Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 65042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
I wandered in slowly, drinking it all in. I’ve always loved grocery shopping in strange, new stores and Goodman Kreeches was absolutely the strangest store I’d ever been in.
A floating orb of light drifted past my head and giggled when I reached for it. It flitted away, giving a flirtatious little bounce as it went.
Nearby, a tall, thin woman with feathers instead of hair offered me a tiny silver cup filled with a swirling lavender liquid.
“Unicorn milk smoothie—it’s healing and good for the joints,” she said with a wink. “Try it, dearie—you’ll be glad you did.”
I took a cautious sip—and was immediately hit with the strangest sensation. It tasted like vanilla and crushed almonds and cool mountain water and the moment I drank it, my joints felt…springier. My knees and back were less achy too.
“Thank you,” I said, as I gave back the cup. “This stuff is great!”
“It’s on sale today only—two gold for a jug,” she told me.
Since I only had six gold to my name, I decided to pass. But I promised myself if I got more money later, I’d definitely buy a jug of the stuff.
“Thank you, maybe later,” I told her. Right now I needed to find something more practical—something I could make for lunch. It had been some time since my toast and tea breakfast and my stomach was growling.
I passed a rack of enchanted teas that rearranged themselves when I stared at them too long. One box labeled “Lucid Lemon Dream” had mist curling from the top flap, and another named “Starfire Spice” glowed faintly purple.
A large wooden barrel near the end of the aisle was filled with singing apples—each one crooning softly in harmony with the others. I paused to listen to a trio of magical, bright red apples singing a lullaby in what sounded like Elvish, their skins sparkling like sugar crystals. Next to them, a bin of enchanted garlic cloves vibrated like tuning forks. They would hum a warning whenever a vampire got too close—or so the sign above them claimed.
I spotted a shelf labeled “For Fauns and Satyrs Only,” holding jars of candied mushrooms, pine-needle jerky, and acorn butter. The mushrooms glowed faintly under a dim lantern that swung by itself overhead, casting flickering golden light.
This place is unbelievable, I thought. I was enchanted by both the variety and the strangeness. But where was the human food?
The butcher counter was manned by a tall Orc with green skin and tusks wearing a white apron and a paper hat. He was slicing slabs of shimmering meat labeled “Mooncalf Steak.” Beside him were a pile of “Dire Hog Sausages—only two silver apiece.”
“You wanna sample?” he grunted, when he saw me watching.
“No, thank you,” I said, moving on quickly. I had no idea what a Mooncalf or a Dire Hog were, and I wasn’t anxious to eat either one until I found out.
I continued my shopping—which by now had turned into people watching as well—if the individuals I encountered could be called people. A big, muscular blond man with translucent gills at his neck was buying jars of pickled seaweed, while a green-skinned goblin toddler tried to climb into the candy barrel behind him.
I went down another aisle which featured a display of floating jars of jam that rotated slowly in midair, each one glowing with a different hue. One was labeled “Elderberry & Enchantment,” another “Marmalade of Memory.” A hovering sample spoon offered me a taste—I took it, and instantly remembered the smell of my Grandma’s spice cabinet and the exact feeling of my first kiss.
That’s…intense. I blinked, my heart thudding. I need to stay focused. Where is the human food around here?
“Looking for something in particular?” a voice at my elbow asked.
I turned—and let out a tiny gasp.
The man floating three inches above the wooden floorboards had translucent skin, wispy white hair, and a kind smile. His eyes twinkled like starlight, and he was dressed in an old-fashioned grocer’s apron. There was a checkered bowtie at his neck.
He was also completely transparent.
“Oh…who are you?” I asked the ghost—because that was what he must be, right?
“Why, I’m Goodman Kreeches, at your service,” he said, doffing an invisible hat and giving me a wide, translucent smile. “Now what can I help you find, dear girl? If you don’t mind me saying so, you look rather lost. This must be your first time in our fine establishment.”
“It is. Um, I’m looking for tuna and mayonnaise,” I said. “I was, uh, going to make tuna salad for lunch.”
“Right this way,” he said, floating down the aisle ahead of me. “You want the human food aisle. It’s quite popular with many of our local witches who moved here from out of town. Of which, I assume you’re one?”
He raised his eyebrows at me.
“Um, yes. I guess I am,” I said weakly. “At least, Goody Albright seems to think so.”