Threat

Arthur sat on the sidewalk and waited for the time to pass. As the night darkened, the people on the street started to thin. Some of them gave Arthur inquisitive glances wondering why a young man like him was out loitering so late at night but all of them promptly moved on. Arthur did not look like he needed help so they minded their own business.

The moon rose and eventually Arthur was left on First Street alone. The night was chilling and the young man started to shiver. The glare of the phone reflected on his face when he took it out to look at the time. It was fast approaching midnight.

Arthur stood up from the sidewalk and paced up and down the street to work some heat into his muscles. As the time ticked towards midnight, Arthur found himself getting increasingly nervous. What if the Midnight Emporium did not show up even after midnight?

He would return to his mundane life but after being given a glimpse of the other side, would he settle for the normal and mundane?

Thankfully, that was a question that Arthur did not need to answer because just like in the Cinderella story, the magic started just as the clock struck twelve. The space that was just an empty plot of land one second ago was now a store, the store that Arthur stumbled across yesterday. The faded sign, the brick walls, the front door, they appeared out of thin air, just like magic.

Arthur noticed there was no one else on First Street other than himself to notice this magical performance, he wondered whether that was a coincidence or there was something more mythical at work.

If this was a game, returning to the Midnight Emporium would be similar to the point screen at the end of every day, calculating and measuring the main character's progress. Half way through that analogy, Arthur noticed how amazingly accurate it was, the Midnight Emporium was indeed going to be the locale where he would be examining and concluding most of his development and growth with the Book of Thoth's aid.

Arthur pushed the front door open and what he saw surprised him. In the dark recesses of the shop, a figure could be seen leaning against the counter. Since the body was in the way, Arthur could not see what the person was doing but based on the sound of pages turning, he believed said person was casually flipping through the Book of Thoth.

The person had long back hair, was wearing a blouse and a long skirt that trailed to the floor. Based on the way of dressing, and the womanly shape, Arthur had a fairly good idea who she was.

"Miss S? What are you doing?" Arthur asked with caution and alarm.

The person leaning at the counter turned around and there was a look of surprise on her face like she did not expect someone to interrupt her. However, there was no shame of being caught, if anything, the shock on her face was more like she was not expecting Arthur to be standing there, talking to her.

This was further proven when she got over her initial surprise, and she said, "Well, well, well. I certainly did not expect to see you back so soon..." she paused before adding candidly, "or at all if I'm being honest."

Arthur did not miss the added remark near the end. The petition was a set-up!

Or at least that was what Miss S was hinting at. To confirm, Arthur asked for an explanation, "Miss S, what do you mean by that?"

"Oh, am I being far too vague?" The woman smiled before continuing, "My apologies. The petition was actually a death mission and I'm quite surprised you managed to come back alive. Color me impressed."

Arthur would have been angry at being sent to his grave but Miss S' attitude was so cavalier that the young man honestly did not know how to react. In the end, Arthur only managed to force out a, "But why?"

Miss S turned to Arthur with a look that was similar to how a mother would look at a less-than-bright child. She shrugged, "Isn't it obvious? My dear Kelpie needs to be fed and you're the perfect solution. Speaking of which..." Miss S. waltzed away from the counter and gingerly swiped the sheaf of seaweed from Arthur's hand. "Thank you, dear. You've been very helpful."

"Wait, so you sent me this petition to act as a feed for your horse?!" Arthur still could not get over that fact. "How could you even do something like that?"

"I don't know..." Miss S. said coyly, "If it makes you feel any better, consider it a test and you've passed with flying colors. You're perfectly fine, are you not? Standing here talking to me with that accusing tone. Be thankful that I've given you a valuable lesson, not all things appear as innocent as they seem."

"But..." Arthur was practically tongue-tied before this woman who seemed to be able to slither out of any argument. In the end, he grumbled petulantly, "But that's a very bad thing to do."

"Morality is nothing but a man-made construct." Miss S. shrugged before adding in a rather foreboding tone, "but if we're really discussing morality, I do have a bone to pick with you."

She branded Arthur with her pair of eyes that were as still as pools of dark water and it sent a chill up Arthur's spine. It felt as if all the air had been sucked out of his lungs.

The atmosphere in the room turned icy and things were definitely not in Arthur's favor. "As a creature of the voice, do you really think I won't notice you've stolen my voice? Do you honestly think you can slip one by me?" Miss S. smiled but Arthur did not feel the bit comforted. If anything, he felt like a prey that was being eyed. He blubbered as he tried to find a way out.