Chapter 4

  Meredith And The Devil-Man

  In the morning, Meredith woke with a start. She swung out of bed, rushed through her morning routine, donned a pale pink dress with matching ankle-high boots, socks, and pointed hat, stashed her wand into her dress pocket, and entered the kitchen. Grandma was preparing breakfast in her usual black robe. A single leather duffel bag sat beside the door leading to the garden.

  “Good morning, dearie.” Grandma smiled.

  Meredith replied in kind.

  “Are you ready to run the shop on your own?” Grandma asked.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose,” Meredith replied confidently, though she felt slightly nervous.

  “You’ll do fine.” Grandma slid a bowl of porridge to Meredith. “I’ve stepped out a few times, and you didn’t burn the place down.”

  The pair had their breakfast and chatted as they ate in the sitting room. They interpreted each other’s dreams, talked of Grandma’s itinerary, and—Grandma was adamant about this—emergency procedures.

  “You know you can contact me any time on the crystal ball.” Grandma gestured towards the crystal ball atop a slight pedestal on a nearby table. “Just like we practiced.”

  “Hopefully, I won’t have to use it,” Meredith said between chews.

  Eventually, the pair finished. They floated their plates to the kitchen for the magically enhanced utensils and dishware to wash themselves.

  Before Grandma departed, she gave Meredith a myriad of hugs and kisses. Mama Cat gave Cici plenty of forehead licks, and the witches gave each other’s pet familiars a good petting.

  “It’s about time for us to be off,” Grandma said as she hoisted her bag. Mama Cat curled herself around the older witch’s feet. “Have fun! Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, so long as you learn from them! Oh! And be nice to Thomas!” She nodded towards the three-eyed toad in the enclosure in the sitting room. “You don’t have to feed him; just be nice! He likes to be talked to!”

  “Okay, Grandma! Bye, Mama Cat!” Meredith said. “Be safe! Love you!”

  “Love you, dearie! You two have fun!” Then, they vanished in a thin veil of gray smoke that drifted away as quickly as it appeared.

  Meredith and Cici were alone in the quiet and emptier home. The only noise emanated from the clattering and clinking of dishes and silverware washing in the kitchen sink and the flickering fireplaces.

  “Well,” Meredith sighed and glanced down at her cat. “I better open up the shop!”

  Then, on a whim, she turned on her heel and said, “Good morning, Thomas!”

  The three-eyed toad croaked in response.

  Meredith entered the apothecary while Cici disappeared. With a flick of her wand, the glow orbs bobbing above emitted a soft white light. Meredith noticed that Thomas had teleported to his identical glass enclosure at the end of the counter.

  Meredith was excited and nervous. She hoped the shop wouldn’t be extremely busy on her first day.

  The young witch counted the money in the tiller and took care of a few odds and ends before turning the sign at the front door to ‘open,’ just as Grandma instructed. By the time she made her way behind the counter, customers began to file in. An anxious lump filled Meredith’s throat. Cici mysteriously appeared on the counter beside Meredith, as cats are apt to do, and nuzzled his head against her side. She stroked his fur and welcomed the customers with as much confidence as she could muster, though her voice still quivered a little.

  “Look at you.” Cici sauntered across the counter, brushing his tail under Meredith’s nose. “So nervous!”

  Meredith ignored the temporary mustache and said, “I’m going to tell Mama Cat that you’re picking on me.”

  Cici purred.

  Meredith was thankful for Cici’s jests; she felt emotionally grounded. She could do this; she had run the shop with Grandma. There was no difference, only there was no Grandma.

  Finally, after watching the clientele noisily bustle about and peruse her wares for what felt like forever, Meredith received her first paying customer, a hooded figure in a dark red robe.

  “Will that be all for you today?” Meredith tried not to sound too enthusiastic. The patron merely nodded in reply.

  Throughout the morning, a hoard of shoppers crawled in. The tinkle of the bell above the entrance sounded non-stop as customers came and went, all from various races and species. Meredith helped them with their requests as professionally and efficiently as possible. She was always delighted when she could swiftly find a spice or potion for a customer.

  Meredith helped a dwarf enchant a whetstone to sharpen his axe. She bewitched a necklace to warm the wearer, a satyr preparing for a winter trip. The young clerk helped a masked patron choose between ginseng and chamomile. Her confidence grew as she successfully navigated the many challenges brought before her.

  Just before noon, when the store had thinned out quite a bit, Meredith watched the few remaining patrons from behind the counter when she smelled the faint scent of sulfur. She glanced around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then, a strange, dark feeling washed over her. A hush fell over the once-bustling apothecary, save for the tinkle of the bell and the gentle closing of the door. Meredith and the few remaining patrons froze. A tall, horned, red-skinned figure stepped inside, tucking his bat-like wings through the entrance.

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  Every patron was rooted to the spot. Their eyes bulged in fear at the sight of the devil. Cici’s fur stood on end, and Meredith felt the weight of the silence settle on her chest. The devil’s dark presence rankled her.

  ‘What the hell is going on?’ Meredith thought.

  The devil was adorned in a purple tunic and trousers lined with gold thread and immaculately polished black boots. Black, curved, mottled horns protruded from high atop his forehead amidst a headful of gray, wavy, slicked-back hair. Long, pointed ears erupted from the side of his head. His thick arms ended in sharp claws, and behind the devil, his thick, forked tail whipped lazily as it hovered above the floor.

  He stepped towards Meredith, and her heart threatened to leap out of her chest with his every footstep. Her pulse quickened in alarm as the customers gave the devil a wide berth and scurried out the door. Meredith watched them vanish in clouds of smoke or zip away on brooms.

  The devil glanced around casually, then peered at Meredith with his one good eye; the other was a stone prosthetic. The malformity unsettled her. She tried her best to appear calm despite the emotional furor writhing within her.

  “Good morning,” the devil said with a grin, the hard ridges on his face curling, exposing his fangs. “It seems I’ve scared away some of your paying customers. My apologies—perhaps they fear this form.” He waved a claw across his face, and in an instant, a thin veil of fire enveloped him. Then, as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

  His ridged, red skin smoothed into a tan complexion, his horns, claws, and wings vanished, and his pointed ears turned round. He looked perfectly human.

  “Better?” The devil asked. His grin widened, displaying bright, square teeth.

  Meredith was almost too stunned to think. She had never witnessed such bizarre behavior or been in such a strange situation. She wondered if she was in danger. Her body said yes, but she thought of what Grandma would do. Meredith calmed herself and decided to be as normal as possible, but mentally prepared herself to blast him if necessary.

  “Good morning, sir. How may I help you?” She inquired as politely as she could.

  “You don’t have to call me sir.” The devil waved a hand at her. “Call me Wallace. And I’m just browsing for now.”

  Meredith was puzzled at the devil. He spoke so formally informal. His voice and words were elegant, but his demeanor was nonchalant. She watched Wallace flamboyantly examine certain trinkets as he walked through the quiet shop. The only sound was his tinkering and the soft thudding of his boots against the wooden floor. A dark, blue-skinned gnome stepped through the front door, saw Wallace, and immediately left.

  ‘What is going on?’ Meredith thought. ‘What do they know that I don’t?’

  Cici's concern was much more obvious. He glared at the devil and watched his every move. Tension began to build in Meredith’s shoulders. She felt around her pocket for her wand. Holding it felt reassuring.

  More confident and in the spirit of informality that Wallace had displayed, Meredith dared to ask, “Why are these people so afraid of you?”

  “Who wouldn’t be afraid of a devil?” Wallace replied indifferently as he poked around the shop.

  “You’re the devil?” Meredith asked sheepishly. She felt her gorge rise at the thought as fear ripped through her body again.

  Wallace laughed, which only strengthened the inexperienced witch’s scantily hidden fright.

  “Oh no! Thank you, but I’m not THE devil, I’m A devil.”

  Meredith’s nerves settled, but only slightly. A thick silence grew between them.

  “You have such a collection of curios,” Wallace stated as he set down a glass bauble. “I must say, I’m particularly interested in that three-eyed toad you have there.” The devil pointed towards Thomas in his enclosure, stepped before it, and examined the toad. Thomas croaked.

  “How much for it?”

  “I’m sorry,” Meredith stated. “Thomas isn’t for sale. He’s my Grandma’s.”

  “Not for sale?” Wallace turned to Meredith. He raised an eyebrow and stepped to the counter before her. “Surely we could make a deal.”

  Alarm rankled Meredith’s body again. She had heard tales of devils and their soul-stealing deals. Cici shifted closer to Meredith, hissed, and spat at Wallace as he leaned an elbow on the counter. He smiled at the feline with a fiendish grin. Meredith didn’t like being so close to someone so seemingly dangerous but fought every instinct to back away from him. She refused to show any fear. Surely, Grandma wouldn’t, so she shouldn’t either.

  “My collection of exotic creatures is nothing without that handsome toad,” Wallace lavishly complained. “And my coin purse is so heavy.” The devil smiled sweetly at Meredith, but his eyes were hungry.

  “I’m sorry,” Meredith repeated more firmly, confidence stirring within her. “I can’t sell him.”

  A shadow of anger flitted across Wallace’s face, but only for a moment. Meredith wondered if she had actually seen it at all.

  “Not into money, I see.” Wallace persisted. “What about a trade? What would you like? A powerful wand beyond measure? The world’s fastest broomstick? To be a princess?” One by one, Wallace conjured in his outstretched hand an ornate wand, a nimble broomstick, and a sparkling crown before they vanished with a wave of his hand. “Speak, and I will make it so.”

  Annoyance replaced some of the fear Meredith felt before. She was not tempted by the devil’s offers. She loved her wand and broom, having made them herself, and she did not care to be a princess. There was nothing he could give her that would be worth disappointing and hurting Grandma.

  “Thomas is not for sale,” Meredith spoke slowly and flatly as she gripped her wand readily. Wallace’s eyes momentarily flitted to her pocket before returning Meredith’s gaze.

  “What about power?” Wallace raised his eyebrows. “I could make you incredibly powerful, like your grandmother.”

  The temptation set Meredith’s heart aflutter. He could do that? And all she had to do was give him a silly toad? She glanced at Thomas in his enclosure. His three eyes stared at her. Meredith wanted to be a powerful witch, but she knew devils were tricksome, and Grandma would be furious with her for selling her pet. She realized Wallace had crept slightly closer to her, his face awash with greed, and his dark presence pressing on the young witch’s chest, filling her with disgust. How did he even know Grandma or how powerful she was?

  “As tempting as that is,” Meredith stated flatly, “I can’t.”

  “I see.” Wallace’s smile momentarily disappeared before quickly etching across his face again. He removed himself from the counter, clasped his hands, and turned to leave. “Well, far be it from me to pester a young businesswoman hard at work. If you ever feel like trading—or need a favor—you know what I want in return.” Wallace stepped to the door before glancing back at them.

  “It was a pleasure to meet you, Meredith.” The devil smiled as he stalled in the doorway. “And you too, Cici.” With that, he stepped out and disappeared in flames that swiftly winked out of existence. The bell tinkled as the door shut. The sulfuric smell and the strange, dark feeling disappeared as quickly as Wallace had.

  Meredith sighed in relief, letting her head and shoulders droop as she let the tension escape her body. Cici needed more time to calm down. She stroked her hand down his back.

  After a moment, Meredith asked, “How did he know our names?”

  “He’s a devil,” Cici replied simply.

  Meredith glanced at the unblinking toad and wondered why he was so special that a devil would come to harangue her.

  “You’re pretty popular, Mr. Toad,” Meredith said.

  Thomas merely blinked. She turned her attention to the rest of the shop and noticed a small red card on the counter. It was pentagon-shaped with strange, devilish symbols throughout. Cici hissed at it. Meredith didn’t trust the card enough to touch it with her hands. She used her wand to rip it up and float the remains into the trash can behind the counter.

  The pair had little time to calm their nerves or ruminate on the strange situation before customers returned in droves. Eventually, the memory of the devil sank into the back of Meredith’s mind as she busied herself assisting patrons.

  The young witch closed the shop in the early afternoon and went to check the mailbox by the door as she flipped the shop sign to ‘closed,’ but it was devoid of house call requests. She spent the remainder of the day practicing magic and tending the garden while Cici sunbathed wherever she went.