By the time I got home, it was comfortably afternoon.

  So naturally, I slept the rest of the day. And all night.

  Maybe one day I could get a real day off. See if there is a library somewhere — and just how much my nametag gets me access to. I didn’t know the next time I might get a glance at Vaarg’s book, and I wasn’t about to put my magical education on hold.

  Self taught as it may be.

  Right now, a day off was probably a bigger fantasy than learning magic.

  I snorted. Then sighed. Then straightened my shirt and reached out to open the door to the store.

  And froze.

  The face that looked back — no, the whole person who looked back looked so different.

  Frankly, he looked way more confident than I felt.

  Before I could pull the handle, the store opened the door for me, greeting me with a tired creak.

  I smiled and patted the doorjamb. “Want me to mop you a bit today?” I asked.

  It creaked back, happy. Don’t ask me how I knew. I just did.

  “Hello, welcome,” Vaarg drawled when I walked in.

  I drew up short. Hello? Welcome???

  “Uh, hi?” I said.

  “I wasn’t trying to start up a conversation,” he groused back. “If you see anything you want, buy it with me. Try to steal it…actually, yea — you should try to steal it,” he finished, taking a long draw from his mug of goo and never once looking up from his clipboard.

  “I’m…gonna go to Aisle 3?” I asked, rather mystified.

  Vaarg finally looked up. “Why would I care? Just buy something or go away.”

  Then he turned back to his clipboard.

  I slowly walked to my Aisle, half expecting to get vaporized or something. Instead, Stupid came around the corner, all business and importance.

  “Yeth, hello — I’m Stupid! Assistant to the Assistant Manager. What’s you want?” She said, staring me up and down.

  Something was wrong.

  No one seemed to recognize me—and I had a horrible, gnawing thought that maybe… maybe the book had taken more than I realized.

  My stomach went cold down to my feet.

  Just how much had the book taken?

  “I’m good…just going to Aisle 3,” I half-shouted, half-yelped.

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  “Oh, that is good Aisle! Magic cleaning Aisle! Don’t make a mess or Mageek store will eat you!” She shouted after me.

  I sprinted down the Aisle, collapsing against a shelf, heart in my chest. “What the hells is going on?” I mumbled to myself.

  “You remember me, right?” I asked the store, petting the floor. It creaked softly in response.

  Which meant at least someone remembered me. But for all I knew, the store might be some insanely powerful entity. What did I know?

  I needed to get to Aisle 6. Somehow. I had to find a way to fix this.

  My world was spinning so badly, I had to put my head on the floor, sweat soaking my shirt.

  And at that moment, It decided to stroll down the Aisle.

  “You don’t look well,” he monotoned, not even looking at me. “Healing potions are on Aisle 4. If you are gonna get sick, do it there,” he shrugged as he continued past me.

  “Store might eat you if you mess this Aisle up,” he called over his shoulder.

  Store. What? I…huh?

  Right. Store.

  If there was one thing I knew, it was to clean the store. I was not about to lose the only one on my side.

  I crept my way to the mop bucket, pulling myself along the floor. The robes from Aisle 2 whispering something about me looking like a thief and hoping the store would eat me.

  If I couldn’t get anyone to remember me, that might just be the preferable option.

  I filled the bucket and rolled it down the front, past Vaarg. He looked up from his clipboard and stared at me, eyes squinting further the more I moved.

  “Bucket isn’t for sale,” he said.

  I nodded and kept rolling.

  “I don’t give discounts for cleaning,” he warned.

  “STOP!” Stupid screamed, appearing before me with her hand held out. “Mageek store does not like when anyone but Beeg cleans him!”

  “You shall not CLEAN!” She screeched, slamming her broomstick down. I flinched, expecting a magic Stupid-cannonball to appear.

  Thankfully it didn’t.

  I stared at her numbly, the silence deafening after her declaration.

  Then I slowly took the mop out of the bucket and plopped it on the floor. Vaarg and Stupid both looked at me like I was going to die. It was under a shelf with popcorn. Even the robes were watching.

  I proceeded to mop. With everyone watching. The store creaked a few times, but I could tell it was happy.

  “Why you not dead!” Stupid finally huffed, trying to grab the mop from me.

  “That’s quite enough, you need to leave. Now,” Vaarg somehow managed to thunder and hiss at the same time.

  What the hells was happening?!

  Then Stupid gasped staring at my eyes.

  “BY BOSS’ STINKY HORRIBLY SOCKS!” She screamed like a siren.

  “What —“ Vaarg began, the offense clear in his voice.

  “BOSS! IT BEEG!” She screamed, dropping the mop and running in circles, screaming all the while. “IT BEEG!”

  Vaarg stopped and squinted at me.

  “No it isn’t, Stupid,” he said.

  Stupid grabbed me and pulled me towards Vaarg.

  I just let her drag me. Panic somehow freezing my thoughts and loosening my body.

  “It eez! Look! Look! Beeg has such beautiful, wonderful, perfect eyes! You just can never sees them! Look!” She screeched into my ear as she pushed me towards Vaarg.

  Vaarg leaned forward and stared at me.

  He stared a good long minute.

  “By Evernod’s whiskery backsi —“

  Ahem. It cleared his throat.

  Vaarg seemed startled a moment, before turning back to examine me.

  “Beeg, did you get a haircut?”

  This was an important chapter.

  Sure, it was fun… and amusing to write.

  But under all the nonsense, our Beeg might just be growing up a little.

  Maybe even finding a bit of self-worth?

  …Or maybe we’re just imagining it. Who can say?

  Thanks for reading.

  Ad Astra,

  - TJ