PREFACE
The pumpkin shoppe was happily situated between number 542 Kingsly lane and the Rutgers national forest and animal preserve. The shoppe was relay just a side room on its owner's garage. She had finished and furnished it as soon as she bought the house. It had only taken her a few months to turn it into an apothecary Its convenient position of being behind the garage and consequently the house, and its close proximity to the forest was one of the deciding factors in Alice's choice in buying the house. No one who was not meant to see the shoppe would, unless they were specifically looking for it. While this was a benefit, it also was poor Alice's down fall.
Since no one on the street could view the shoppe, no one was witness to a tall, dark, hooded figure glide out of the forest and enter it.
As this man turned to close the door his travailing coat moved aside to reveal an athima strapped in his belt loop.
“Alice, oh Alice?” he called out. His voice had that strange pitch to it. Half honey and half poison. “I know you or your brat is hiding around here somewhere.” His beady eyes scanned the room. After confirming that neither 'Alice' or her 'brat' were there, he proceeded to search the shelves lining the walls. They were crammed with assortments of jars, viles, satchels and books. Upon not finding what he was seeking he began his search of the cupboards that filled the rest of the wall space not occupied by shelves. After throwing the contence on the floor he let out a bellow of frustration.
“DAMN! It's not here! Not surprising though.” he scoffed. “ who could expect to find anything in such a pitiful place. It positively reeks of The Undeserving and The Empties.”
In his anger he slammed his fist down on a cabinet, splinting it in half and spilling candles all over the floor.
“My dear, I know you must want answer, but violence is not he way to get it. Now, what is it that you seek?” a voice behind him inquired.
The hooded man sun around to face the speaker. She was a small woman, looked to be about thirty years old. Her loose fitting dress and numerous shalls were unsuccessful at hiding her beauty. On a normal person so many rings, bracelets, and neck lesses would look tacky, but on Alice it just looked right.
“I am not one of your precious little customers Alice, as I'm sure you can see.” he answered.
“Well who ever you are, you have no right to smash my cupboards” she stated indignantly. “and those 'undeserving' as you put it have just as much right as you to be hear, if not more.”
“Spear me your pathetic idealistic ideas. I came here for one thing and one thing only.”
“and what is that?”
“ revenge!”
“How cleashay!” she scoffed. “Can't you do better than that.”
“Yeah, your right that was pathetic” he laughed humorously. I'm sure this would be better.” with that he lunged forward, pulling the knife out and trowing it at Alice. She ducked out of the way, than fled to the back storage.
“you can't hid you know, I will find you.”
“I'm not running you crazed mushroom, I'm defending my self. Take THAT!” she shouted as she reappear and chucked a vile striate at his head. It mad contact, and after giving of an unpleasant sound, and an even more unpleasant oder. Than simply disappeared.
The man looked surprised for a moment, but quickly recovered.
“Why didn't that work, it should have worked. You should be dead!”
“I'm not one of your kind you idiot. But you, you foolish woman have just shown that you do have the potion. Now hand it over!”
“How am I supposed to do that when I just threw the last of it at you?” she asked skeptically while avoiding things being thrown at her head.
“I very much doubt that you don have more, so, as I trust that you do, or that you have the recipe hidden some where, I can not get rid of you. Someones coming, and I don't want them to save you. Good bye witch!!” in a flash of movement he was on top of her, with his teeth in her neck, and her her blood everywhere.
With out a sound the person who the hooded man had sensed slunk into the shoppe, pulled her own knife out of her wrist band, and chucked it strait through his back, right into his heart. Upon contact he spun around, and laughed.
“can't you see that that wont work. I am immortal.”
“No your not, you can be killed by silver blessed by a priest. So, DIE!” and he burst into light.
“MOTHER! Are you still alive? DON'T DIE.” She screamed as she clutched her mothers blood soaked shalls.
“GO...grab...the....trunk. Go.... to....the.....cave. I.... love...you.”
“I love you to Maman”
“Go.”
The girl stood up, ran to the counter, and took out a key from underneath it. Spinning around five times she shouted “TUNK” and than disappeared.
Alice slumped down on the floor, and died.
