Tales of Gloomsdale #4: The Horror of the Big Top

Chapter Twelve

I quickly backed away from the door, almost wishing I had hidden as well as the low knocks seemed to reverberate through the small store. Then I realized they weren't actually that loud, but instead soft and hesitant, almost the way Antonio had knocked. I had a feeling the ringmaster would be banging on the door, or not bother knocking at all and barge in. Then again, he probably remembered what shop this was.

"Don't worry. I'll see who it is," Mr. Dubois assured, looking slightly too excited to have new customers. I watched as he strode up to the front door, squinting through the keyhole. As he did, I stepped away as I heard thumps from behind the shelves. Antonio must've been getting nervous. I walked up to the shelf he was hiding behind, figuring I should reassure him while Mr. Dubois checked who was at the door. But then I almost gaped in shock as I noticed the rows of animal figurines lining the shelf. They were almost exactly like the ones I had seen in the fortune teller's tent, only made of wood and paint instead of glass.

That, and there were a lot more of them, filling almost two entire rows. Some were even the same type of animal I had seen, such as lions and monkeys. They were even more intricately detailed due to the carved wood and colorful paint. The glass figurines had looked like they were painted too.

I forced myself to shake it off. It was just a coincidence. There were probably tons of little sculptures like these. Matt had mentioned his stepfather making wood carvings as well. Besides, they weren't even the same material, and some looked different despite being the same type of animal, such as the tiger and lion who were in a more relaxed pose and didn't look like they were about to attack. This creepy, ominous shop and the stories I had heard were just making me imagine things.

Then I jumped out of my skin again as I heard the low creaking of the door opening. I turned in surprise, staring at Mr. Dubois in disbelief while ready to scold him for just opening the door. But then I trailed off, actually gaping this time as I saw who was standing in the doorway of the shop, looking just as surprised to see me. It was my father.