Page 16 of The Little Shop of Curiosities Cursed Object 1, The Music Box

I rub my hands together, generating friction and feeling my magic crackling between my palms. I lean forward and press my hands to Tristan’s chest. Although I’ve never encountered a situation like this, my intuition tells me this is going to work.

I hope.

The power rushes through me and bursts into him, shocking him like he’s been hit with a defibrillator. He’s thrown back forcefully and hits the ground hard.

Wow, that worked a lot better than I thought it would, I muse silently as I lean over him. For a moment, he lies there stunned and trying to breathe. He seems to be somewhat winded.

After a few more moments, I extend a hand and help him to his feet. He looks a little shaky, but I can now see him clearly, and his body appears to have an occupancy of one.

A pained groan comes from behind him, and we both turn to look. Dusty sits up from her position on the floor, her eyes wide and her hair enormous and smoking slightly.

“What the hell was that?” She blinks. “Did we get hit by a bolt of lightning?”

“You’re welcome.” I shrug.

“Thank you so much.” Tristan exhales, patting down his body as if he’s refamiliarising himself with it. “I can’t tell you how good it feels to be me again. I don’t know how I can ever thank you enough.”

“Just try not to let your body get hijacked again. The Higher Powers don’t like things like that. It messes with their grand plan.”

“What grand plan?” he asks in confusion.

I reach out without thinking and grasp his chin, tilting his pretty face as I study him. Just for a second, I see a small shape shimmer against his skin, like a birthmark but not. Then it’s gone. There’s something about this man, something I can’t quite put my finger on.

“You’ve been marked,” I mutter.

“What?”

“Someone or something has taken a very definite interest in you.”

“Who?”

“Well, that’s the question now, isn’t it?” I chew my lip, deep in thought.

“I saw…” He hesitates before speaking. “I saw a reaper, twice now. It looked straight at me. It was almost like it was watching me and then it disappeared.”

“A reaper and yet you live?” I stare at him in surprise. I’ve heard about them, of course, but…“No one has ever seen one twice, and it couldn’t have been looking at you if you weren’t its target.”

“What do you mean?”

“Reapers only go after those they’re assigned to escort into the afterlife. Any other living being is simply white noise to them. It shouldn’t have even been aware of your presence, and you should not have been able to see it,” I explain.

“What do you think it means?” He bites his lip in worry.

“I have no idea,” I confess. “I’ve never heard of anything like it.”

“Oh.”

My brain is full to bursting. I need some time alone to mull over this.

“Anyway, I have things to do, so run along,” I dismiss Tristan, and his rather sparkly spirit sidekick. “Try to stay out of trouble and tell your friend to stay out of other people’s bodies… Unless, of course, it’s consensual.”

Dusty the drag queen cackles in delight as I return to my chair in the corner and pick up my book.

“Thank you again,” Tristan says gratefully. “I really do owe you.”

“And I might just collect one of these days,” I mutter, certain this isn’t the last I’ve seen of the cute, bespectacled guy and his ghostly entourage. I open my book, hoping I look more casual than I feel. “Oh, and, Tristan,” I call out as he heads toward the door. I point to the little old lady ghost I’d seen holding Dusty’s hand in Whitechapel, who’s been hovering in the corner of the room. “Take that with you, please.”

“Come on, honey.” Dusty throws me a look as she takes the woman’s hand and leads her out of the shop, Dusty’s still-smoking hair filling the air with the scent of extinguished birthday candles.