Sought by Shadow

Sought by Shadow

Postby CherryStatic » Sun Sep 14, 2014 7:45 pm

The guards had not presented a problem.

As she approached the furthest reaches of the light their torches shed, she waved a hand, dousing their flames and plunging them into darkness. She used the momentary confusion to slip between them unnoticed, unchallenged, weaving her way towards the Southern entrance of Myrkentown. She passed through the gate without mishap, the shadows detaching themselves from the guards to trail fluidly after her while the torches flared to life once more, as though nothing had happened. She ignored their continued mutterings of alarm, some returning swords to their sheaths, others scratching their heads and wondering if it could have been the wind.

Moving purposefully down the main street, which fed into the heart of the town, she followed the thread of power that wound between the shops, offices, and homes. He chattered incessantly in the back of her mind, his words making less and less sense as she neared the source of the energy, his excitement coming across as gleeful singing the closer it got.

We put the lock into the key
and turn it so that all can see
the end of days
which comes this waaaaa--


She silenced him gently, caressing his mind with her soothing whispers. His words petered off, his state of heightened emotion diminishing, until he was merely a presence within her, watching, waiting. She continued her search, scanning the mostly darkened shop windows as she went. She eventually came to a stop.

The shop was old, a lamp in the window radiating a dusty amber glow. A simple wooden sign hanging from a rod above the entrance stated in bold, flowing letters the words "Curio Shoppe". She clasped the rusted iron handle of the door and pushed it gently open, a bell tinkling quietly as she stepped inside.

Items of every sort littered the shelves that lined the walls: clocks, mirrors, drinking vessels, tiny wooden figurines, oddly colored stones, and much more. Her eyes swept over them to meet the gaze of the elderly woman who had turned at the sound of her entering. It was immediately apparent in her eyes that she hadn't had a customer in a while.

"Welcome!" she said, smiling with what teeth she had left, her wrinkles exaggerated in the dim lighting. She wore and old but once vivid dress, her gray hair pulled back by a rose colored head scarf. "Welcome to Agatha's, home of Myrken's finest curiosities!"

She nodded quietly to the eager woman, her eyes wandering across the shelves. "I am searching for something that I have lost."

Agatha nodded at her words, smiling to herself as much as her potential customer. "Yes, things do have a way of ending up here, I'm afraid. But, better here than in the pocket of a thief, I say." Her smile lessened, and she tried a bit too hard to appear embarrassed. "Of course, I have no way of knowing whether or not one of my items really does belong to you, dear. You understand, yes?"

"Of course." she replied, her gaze still running over the objects behind the woman. "I do not mind paying."

"Oh, that's very good of you." The old woman's smile reappeared. "Now then, do you think you could describe what you're looking for?"

"It is a lantern." She glanced at the woman, focusing on her with her visible eye. "It is completely ordinary, save for one pane of glass that depicts a door."

Agatha listened intently, thinking. She waited patiently while the woman tried to recall if she had anything like that among the wares on display. All at once, the shop owner's face lit up.

"Yes, of course!" she said, almost triumphantly. She turned and shuffled through a door behind the counter, reappearing a moment later with said lantern. "I've had this for quite some time, and nobody has ever asked after it, or even glanced at it, for that matter. This is the lantern you meant, dear?"

She reached out and ran her fingers down the cool iron of the frame. It was exactly as she remembered it. She felt him stir in excitement, threatening to start rambling inside her head. She calmed him once again, her eyes fixed on the lantern.

"Yes. This is the one."

"Wonderful, wonderful." Agatha splayed her fingers behind the lamp, showcasing it. "As you can see, it's still in wonderful condition, not a scratch on it. It looks as though it's never been used."

"It has been." she responded quietly. "Only once."

Agatha nodded absently, the imminent sale of one of her wares much more pressing to her. "Well, dear, considering what a quality item it is, I could part with it for, we'll say, five silver pieces."

She regarded the shop keep quietly. She would have smiled, perhaps laughed, if she thought for a moment that it mattered. Instead, she reached into her cloak and withdrew a small pouch, setting it on the counter. Agatha glanced down at it, puzzled, and pulled the drawstring open, upending it onto the wooden surface.

Her eyes widened at the number of gold pieces that spilled from the pouch. Her mouth opened and closed. She looked up, clearly confused, thinking there was some mistake.

"I don't understand, dear."

"I am paying you what it is worth." she said simply. "It is very important to me."

The old woman stared at her for a long moment, then sighed, returning the coins to the bag. "It would be wrong to accept this much, child, even for sentimental value."

She took Agatha's hand in her own before she could return the money, her flesh smooth and pale against the elderly shop keep's. "You have helped me. I am simply paying you for your service. Keep the gold. I insist."

The old woman searched her eye for further explanation, but found none. She couldn't deny how much the gold would help her, especially when customers were so few and far between. She slipped the pouch under the counter.

"Alright, dear. If it really means that much to you."

"Thank you." She removed the lantern from the counter. "Good evening."

She turned and exited the shop, the bell tinkling behind her, the object of her search in hand.
......................................................................................................................................................................
Agatha watched her leave, puzzled. What a curious woman.

She hobbled around the counter and moved to the door, turning the lock and lowering the length of wood that barred the door at night. With the amount of money she had just recieved from the cloaked woman, she wouldn't need to worry about customers for some time after.

She shuffled towards the window to blow out the lamp, when an odd thought struck her.

That girl couldn't have been more than thirty years old, but come to think of it, she had had that lamp in her possession since the day her shop had opened, those forty-two years ago. She frowned, confused. The girl had claimed that the lamp had belonged to her at one point, had she not?

She stood still, staring out the window into the night for nearly a minute. Finally, she sighed, her old bones tired and her shoulders slumped. She supposed she didn't need to worry about an item that was no longer in her care, especially when she had been given so much for it. It was odd, true, but she didn't think it was any of her concern, frankly.

With one last glance out the window, she lifted the glass of the lamp and blew out the flame, extinguishing the only light in the narrow street.
User avatar
CherryStatic
Member
 
Posts: 105
Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2014 8:01 pm
Location: Tennessee

Return to Myrkentown



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 13 guests

cron