The Mysterious Lady

The bell above the door jingles and Jack looks up from the dough he's kneading

A figure is silhouetted in the doorway,their feature's obscured by the bright sunlight behind them.jack Squint's to try to make out the new customer "can I help you?" he asks.The figure steps forward,and jack gasps....Jack gasps when he sees the new customer, who turns out to be a tall,pale woman,with dark hair and a somber expression. She glides forward, her movement's smooth and eerily silent.Are you jack,the baker?"she asks,her voice as smooth as silk.

Jack swallows hard and tries to keep his voice steady."yes,I'm jack.what can I do for you?"The woman gives him a chilling smile."you can make a dozen buns, but one of them must be different from the others. "Jack's heart begins to pound" Different how?"he asks.The woman's smile turns into a grin, revealing sharp pointed teeth's..

Jack is facing the mysterious woman with the pointed teeth"Different how?"he asks again,his voice barely a whisper.The woman's grin widens "oh,I think you'll find out soon enough,she purrs.Then she leans forward, so close that jack can feel her icy breath on his face....

Jack tries to step back, but he finds that he can't move. It's as if his feet are stuck to the floor.He looks down and sees that the woman's shadow is coiling around his feet like a dark, living thing.His heart is pounding so hard that he feels light headed " what do you want?"he asks,his voice shaking,The woman's grin turns into a full blown cackle.

With jack facing the mysterious woman with the shadowy tendrils wrapped around his feet.

The woman's laughter fills the bakery,echoing off the walls.Jack feels like he's trapped in a nightmare. He opens his mouth to scream,but no sound Comes out.The woman's laughter dies down and she leans even closer,her eyes boring into his"I want you to do something for me ,"she says,her voice low and commanding.

Jack can only nod,frozen in terror.....

Jacks head is spinning, but he forces himself to focus on the woman's words "I want you to bake me a dozen buns,just as I said," she says,"but the thirteenth bun must be poisoned? "he manages to choke out.The woman nods,a sly smile playing on her lips." Poisoned with death root "she says.

Jack's mind is racing death root is an extremely rare and toxic plant,found only in the deepest,darkest parts of the forest. He's never even seen it,let alone used it in his baking," why?"he asks,his voice shaking.The woman's smile widens revealing even more of her pointed teeth, "Because I need it for a...special recipe," she says...

To be continued in next part of the story