by Susan Harper
“No, he wasn’t!” Monica said with nervous laughter.
“I’m pretty sure he was,” Abigail argued.
“Ooh, I promised Mona I’d check in at opening!” Monica suddenly recalled. “I’ll be right back, Abs. Come get me if any customers come in, would you?”
“Sure,” Abigail grunted as she jumped onto the counter, slouching.
Monica walked around the back of the counter, going through the door that led to the back room. When she stepped over the threshold, she exited what appeared to be a back door and entered an entirely new world after a slight flash of light nearly blinded her. She now stood behind the counter of a similar but blatantly different bookshop. Something went zipping by her head, nearly knocking her off her feet. “Eek! Sorry, Monica!” a squeaky little voice cried out, and once Monica regained her bearings, she saw that a little fairy had nearly crashed into her head. Monica accepted the apology, and the little glimmer of light fluttered off toward the front door.
Monica smiled. This shop, while it bore a resemblance to the one she had just come out of, was full of magic and wonder. Books were floating about, returning themselves to shelves. Witches and wizards were walking about, looking for books on incantations or a History of Magic. The room was filled with bodies and chatter. “Welcome to Back Room Books!” a familiar voice called, and Monica smiled when she spotted her sister Mona greeting a family of vampires who had just walked in.
The woman then spotted Monica standing by the counter, and a big grin appeared on the lovely young witch’s face. She scurried across the shop, plopping her elbows down on the counter in front of Monica. “Morning, sis!” Mona cried out excitedly. “How is Bankstown? You’re going to have to tell me all about living on the other side.”
“Well, it’s only my first day,” Monica said. “I’ve met my first mortal. A policeman named Brian. He was very friendly.”
“He didn’t suspect anything, did he?” Mona asked.
“No, but I do believe he thinks I’m quirky,” Monica said, embarrassed. “I pronounced Chicago wrong, and he had to show me how to work the coffeemaker.”
Mona laughed, standing upright and shaking her head. The two sisters were the spitting image of each other with two very blatant differences: their hair and eyes. Monica’s hair was strawberry blonde, and her eyes a shining blue. Mona, on the other hand, had black hair so dark that it almost appeared to have a bluish shimmer when she swayed, and her eyes were a startling purple. With those exceptions, there was absolutely nothing different about their appearances. When they were young girls, Mona used to cast spells to turn her hair strawberry blonde to tease people and make it more difficult to tell them apart.
“How is your first day going so far?” Monica asked.
“Wasn’t really expecting it to be this busy,” Mona said. “I can’t do a splitting spell like Aunt Wilma.”
A splitting spell involved multiplying oneself. Wilma would often run her shop by splitting herself into three persons—one worked the human side of Back Room Books while the other two would man the Wysteria side. It was very powerful magic that very few witches could pull off, and to think that their aunt would do it for something as silly as running a bookstore just to avoid having to hire extra help! Alas, those days were now behind their Aunt Wilma as she had turned the shops over to her nieces.
“I hope we can pull this off,” Mona said. “I really don’t want to disappoint Aunt Wilma.”
“Same,” Monica said.
“Honestly, I’m not sure who has the more daunting task here,” Mona said. “I can’t believe you’re living among mortals. Crazy to think about, really. I know I couldn’t do it. Going my whole day without using magic! I don’t know how mortals get through the day.”
“Well, I’m a little more used to limited magic anyway,” Monica said, sighing a bit when she said it. “It made sense for me to work the other side of the shop.”
Mona paused, clearly picking up on her sister’s sudden change in demeanor. “You’re just as impressive of a witch as me,” Mona assured her. “I don’t know anyone who can do potions as well as you. You know I am quite poor in that art.”
Monica rolled her eyes a bit. “If you say so,” she said.
Mona then turned from comforting to taunting sister mode. “You better be careful, though. Being around all those mortals… You don’t want to pick up on any of their bad habits. Next thing I know, my sister is going to be wearing pink and exchanging her broom for one of those bicycle things.”
Monica laughed at the thought. “You will never see me on a bicycle.”
Mona nudged her. “You better get going. Your mortal customers await!”
Monica smiled at her sister, bidding her good luck on trying to manage all of the unique creatures that would be coming into the bookshop on the Wysteria side that day. Monica headed through the back door which, after a flash of light, caused her to walk through onto the Bankstown side. She was a bit surprised to see several people walking around, and she slammed her hand down on the counter, causing Abigail to jump. The cat had fallen asleep. “You were supposed to come get me if anyone came inside,” Monica muttered.
Abigail yawned and muttered an apology before going right back to sleep. Monica took a deep breath. Her first interaction with a mortal had gone surprisingly well, she had even been invited to a local party, so she figured her first impression had not been a complete disaster. She smiled at the customers as they entered, and she was pleased to see just how friendly every one of them was. They were mostly regulars, and they all introduced themselves to Monica—all wondering where on earth Wilma had gone off to and a bit sad to hear that her aunt was back in Chicago. Monica made a mental note to read up a bit on this land of Chicago, seeing as how she was supposed to pretend that that was where her family was from.
Monica worked hard at keeping her customers satisfied, and she was happy to see the number of books and coffees that were being purchased throughout the day. It seemed like she was actually pulling this off, and no one seemed to suspect that there was anything off about her at all.
3
Monica excitedly placed the Closed Early For Local Holiday sign in the front window of her shop, and she got to work on straightening everything up for the following day. First, she cleaned up the barista station—making sure everything was perfectly spotless. She chose to do so without magic, as she had been doing all week, and she felt proud at her use of what the mortals referred to as elbow-grease. After a week in Bankstown, she was finally starting to get used to the inner workings of the shop itself. Now, she was really looking forward to meeting some more of the locals and taking part in one of their celebrations.
She and Abigail walked along the stretch of road that led to her little cottage home in the midst of a grove of trees not too far off from the shop itself. In the mornings, she preferred to take her broom to and from the shop. It was dark enough in the mornings that she didn’t have to worry too much about being spotted, plus the roads were mostly deserted around that time. But in the evenings, there tended to be more people out and about, so she opted to walk home most days. Today especially since she had closed shop early to make sure she had time to get ready for the event.
Monica just adored the little cottage her aunt had built in the midst of the grove. The trees were thick, so the area was fairly private. Then there was the lovely cobblestone path leading up to the front door. The wooden building looked quite homey, and the cute purple flowers in the window always seemed to stand tall and proud. There were green vines with yellow blossoms growing up and around the door as well, and the outside was just a small bit of the cozy nature that was the Bankstown cottage.
When she entered, she was greeted pleasantly by adorable houseplants and pink curtains—so very mortal. Of course, the plants were all kept alive by spells so that she didn’t have to worry about watering them. “I just love this place,” Monica said as Abigail scurried around her.
“If you say so,” Abigail
groaned.
“Are you going to come to the party?” Monica asked.
Abigail groaned again. “With all those kids in the shop this morning, I missed out on my naps. I think I’ll hang back. I’m not particularly social, especially not with mortals.”
“You’re so lame,” Monica said.
“Well, my last experience with mortals got me turned into a cat,” Abigail grunted.
“That was your own fault,” Monica retorted. “Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing Officer Brian again.”
“You saw him four hours ago when he came in to get his daily coffee from you,” Abigail pointed out. “And I asked Wilma when we were in Wysteria yesterday. She said that Brian normally just stops by once or twice a week. Looks like he has been flirting with you.”
“He’s not flirting!” Monica retorted. “Would you stop? I’m going to go get ready. And when did you even see my aunt yesterday?”
“During our lunchbreak when we went to the Cookey Cauldron,” Abigail said.
“You mean after you got kicked out for getting loopy on catnip?” Monica asked.
“Yeah. Bumped into her outside,” Abigail said.
Monica rolled her eyes. “Well, either way, I don’t think he is. I’m about to get ready. Hmm… What should I wear?” Monica sifted through the bedroom closet, eventually picking herself out some white shorts and a bright purple top. She nodded approvingly at herself in the mirror, and she elected to pull her hair back in a high ponytail since it was a bit toasty out that evening.
She strutted out, bidding Abigail farewell before heading back down the road in the direction of the Bankstown Falls. She heard the music long before the falls came into sight, and she smiled excitedly at the scene as it came into view. There were people everywhere. There were children playing in the water, a stage set up with a live band, and lots of vendors and food trucks. “What a party,” Monica said, glad to have arrived in town in time to enjoy the Founder’s Day celebration.
She wandered over near the band, watching wide-eyed as she soaked in music from mortal culture for the first time. The male singer was doing a rendition of what appeared to be a popular song, seeing as many people in the crowd were singing along. When the song ended, Monica clapped loudly, but stopping quickly when she realized her applause was a bit overdone. “Well, thank you,” the singer said, winking at her. “This next one’s another one of our originals.”
Monica felt someone nudge her, and she turned to see that Brian had spotted her amongst the crowd. “Welcome to the party,” he said. “I see you’ve met Judd.” Brian nodded toward the musician, who winked again as he continued singing.
“What a fun name,” Monica said.
“Hungry? My treat,” Brian said.
“Absolutely!” Monica said. “How kind of you.”
They headed over to the food trucks, and frankly, she wasn’t sure what to try. She asked him to make a recommendation since he was familiar with all of the local cuisine. They got in line at a taco truck. “How was your first week in Bankstown?” Brian asked.
“Oh, it has been wonderful!” Monica exclaimed. “I just love the bookshop.”
“Brian!” the young man in front of them spun around.
Brian smiled. “Hey, Isaac. Didn’t see you there. Hey, Holly,” he said, nodding at the woman standing with him.
“Who’s your new girl?” the woman, Holly, teased.
“Very funny,” Brian said. “Monica, this is Holly. I’m sure you’ve seen her at the shop this week.”
“Yes!” Monica exclaimed. “You came in yesterday and bought a book on dog care.”
“Thinking about getting a dog, are you?” Isaac asked his friend.
Holly shrugged. “Maybe. Just a thought I had.”
“And this is Isaac,” Brian said. “One of our local reporters.”
“I write for the local paper,” Isaac said. “Mostly community interest pieces. My true calling is my blog.”
“Here we go…” Brian said, and he and Holly groaned together.
“Ooh, blogging?” Monica asked, and Holly and Brian again moaned in unison.
“I blog about aliens,” he said.
“Aliens?” Monica tried not to laugh at the poor man.
“They’re living among us, I’m telling you!” Isaac said.
“This is why they only let you write community interest pieces at work,” Holly said.
They all had a small laugh at Isaac’s expense before arriving at the front of the line for the food truck. A friendly woman popped her head out of the taco truck, grinning. “What’s up, UFO guy!” she said.
“It’s Isaac,” Isaac said, blushing.
“Hey, Lauren,” Brian said, nudging Monica. “Have you met our town’s new bookstore owner?”
“No!” Lauren reached her arm out of the window to shake. Monica shook, smiling at the woman’s peppy attitude. “Welcome to Bankstown! I heard you were Wilma’s niece? Nice to meet you! Love your aunt. Such a sweet woman. Was bummed out to find out she had moved back to Chicago.”
“She was just ready to retire,” Monica said. “But I’m glad to be able to take up her torch.”
Once they had their tacos, the four of them managed to find a picnic bench to sit at. “Hey, my blog has gotten twenty new hits this week!” Isaac exclaimed excitedly.
“Oh, shut up, Isaac,” Holly said, throwing a bit of tomato at him. “Monica is going to think we’re a bunch of freaks.”
“Aren’t we, though?” Brian asked, and they all laughed.
Once they were well fed, Holly went with Isaac, who needed to take pictures for the paper. That left Brian and Monica to walk around and check out some of the vendors selling artwork. A man in colorful overalls came trotting up to them. He was selling balloon animals, and he had made himself a blue hat with a yellow star drawn on it. “What’s up, my fellow officer?” the man teased.
Brian rolled his eyes, but he laughed at the man. “Monica, this is Darren,” Brian said. “Our local clown.”
Monica laughed. “You’re a clown?”
“At birthday parties on the weekends,” he said and proceeded to blow up a green and red balloon. He twisted them around a bit, eventually creating a giant rose. “For the lovely lady.”
“Careful there, Darren, your girlfriend and her dad are eyeing you,” Brian joked, and Darren jumped a bit.
Darren laughed. “Honestly, why you got to do that to me?” he asked. “Gerald has been all over me lately. Thinks I’m a big joke.”
“You’re a clown, Darren,” Brian said plainly.
“I’m just a little worried Janice might start listening to her dad,” he said with a sigh. He tipped his balloon cop hat before trotting off.
“Trouble in paradise?” Monica asked.
Brian laughed. “Oh, he and his girlfriend Janice, Janice Horn, have been together for years, and her father has been trying to put a stop to it for just as long. He wants his daughter to marry a lawyer or something.”
“That’s got to be rough,” Monica said, and Brian nodded in agreement.
The two of them continued walking through the vendor booths, and Brian paused at a strange-looking cart. “Two, please,” he said to the vendor.
Brian handed Monica what looked to be a giant pink cloud. “What is this?” she asked.
Brian stared blankly back at her. “It’s cotton candy?” he said as though he thought she had to be joking.
Monica laughed. “Oh, I know. I’m just…joking…” Her cheeks turned a slight pink. She held the cone covered in the sticky material, not sure what she was supposed to do with a giant, fluffy piece of cotton. Then she watched Brian as he started chewing on his. “Oh,” she said under her breath, realizing he had bought her some sort of dessert. She had never heard of cotton candy before as she had rarely ventured outside of Wysteria. Something so colorful would certainly never be sold on the other side. She pulled a bit of the fluffy substance off her little paper cone and popped it in her mouth. “Mmmm…”
she said, hardly able to believe how sweet and delicious the cotton cloud had been. She opened her eyes wide in surprise when the candy seemed to magically vanish within her mouth. Be normal, she told herself to prevent herself from getting too excited about the cotton candy.
Once the cotton candy was gone, the two of them headed back toward the stage where they continued to sway to some of the music. After a while, the band took a break, and some pre-recorded songs were put on. “Want to check out the falls?” Brian asked, and Monica agreed that this sounded like a pleasant way to end the evening.
She followed him down the grassy hill toward where some of the children were playing in the shallow water. She glanced up the stream, smiling at the lovely scenery of the water going over the falls and making its way down to the shallow waters where people were chasing each other around and splashing happily. “What a fun celebration this has been,” Monica said.
“We haven’t even checked out the game booths yet,” Brian said happily.
“Ooh, there are games too?” she asked, and he laughed and assured her they would check them out before she left.
Just when Monica was really starting to feel like she was a part of this new community, there was a loud scream a short distance down the stream. “Someone call an ambulance! Help! Someone help! Oh my goodness, hurry! I think he’s dead!”
4
Monica had to admit that watching Brian jump into action had her swooning, despite the grave situation that had presented itself. He had sprinted down the bankside of the stream, arriving at the ghastly scene as a group of people were fetching what appeared to be a body out of the water. Monica immediately recognized the unfortunate soul as Darren, the kind man who had given her the balloons shaped into a flower.
Brian had laid Darren on his back and had immediately begun chest compressions, ordering a woman to call 911 as he did so and telling her exactly what to tell the operator. Monica stood with the crowd, all watching breathlessly in anticipation. “Darren! Darren!” Monica heard a woman’s voice call out, and she spun around to see Darren’s girlfriend, Janice, come sprinting over—someone clearly had informed her that it was her boyfriend that had been pulled from the water.
