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"Stop complaining," I told him. "You don't have anything else to do."

"I could be napping," he pointed out. “I could always be napping.”

"Well, you can nap when we get back to the manor," I informed him.

He gave an enormous sigh, as though I was asking him to perform some terrible feat of endurance, but he followed us as Tansy led the way deeper into the store.

Our first stop was a large fountain in the middle of the main aisle. It looked like one of those chocolate fountains you see at wedding receptions, except instead of chocolate, it was flowing with a beautiful golden liquid that shimmered slightly as it poured over the different tiers.

"Bluebell Nectar!" Tansy announced proudly. "Fresh from the Enchanted Meadows. Would you like a taste?"

"What is it?" I asked, leaning closer. It smelled absolutely wonderful—like honey and flowers and something sweet that I couldn't identify.

"Fairy nectar, of course! We use it in everything from cakes to tea. It's absolutely delicious, though I wouldn't recommend drinking too much if you're human."

"Why not?" I asked suspiciously.

"Well, it can make you rather…lightheaded."

"Lightheaded how?" I wanted to know.

"Oh, you might float a little," she said casually. "Nothing serious. Most humans come back down within a few hours."

"Float? As in, up in the air?" I asked in disbelief.

"Well, yes." She looked at me as though that should have been obvious. "It's fairy nectar, dear."

"Maybe I'll skip the sample," I decided.

"Suit yourself!" Tansy said cheerfully. "More for the rest of us."

She led us farther into the store, where we came to a section filled with enormous bales of hay and bags of grain. There was a sign overhead that said CENTAUR AND MINOTAUR SPECIALTIES.

"Oh, I was wondering about this!" I exclaimed. "I saw a Minotaur in town earlier and he said he'd been eating hay pancakes at Goldie's."

"Yes, those are very popular," Tansy said, nodding. "We sell Goldie her special hay flour. We also have Gourmet Hay, Sweet Meadow Mix, Clover Crunch, and our own special Gourmet Gut Mix, which is excellent for digestion."

I picked up a small package of something called Honey-Dipped Sticks and examined it. At first, I thought they were pretzels, but when I looked closer, I realized they were actual twigs covered in a shiny golden coating.

"People eat these?" I asked.

"Of course!" Tansy replied. "They're especially popular with Centaur children. Rather like candy sticks for human children."

"Except they're made of wood," I pointed out.

"Well, yes, but very tasty wood," she assured me.

I shook my head and put the package back.

"I think I'll stick to regular candy, thanks."

"Oh, we have that too!" she exclaimed. "Come along—I'll show you!"

The candy aisle was probably the strangest thing I'd seen yet, which was saying something. There were jars of brightly colored sweets, boxes of chocolates, and enormous lollipops in every color of the rainbow. But the labels were definitely not the sort of thing you'd find in a normal grocery store.

Moonberry Taffy—Makes You Dream of Flying! read one label.

Chuckle Drops—Guaranteed to Improve Your Mood! another one said.