughout the shop, loudly reading the labels on the jars. She had come across an ancient, thick book with a leather binding that listed the names of all the herbs in alphabetical order and detailed the properties and applications of each individual herb. She would read the label on the jar, then dash to the book to learn more about it, and then she would excitedly inform Zubera about what she had discovered. Zubera was not a bit interested in the discussion.
The bell that was hung on the top of the door rang as someone pushed the door open behind Zubera. After the terrible event that had transpired the day before, she was skeptical that anyone would visit the shop. She kept on reading her book without looking back to see who had just walked into the space. Ebba stopped what she was doing, stepped up to the visitor, and said, 'Hi, and welcome to Mystic Emporium!' in an upbeat and welcoming tone, as if she were being paid to do so.
Zubera could make out the sound of footsteps getting closer to her. Ebba interrupted the visitor in the middle of the path and asked, 'How may I assist you?' sounding much more upbeat and ebullient than before. Zubera was surprised since she had never heard her sound that upbeat before. She furrowed her brows.
'Who is the proprietor of this place?' said a voice that sounded ethereal and attractively manly. Zubera swiftly whirled around, and her eyes locked gaze with the visitor. He had the stature of a Greek deity, being both imposing in height and ripped with muscle. His figure was accentuated by the way his white shirt fitted him and accentuated his muscles. His olive complexion glowed with the vitality of a person in good health.
When Zubera attempted to climb down from the highchair, the hem of her dress snagged her heels, and she slipped; the stranger lunged forward to save her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and gripped her tightly. They locked eyes, and an immediate sense of comfort and familiarity swept over them. His face was clean-shaven, revealing perfectly chiseled jawlines and his eyes were a dark brown that looked like obsidian. She reached for his shoulder but inadvertently tore off the buttons, which exposed his shaved chest. He raised her up, and her face landed on the exposed skin of his chest. Both were bewildered for a period of time as they stood in the same position.
While he was holding her, he had the sensation of being swept into a foggy flashback. His mind seemed to journey through a dark tunnel into a firepit. His limbs felt weak, and he had an image of a tiny boy and girl holding hands and strolling on a stone walkway while singing a familiar lullaby. There was a sense of recognition, but he didn't recognize either of the children. The more he concentrated on the vision in an effort to see it more clearly, the more severe the headache became in his head. He felt a stabbing pain in his brain. He began to feel increasingly powerless as he began to lose control of his body.
The silence in the shop was broken by the ringing of the door ring. The door was opened by a gorgeous young lady who appeared to be in her mid-20s and had a thin build. She carried a certain air of arrogance despite her sophisticated demeanor. As she neared them, her heels created a racket that could be heard throughout the room.
As Zubera realized how embarrassing the situation was, she regained her composure and hurried away from the man. The man made an effort to get his shirt closer to his body in order to conceal his bare chest.
'I am the owner,' Zubera spoke in a hushed tone, still feeling uncomfortable about what had taken place and attempting to divert her gaze away from him.
'You are Nafre Delvaux?' the woman asked, gazing at Zubera.
'She is Zubera Delvaux, Nafre's Granddaughter' Ebba spoke out from the shadows, attempting to join in the conversation.
The young woman turned towards Ebba and glanced at her while flipping her neatly curled and sprayed brown hair from her shoulders to her back and asked, 'Can you tell me where we may find Nafre Delvaux?'
'She is not here' Inquisitive, Zubera responded to the question. Ebba swiftly added, 'Yeah, she has been missing for the past 19 years.' Totally perplexed by Ebba's openness with total strangers, Zubera glared at her. For a moment, Zubera considered stuffing a rag into Ebba's mouth as a means of preventing her from continuing to speak too much.
'May I ask why you are seeking for her?' Zubera pressed the young woman with questioning to elicit information.
'That is for Nafre to know.' She gave Zubera a friendly grin before leaving the store, and a man soon after followed closely behind her. Ebba moved closer to the door glass in an effort to determine the direction in which they went.
''I warned you that you wouldn't discover anything and that Nafre, the woman has been missing for the past 19 years. You heard the girl.' Darciana said fiercely.
'Yes of course, I heard her,' he said. Darius mumbled something in a low voice as he continued to reflect on the peculiar flashback he had received when he touched the owner of the store.
'May we please leave Willowdale as quickly as possible?' Darciana said, losing her calm.
'There is something peculiar about this woman; I felt something I have never felt before; I sensed something bizarre; nonetheless, it all felt quite familiar,' Darius said to his sister while staring sightlessly in the distance.