Page 63 of The Little Shop of Curiosities Cursed Object 1, The Music Box

He shoots her a reassuring smile before turning back to the paperwork. Ignoring the pair of them, I concentrate on my spellwork, measuring and adding items while murmuring quietly under my breath. The air is warm and moist like a tropical rainforest. It smells of damp loam and flowers, pleasant and heady.

“Tristan,” I call quietly when I find him sitting with his eyes closed, a serene smile playing on his lips. “Come here, please.”

Opening his eyes, he pushes out of the chair and crosses the room to stand beside me. He looks up at me with a kind of dreamy lassitude, which is a side effect of my magic. With an apologetic smile, I reach out and pluck a few strands of hair from his head.

“Ouch.” He rubs his scalp with a wince. “Stay away from my bikini area,” he mutters sourly, and Dusty lets out a cackle behind him.

“Wow, you really do sound like me.”

“What are you doing?” He scowls at me. “I was feeling all comfy and warm, then you try to detach half my scalp.”

“Sorry.” I can’t help the chuckle; he looks so cute when he’s annoyed. “I forget being around real magic for the first time has that effect on some people. You’re like a sponge, just soaking it all up.”

“What do you need that for?” He nods at the hairs I yanked out.

“This.” I pick up the ends of several silken threads of different colours that I’ve pinned to the table and weave them into a complicated braid, entwining Tristan’s hair with the strands. My hands begin to glow as I murmur again. Once I’m finally finished, I knot each end.

“This will protect your father as he moves around the home, as long as he keeps it on,” I explain.

“And those?” He nods toward the four burlap squares which I’ve filled with various things and tied with string, making them into little pouches.

“These are hex bags,” I mutter, lifting each one carefully and placing it inside my worn brown leather satchel. “Powerful magic. We’ll conceal them in the four corners of your dad’s room and nothing of supernatural or paranormal origin will be able to cross the threshold or manifest within its boundaries.”

“Really?”

“Really.” I nod as I hook the strap diagonally across my body. “Now, let’s go see your dad.”

14

“Are you sure about this?” Danny asks dubiously.

Tristan and I slide the chest of drawers forward so I can lean down to tuck one of the hex bags under the corner of the carpet where it can’t be seen.

“Yes,” I reply, and pat the carpet down. “Of course it will work.” Then I move to the next corner of the room. “Tristan, a little help please,” I grunt as I try to shift the heavy wardrobe on my own.

“Oh shit, sorry.” He tears his attention away from his dad.

“I’ll help.” Danny reaches for his crutches so he can lift himself off the sofa, but Tristan scoops them up and out of the way.

“Nope, you stay exactly where you are. The last thing we need is you breaking the other leg when a wardrobe accidentally falls on top of you.”

Danny frowns in reply. “I’d rather it didn’t fall on anybody.”

Tristan moves towards me and grasps the other side of the wardrobe. Between the two of us, we manage to wiggle it away from the wall far enough that I can squeeze my arm down the gap and tuck the last hex bag under the carpet.

“Okay, that’s done.” I stand up and dust off my clothes, then reach into my pocket and pull out the braided bracelet. “We just need to get this on your dad.”

Tristan nods and edges around the bed to where his dad, Martin, stands beside his bedside table, clicking the nightlight on and off. While he’s preoccupied, Tristan takes his hand gently and lift his arm to pull up his sleeve. Martin doesn’t even notice. I quickly wrap the bracelet around his wrist and double-knot it.

“There, that shouldn’t come off,” I mutter. “Just make sure his carers know not to remove it, even when he’s being showered.”

“I will, I–”

We both turn as the door opens and Martin’s carer, Lois, walks in. She stops dead and stares at the furniture, still out of position from our supernatural security measures.

“What on earth is going on in here?” She looks first at Tristan and then her eyes settle on me.

“Um... This is Harrison,” Tristan introduces me. “He’s uh…he’s…a…a feng shui expert,” he concludes lamely.