After a day of fruitful cleaning; during which I deliberately avoided cleaning Aisle 2 due to a newfound understanding, I was ready to go home.

  That thought surprised me. I wanted to go home.

  I used to go home to nothing. Now… I had things I wanted to see. To do.

  And so I made up my mind.

  “Vaarg, I want a day off,” I said.

  He took his time sipping his goo, gently setting his mug down and adjusting his spectacles.

  “Ok,” he said, never looking up from his clipboard.

  “And I don’t care — What?” I drew up short.

  Vaarg shrugged.

  “You work hard enough to deserve time off. Obviously, I’m not going to give it to you unless you ask for it,” he exhaled, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I pay you to work, not relax.”

  There was not a hint of shame in his voice.

  I narrowed my eyes. You miserable tyrant!

  Judging by his self-satisfied smile peeking out from his clipboard, he probably knew exactly what I was thinking.

  And thought it was funny.

  I fumed my way to the door, jerking it —

  And froze.

  Ask for it?

  I took a deep breath, letting the door squeal shut behind me.

  “Vaarg,” I blurted, “teach me about Runes.”

  “Sure,” he shrugged, actually setting his clipboard down for once.

  His answer was so abrupt, so casual, it felt like the floor gave way beneath me

  I quickly did a double take to make sure I wasn’t. Thankfully, the store and I were still good.

  “All I had to do was ask?” I narrowed my eyes. Something was wrong.

  “No. But you’ve grown a bit, so now I will answer some of your questions,” he said, twirling his finger in the air. The mug refilled with fresh, steaming, bubbling, green goo.

  This can’t be real.

  I hurried over to stand in front of the counter. I knew I only had a short amount of time before the store opened again for the night shift.

  “What is a Rune?” I spilled out.

  “A symbol,” he countered.

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  “…”

  “What is a symbol?”

  “A mark,” he grunted, keeping a perfectly straight face.

  “And what is a mark?” I sighed.

  “Something you draw,” he grinned. As if we had gotten somewhere.

  I was about ready to take the loss and just leave, but figured I would try one more time.

  “Why can I use Runes?” I asked, instantly furious at myself for how hopeful my voice sounded.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Can you?”

  I. What..I. Just. WHY?!

  “You literally WATCHED me,” I exploded.

  “I did no such thing,” he grunted, taking a slow sip of his goo — the contentment obvious on his face.

  I wasn’t sure if he liked the taste or just liked watching me suffer.

  I had a suspicion it was the later.

  “I —,” I began once more.

  Vaarg raised a finger and slid off his stool, making his way to a window.

  It was obvious I was expected to follow.

  So I did.

  “Do you see that?” He asked, pointing outside.

  I stared sourly. “See what.”

  “Now now, don’t be like that Beeg,” he admonished, the smugness veritably oozing from his voice.

  “The cobblestones. The ones that glow,” he pointed again.

  I did see them. They were as beautiful as ever, the soft bluish-white moonlit glow they gave at night somehow making the poor and dirty streets of the non-human sector ethereal.

  Beautiful even.

  I sighed. “Yeah, I see them.”

  Vaarg smiled. “The glass stones, those are etched with Runes,” he went on. “They are not as uncommon as you might think. The ones in the streets here were inscribed by a Kobold kip some years back,” he explained.

  “A prodigy sure, but still a kip.”

  That…surprised me. I hadn’t thought about how they had gotten there, just that they were there.

  It seemed like something a great mage had taken the time to do, as a way to pass boredom or something. To hear it was the work of a child was….humbling.

  “Ok so, they are so easy even a child can do it,” I said. “Got it.”

  “That’s not what I said,” Vaarg responded waspishly. I don’t think I had ever heard him speak in that tone before.

  Maybe he was taking this more seriously than I realized?

  “You told me you can use Runes,” he said curtly. “Show me.”

  I froze. Did he know about the book? Did he know I had been on Aisle 6? Was this a trap?

  Or was I overthinking?

  “You saw —,” I tried again, my mouth dry.

  “We aren’t talking about the page, Beeg,” he cut me off. “You asked me about Runes.”

  I…I am so confused right now.

  Vaarg sighed and waddled back to his desk, leaving me at the window.

  I could feel it in the way the air shifted, the lesson was over. I slumped a little.

  “Those cobblestones,” Vaarg called out. “Those have Runes on them. What was on that page was not a Rune.”

  I blinked. What?

  But also my heart was crashing furiously. He hadn’t dismissed me. He was still willing to explain.

  “Why…didn’t you tell me that before?” I stuttered.

  “If I am going to teach you, then let this be the first lesson,” he grunted.

  “Don’t just ask questions. Make sure you ask the right questions.”

  With a wave of his hand the window fell open and the store spit me out, locking behind me.

  I knew even if I waited for the night shift to open I wouldn’t get any more answers tonight.

  I still had plenty to think about.