The shop is odd. Michael can see that from the moment he catches an eye of the dirt-encrusted, paint-chipped sign. "Geisenhauer's", it reads, in an old blackletter script.
The inside of the store is full of tall, crooked shelves overstacked with a nearly limitless supply of items stacked haphazardly, and with no apparent organizing principle. Greg moves through the maze of racks, shelves, and larger artifacts on the floor with practiced ease. William has to carefully inch through, at several times watching his head for hanging objects he hadn't seen a moment earlier.
They made it to the counter, where William realized that Greg had been collecting items all the way there. He spread his arms and several items clacked onto the glass counter. There were several little bottles. Some were filled with dried, unidentified roots, some with different colored powders and some with disturbing, colored liquids.
The noise seemed to rouse a shopkeeper in the back. William heard the steps of a rickety ladder creak, and a moment later, the tall shopkeeper emerged, a pen behind his ear and a particular dusty book in his arms.
From the moment he entered the room, the shopkeeper did not take his eyes off of William. He dealt with Greg's purchases with familiarity, but never looked at them; William noticed that he handed over a wad of money and a vial of his own in exchange for what he received. Greg's vial contained a white substance William was sure he recognized but had a hard time believing he was correct. As he took the money and vial, the shopkeeper still stared at William with a disturbing fascination.
"Who is your friend?"
Greg answered cautiously. Though obviously familiar with the shopkeeper, he too was unnerved by the staring.
"This is William, my new roommate. At college."
"You two... cohabitate?"
It was a half-question, and it hung in the air unanswered. William tried looking away, hoping that not returning the shopkeeper's stare would cause him to break it. He was wrong. When he looked back, the shopkeeper spoke to him this time.
"Do you see something you wish was yours?"
William was about to say no, with a marked disgust in his voice, when he saw an object over the shopkeeper's shoulder. On a shelf at his own eye level, was a wax sculpture of what looked a little like a Buddha.
"What's that?"
The shopkeeper did not look back, but instead reached into his old coat and produced an identical sculpture. On closer examination, William could now see that it was a candle. And rather than the Buddha he thought he'd seen, it was just a fat man, slapping his belly and smiling. William thought it was funny.
"What is it?"
The man smiled. "This candle is a gypsy charm dating back to the dark ages. They sold it to those who wished to be rich. When burned, it is said to bring the appearance of great prosperity."
"How much?"
"For you? Call it a free sample."
The man deftly tossed the candle to William, who caught it smoothly. In his hands, it somehow felt soft, though it's form did not change under pressure. The smell was notable too, and highly recognizable. It smelled like fried food and made William quite hungry. Despite this, Greg is the one to bring it up:
"Hey. Weren't we going to go out to eat?"
The two boys leave the shop and quickly find themselves at a pizza place nearby. They eat...
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