The Story of the Trees - Sword, Ring, and Crown Book One

Chapter Two

     Finally, I arrived at the door to the squat, red brick building that stated "Mike's Magic Shop" in curly gold letters on the glass door. Luis laid outside the door, refusing to enter. Since he disliked Mike as much as he disliked Aisa, he never wanted me to come here. Usually, he'd shift into human form and argue with me all the way here. He wanted to take care of all the money, but I didn't know how he got his money, and I didn't want to find out he'd been arrested some day. My small adventure in crime had made me warier. 

  I never understood Luis's dislike for Aisa, since he was the one that got us to hide there, and he was the one that talked us into staying. Nevertheless, he avoided Aisa as much as he could. He always tried to talk me out of working for Mike, however, but never actually stopped me. That was proof enough that we needed the money that Mike gave us, on top of my job at Franco's Pizza.

     "Mike, I'm here!" I hollered as I opened the door, causing the bells hanging from it to ring. Luis let out a snort. In fact, he turned his back on me to sulk like a baby. I smirked as I realized that for once he agreed with Aisa on something. But unless he was going to debate with me as a human, he would have to be disappointed with my choice. 

     Mike's Magic Store and Costume shop was a dingy place. However, it had always seemed like a fairyland to me.  Aisa had introduced me to Mike after she had "adopted" me, and the man became the nearest I had to a father for four years. The man I thought had the job until I was five didn't count. Mike had figured out that I had an affinity with the dead and helped me learn more magic. Up until then, my control over spirits was haphazard, and even then I still worried about using it too much.

   While standing in the doorway, I watched the dust motes dance in the light that shafted into the dim shop. The air was musty with the smell of cheap cigars and I wrinkled my nose. Mike had been smoking inside again.  The racks of costumes were all askew which meant that he'd at least had some customers recently. I always worried about how well he was doing. As I moved towards them to straighten them up, I passed by a box meant to saw a lady in half whose colors had faded. Propped against the box was a rusty iron maiden prop. A table next to the iron maiden supported a collection of top hats. While perching on one of the hats, Persimmon, the ghost cat that haunted Mike's shop, squinted at me and yawned.

     "Mike?" I called again as I squinted back at Persimmon.

     "What is it?" A heavy, New York accented voice yelled from the back room of the store. It was a low, raspy bass made lower from the number of cigars the owner smoked. A wizened man with the height of a five-year-old emerged. He scratched his day-old growth of brown stubble as he held a can of Cherry Coke out to me. Although he hated cherry cokes, he always kept a bunch in his fridge for me. I took it with a grin and popped the top. While you might think Cherry Coke tastes like carbonated cough syrup, I firmly believe the formula was created in Heaven.

     As I sang mental odes to my favorite drink, Mike he sat in an easy chair made to fit his tiny body with a grunt. He hated to have his feet dangling in a regular chair, so most of the furniture in the shop was built for his size. After eyeing me, he muttered, "It's obvious somethin's botherin' you, so spill."

     I wasn't aware that my face was broadcasting so much inner struggle. I raised my hands in surrender for a second and nodded. "You're right. Something is bothering me. In two weeks, I'm turning eighteen."

     "Yeah, so? Everyone turns eighteen once."

     "I... have someone I miss. And, I'll don't think it will be possible to see her again."

     Mike didn't know I would change into a girl in two weeks. Actually, I had only told Luis that I would change to a girl when I turned eighteen. He already knew that I was a girl, so I didn't see the point in hiding it at the time. I had hidden why I was turned into a boy, however. Although I claimed to trust them both, I had kept my past from Luis and Mike. All Luis knew was that my mother abandoned me, and I had told Mike that I was a runaway. When Luis'd pressed for more information, I had told him that I didn't want to talk about it. While I had no good reason to be evasive, shame made me hide. I wasn't worthy to have such good friends, so I kept my sins well hidden.