by J. A. Areces
Chapter 6
Gina Saw the Wizard
“Has anything unusual arrived?” The wizard spoke into his cell phone as he hurried away from Yolanda Roundbottom’s house. “Anything that is not common to Alivan’s Wizards and Witches Corner Store?”
Jesse paused. He looked around the store from his desk, everything here is unusual, he thought. “I did receive a box that contained some fragile, glass items.”
This is hopeless, thought Beifar frustrated.
“Is anything wrong?” Jesse asked.
“Yolanda Roundbottom sold Mr. Claw Dragon Breath! It’s an illegal herb that if combined with the correct items and spells becomes a weapon of mass destruction.”
Jesse couldn’t believe it. He reclined in the chair pulling his hair back; a weapon of mass destruction, seriously? Was Beifar for real? He swung to the side as the answering machine’s electrical cord unknowingly wrapped around the end of his chair. Then he swung back to his original position and the cord pulled, knocking the machine over. It fell on the floor, made a funny sound and died. Great, thought Jesse, that’s the third one I’ve broken.
“But how did Mr. Claw find it?” continued the wizard. “The Department has gotten rid of most of it; the little that’s left can’t be traced. You know what, Jesse? She told me that Mr. Claw is your employee and that you are the owner of Alivan’s Wizards and Witches Corner Store.”
Jesse fumbled with the broken answering machine.
“BEEP”
An order came in.
“BEEP”
Another order -- Jesse was about to burst. Everything was happening too fast and it was all crazy - - wizards, weapons of mass destruction, the ownership of Alivan’s Wizards and Witches Corner Store, and now, the broken answering machine. Jesse just wanted to run, to get away. He wanted to jump on his bike and go home, never to return, and hopefully, one day, he would completely forget about all this or, better yet, he’d wake up and discover it was all just a dream. Jesse grabbed his helmet and rushed toward the front door. “I’m getting out of here!” he told the wizard.
“No! No!” shouted the wizard over the cell phone as he stopped running. “You can’t. Jesse, thousands of people can be dead by the end of this week. You and I are the only two that are aware of it and we might be the only ones who can stop it.”
“Well, call the cops!” shouted Jesse. “I want out of this.”
“If we contact the cops Mr. Claw will find out and we’ll be worse off than now. Jesse, he’s a wizard, remember? And if it’s any comfort, so am I. Whether you like it or not, you’re very much involved.” Beifar started running again.
Jesse stood at the door of the store. He felt alone. He was now part of a bizarre world that threatened everything. The only hope of getting back to some kind of normality was on the other end of the phone. A middle-aged man who wore a pointy, grey hat and carried a long staff everywhere he went. Great, thought Jesse, how normal is that?
“Jesse? Jesse? Are you there?”
“Yes, I’m still here.” He spoke slowly. “Will you help me, Beifar?”
“I’ll … help you… son.” Beifar was obviously running as he said this.
Jesse reluctantly returned to his desk. He found himself wanting to trust someone. He thought for a moment of calling the police, but what if all this was true? What if Mr. Claw was a fugitive - - a murderer? Then what? And how was he going to explain that a teenager owned a business? How was he going to explain that he’s never met the owner of Alivan’s Wizards and Witches Corner Store? He was trapped; he faced no other choice.
“Why are you running?”
“I’m trying … to find a place where I can vanish …, but everywhere I turn… there’s someone. Now listen to me, you … mentioned a fragile box … filled with glass items? I’m going on … a wild hunch, but give … me the address from where … it was shipped.” Jesse could hear the wizard’s heavy breathing.
Jesse searched through the delivery orders on the laptop for the address. He found what the wizard was requesting. “Why? What are you going on?”
“Not much,” responded the wizard, still running. “But you said … it’s the only … unusual thing … that has happened recently … at the shop.”
Jesse gave Beifar the shipper’s address. It was located somewhere in Atlanta. The sender’s name was Lord Alex, Lord Alex Distribution Inc., to be exact. The wizard thanked him and hung up.
Jesse looked around the room. Brooms, wizards and witches’ hats, robes and wands filled the store. Alivan’s Wizards and Witches Corner Store was an outlet for wizards and witches. It was not a costume shop. And he owned it! What did I get myself into?
