I should’ve been less surprised when I showed up the next day and found Vaarg out, leaving It in charge.

  Well — surprised wasn’t the right word.

  I wasn’t surprised in the least that Vaarg had vanished the moment he dangled the carrot.

  Frustrated. That was the word I was looking for.

  “Morning, It,” I groused.

  He raised an eyebrow at me. “Mornin’,” he deadpanned back.

  “Listen, is there any work that actually needs to get done today?” I asked.

  It regarded me a moment. “At this point, I’m afraid what might happen if you don’t clean,” he responded honestly.

  “But apart from whatever cursed cleaning magic you wield, nothing of major import looms,” he sighed, turning to stare out the window.

  He looks so sad, I thought to myself. I had never seen him look like that before.

  Maybe I had never noticed.

  “Hey It, do you and Stupid want to make a visit to the Library with me?” I queried. I hadn’t planned on asking him. Originally, the plan had been to slip away unnoticed with Stupid but —

  “That… that would be very nice indeed, Beeg,” It whispered, turning to look back at me.

  There was a smile on his face. It was slight, but it was there.

  A genuine smile.

  I smiled back.

  “Hey Stupid!” I shouted, much to the annoyance of the cloaks, if their immediate and forceful whispers were anything to go by.

  “BEEG! YETH BEEG! BEEG, YOU CALLTHED?!” Stupid screeched like a goblin airhorn, barreling down the Aisle atop Workman’s Comp — her noble steed.

  “Wanna go to the Library?”

  Stupid beamed.

  It smiled.

  The store creaked in approval.

  I belonged.

  ____

  This was such a bad idea.

  “By the Ancient Kings, what in the hells is that,” I whispered in horror.

  Stupid had brought us to her “special room.”

  Which meant crawling under shelves and squeezing through a hole in the wall. A hole that looked like it had quite possibly been sneezed there.

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  Her bed was in the corner, a pitiful pile of gold coins I knew Vaarg would take before it grew to any respectable size.

  Taxes.

  And covering the walls were eldritch portals. Of every size and color. Reds, blues and oranges. I even saw the green one that led to my room.

  I knew it led to mine because there was a stick figure drawing above it in pink crayon of a goblin holding my hand.

  I knew it was me because of the word “BEEG” colored next to it, with a giant arrow.

  But no, that wasn’t what was horrifying me.

  What was horrifying me was the black hole that took up an entire wall, the scorched and blackened edges a hint at the absurd amount of magic it took to blast it there.

  It pulsed, trying to pull me in.

  And it didn’t feel kind.

  “That’s Stupid’s biggest sneeze yet!” Stupid chirped proudly, puffing out her chest. “That takes us to the Library!”

  I swallowed nervously, wiping my sweating hands on my trousers.

  “I… see,” I strangled out. I turned to look at It. “Is… is that safe?” I asked.

  It looked at me. That deadpan look that let me know I had asked a question he considered beneath my intellect.

  “Does it look safe, Beeg?” He deadpanned.

  I may or may not have whimpered when I turned back to look at the yawning, Eight Foot Chasm of Death.

  “Stupid had to sneeze extra hard!” Stupid exclaimed, jumping up and down. “The Forbidden Section of Mageeeeeek Library has lots of protection! But Stupid sneezed through them all!”

  She turned to look at me with huge, puppy eyes.

  “And now Beeg wants to visits with Stupid. Stupid eez so happy!” She glanced at It.

  “It eez happy, too! But he is pretending he isn’t!” She babbled.

  It choked a strangled cough, turning so I couldn’t see his face.

  I sighed. There was no way I could back out now.

  “Ok… let’s go,” I said.

  Stupid screeched happily and dived headfirst into the Maw.

  It followed with a smile he thought I couldn’t see.

  I paused, stealing the chance to study the room once more.

  To catch a glimpse of a life.

  Of Stupid’s life.

  It was… sad. There was no other word for it.

  No decorations. No pictures of family. No hints at bigger dreams.

  Just the pile of coins that Vaarg would shortly tax, and the portals.

  And a lemon, for whatever reason, the myriad of colors from the portals flickering across its surface.

  I sighed, turning back to the portal that just might hold the answers to my future — but something caught my eye.

  In one corner, hidden behind a crate was a wooden doll. I walked over and stared down at it. It was a doll of me, its features scribbled on with bright pink crayon. At some point Stupid must have nicked a bit of my hair, because it was taped to the head of the doll.

  Frankly it looked more grotesque than anything.

  Except right next to it was a potato.

  A friend fry.

  I felt my breath catch.

  I was still trying to figure out who or what I was. But at some point, I had become important to those around me.

  Important enough they wanted to be with me.

  I sucked in a breath, quickly wiping the tear that was definitely not there.

  I turned and stared down the portal.

  Still pulsing.

  Still ominous.

  Waiting.

  I straightened my name-tag and marched through.