Rise of the Witch-Bim: Unprotected Tome (Preview)

There's gotta be somewhere! I need to get out of this rain before…

That was when she saw it. She was about to run past an alley when she caught it. Nestled unnaturally between two very tall buildings was another place, almost like the other structures had sprung up around it. It was small, only a story tall, and very narrow with one door and a window above said door.

What mattered most were two things. One, the door was wide open, leading into a dimly lit room. Two, the window had a neon sign in it that flashed, “Open” repeatedly.

Suspicious nature of the place aside, it was good enough for Faith. She rushed towards it without thought, nearly skidding on the wet pavement when she turned.

Soon, she was inside the room. She was soaked but not as bad as she would've been if she was out for any second longer. That was something to be thankful for at least.

Now that she was out of the rain, she took the time to actually look at what she ran into. It was a store of sorts. There were rows upon rows of shelves with various trinkets and bobbles, some ranging from curious jewelry to strange bottles with colorful liquids in them. There was a curious scent in the air, one of perfume and something… musky? It was hard to describe, but Faith knew it from somewhere she just couldn't place.

The sight of everything rang strange beyond the offerings on sale. Shouldn't the store be a lot smaller? On the outside, it looked so narrow that fitting even one shelf would've been difficult. Inside, it was as big as any corner store or gas station. It didn't make sense.

Faith put that oddity to the side for the moment and glanced around. There was one other little detail that put her off. “Hello?” she called out, “Anyone here?”

There was no answer. She repeated herself, stepping further in. No answer. She could see a spot at the far end of the room that had a register set up, but it was empty as well. Is everyone on break?

Faith frowned. Strange…

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, checking the time. The bus wasn't scheduled to arrive for another ten or so minutes, and it didn't seem like the rain was going to let up at any time. Guess I can browse.

As peculiar as the shop was, Faith couldn't help but want to explore it. She had never been in such a place before and wondered what exactly was available. Maybe an employee would show up soon as well?

She began her search with the aisle she stood in already. The jewelry wasn't much to look at in the dim lighting, and she didn't want to touch it. Checking the glass bottles, they came in all different shapes and sizes, showing off their mysterious liquids with pride. Their labels looked custom made with titles that simply said things like “Beauty”, “Form”, “Urge”, “Coat” and so on.

Faith's nose felt warm being near them. She could pick up a slight scent from each of the bottles that was making her sniffer tingle unpleasantly. She stepped away, wondering if the store hadn't corked their wares properly.

From there, she took a few steps and found a shelf filled with books. They were all hardcovers of the same size and with black leather binding. They all appeared to be the same book as well.

Faith leaned in and read the spine of one She had to squint considerably in order to do so. Green text on black binding was a nightmare on the eye.

The Wicked Green Delight Within? Faith stared at it. Wonder what the heck that is?

She started to reach for it but stopped. She took another look around the room and back at the register. She was still all alone.

…well, I'm sure they won't mind me reading just a little. She had been to some stores where the workers got really snotty if one tried to read or even just skim some pages of their books or magazines. Hopefully this place wouldn't be the same.

She took one of the copies from the shelf, a little heavy in her hands, and opened it to a random page. What? She flipped to another one. Then another one. And yet another one. This can't be right.

The pages were all blank.

What is going on with this book? Faith started flipping through the pages rapidly like that was some crude animation in the corner that would move if she did. Is this some kind of journal or something? This doesn't make sen-

During the midst of that thought, just before she planned on putting the book back, the rapid flipping caused something strange. Visible, green bolts of electricity zipped from pages to page, running along the edging and binding.

Just as she realized what was going on, the electricity struck her fingers. They jolted and ached before going numb. She let out a little cry and stepped back, the book dropping to the ground with a soft thud.

“What was that?!” She groaned loudly, whisking her hands about. The numbing died down quickly thankfully, though a hot, toasty sensation was taking its place. Did they get hurt?

Faith brought her hands in for a closer look before almost jerking them back away in shock. There were no burns, but there was green. Her fingertips were pine green with the only thing being black was the coating of nail polish over her rather long, manicured nails.