(Click here to read the previous chapters 1-6)
The spider muttered something into the air. Beatrix watched the world shrink around her. She was back to full size now. She gently picked up the spider. Through the trees in the distance, she could see a town. It looked similar to the one she lived in, but had a flair of whimsy to it. The houses and buildings were painted in bright, happy colors. As they walked closer, she noticed other things. Strange, but wondrous things she had not seen before. Tiny feathery creatures fluttered about. They emitted a pure white light. “Those are talenbees” the spider said, noticing Beatrix’s eyes affixed upon them. She held out her other hand as one drifted up to her. The talenbee landed on her hand and suddenly, she felt a rush of pure happiness. For a moment, she forgot about her worries and troubles. Then, as soon as the talenbee came, it left; drifting away, and out of sight. The feeling left with it. “Talenbees emit happiness” the spider said. Beatrix looked at the spider and asked: “Why would you ever want to let go of one?” The spider replied: “Talenbees make you forget about your troubles, they distract you. If people forgot about their problems, they would also forget to fix them, and nothing would ever get solved.” Beatrix took a moment and thought about this, then continued walking.
They continued on their way into town. The buildings weren’t the only things with a touch of whimsy; the people were too. Dressed in vibrant eccentric clothing, they wandered from store to store. As they passed an alleyway, Beatrix saw a dark figure in the corner of her eye. She abruptly turned her head to see what it was, but nothing was there. “This way” said the spider, pointing at the teal shop on the end. Beatrix disregarded what she saw. Maybe she imagined it. Maybe nothing was there. However, deep inside her, she knew something was there, and she had a rotten feeling about it.
She walked up the steps of the bright teal colored shop. She craned her head to read the sign: “Mrs. Evelyn’s Instruments of Magic.” They walked into the store. The spider pointed at a stack of shopping baskets, so Beatrix walked over and picked one up. Beatrix gazed around, fascinated by all the wondrous products. A small table full of tiny gadgets was set up in the corner of the shop with a sign hovering above it that read “40% Off Scurtlekwibs.” “Oh my!” the little spider exclaimed. “They’re on sale!”
Beatrix walked up to the table, and the spider ran off her hand and onto the table. He scurried about, looking the curious items over, and pushed four of the small devices to the edge of the table. He looked up at Beatrix and said: “We will need these.” Beatrix picked up the small items the spider had chosen, and put them in her basket. They continued around the little shop and collected a variety of different items; each oddity more curious than the last!
She walked up to the cash register. A tall woman stood dressed in vibrant yellow clothing. The hue of her attire was far from the most interesting part of her outfit. Atop her head, was a hat covered in eyes. The eyes were all different colors and seemed to be scanning the room.
“Oh, I see you like my hat!” the woman said with excitement in her voice. “It’s the perfect way to keep an eye on my shop when my back is turned. I have three available for purchase, if you would like your very own!”
“No thank you” replied Beatrix with a shocked look on her face.
Beatrix set her basket down onto the counter. The lady looked over the items one by one and added up the price. “That will be two hundred and seventeen poqine please.” Beatrix looked at the lady puzzled. All she had was regular money.
The spider looked up at her and said: “Just a minute.” He scurried down the counter, across the floor, and into the center of the room. A loud snap shook the shelves as a flash of light illuminated the shop. Beatrix closed her eyes to the blinding light. The room went quiet. She slowly opened her eyes to reveal the spider had transformed into a young man. Green sparks cascaded from him and fell to the floor like glitter. He was her age, and had piercing red eyes and dark hair. The boy walked up to her, looked into her eyes and said: “My apologies miss. I have yet to formally introduce myself. My name is Arthur Quib.” He held out his hand to her. Beatrix paused for a moment, then smiled shyly, and shook his hand.
I am using the tag "beatrix-percival", so you can easily find all the previous chapters, as well as see the new ones as soon as they are released!