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“All right,” I said taking the basket from her. “I will.”

“And it wouldn’t hurt you to stop by Goodman Kreeches Grocery Emporium and pick up some Whisper Dust as well,” she remarked. “That’s always helpful when you’re calling the corners alone and you don’t have a coven to help you.”

“Whisper Dust?” I asked, frowning. “What section of the, er, emporium do I find that in?”

“Just ask one of the shop helpers,” she told me. “They’ll direct you. Now, you’d better get on your way. The sooner you get back to Blackthorn Manor, the sooner you can lift that curse.”

“Will I be able to go home when I do?” I asked. “I mean, will a new magical door appear for me or something? Not that I don’t like it here—I think Hidden Hollow is amazing. But I’m missing work right now and I’m afraid I might get fired so⁠—”

“Easy, my dear.” Goody Albright put up a hand to stop me, and I realized I’d been babbling.

“Sorry,” I said. “It’s just…my boss, Angie, isn’t very patient. And I’m divorced, so I’m on my own. I need to be able to pay the bills, so I can’t lose my job.”

“I understand, my dear,” she said, nodding. “Do you still have the key that Cordelia gave you when she sent you to Hidden Hollow in the first place?”

“The key to Blackthorn Manor? Yes, I do.” I nodded.

“Well, you can use that key to draw a door in the air and go back home anytime you want,” she told me reassuringly. “Just think of where you want to go and the door will lead you there. Of course, I hope you’ll try to break the curse on Garrik first.”

“Of course I will,” I promised. “I’ll do my very best—I just can’t stay here forever.”

“I understand completely.” She nodded. “Just know that there is always a place in Hidden Hollow for you if you want to return once your mission is done.”

“Thank you.” I was touched by her words because I could tell she really meant them. But I just couldn’t see making a home in the magical town. I mean, where would I stay? What would I do for a living?

But when I explained my concerns to Goody Albright, she only smiled.

“Be that as it may, my dear, Hidden Hollow has a way of finding a place for those who belong here,” she told me. “Now go on–you need to get moving to break that curse. Just don’t forget to get some Whisper Dust on the way back to Blackthorn.”

13

CELESTE

Goodman Kreeches Grocery Emporium was only a short walk from The Red Lion Inn, and I recognized it immediately from the way Bartleby had pointed it out earlier. It looked like a small, upscale grocery store of the kind you might find in a wealthy neighborhood, with a rounded green awning over the entrance and a display of fresh fruits and vegetables arranged in wooden crates outside

There were apples and pears and pumpkins, which seemed normal enough, but there were also some fruits I had never seen before. One looked like an enormous purple strawberry covered in little silver spots, and another was bright blue and shaped like a star. I was still looking at them when one of the blue fruits gave a little wiggle and turned to face me.

At least, I thought it turned to face me. Which was ridiculous because fruits don't have faces. Except apparently this one did.

"Oh my God!" I exclaimed as two tiny golden eyes opened in the middle of the blue fruit and looked right at me. "Did that thing just look at me?"

"Of course it did," Bartleby said impatiently. "It's a Stare-berry. They like to stare at people. Come on, I'm not standing out here all day while you admire the produce."

"Well, excuse me for being surprised by a piece of fruit with eyeballs!" I snapped back.

"You're excused," he said loftily. "Now open the door, please. I haven't got opposable thumbs, you know."

I rolled my eyes, but did as he asked, pulling open the glass door and stepping into the grocery store with Bartleby trotting along beside me.

At first glance, the interior looked like any other fancy grocery store. There was a beautiful cheese counter with huge wheels of cheese stacked behind the glass, an olive bar with what looked like twenty different kinds of olives, and a long display of fresh bread that smelled absolutely wonderful. There was even a whole wall devoted to wine, with bottles arranged on wooden shelves according to what I assumed was their type and vintage.

But when I looked a little closer, I began to realize that this was definitely not my local Publix.

For one thing, the store seemed to be much larger on the inside than it had appeared from the street. I could see aisle after aisle stretching away into the distance, and some of them were so tall that I couldn't even see the tops of the shelves. Also, there were strange little floating lights hovering near the ceiling, giving everything a warm, golden glow.

And then there were the customers.

A huge, green-skinned Orc was examining what appeared to be an entire side of beef at the butcher's counter, while a Centaur was standing in front of a display of grain bags, reading the labels with a very serious expression on his face. A woman with bright blue skin and flowing white hair was pushing a shopping cart filled with what looked like large blocks of ice, and two tiny, winged creatures were arguing over the last jar of something called Moonflower Honey.