“Beeg, the decorating is up to you,” Vaarg grunted.

  “You just don’t want to decorate,” I retorted.

  Vaarg lowered his clipboard to glare at me.

  “Wrong. I don’t want to fight an angry store,” he grunted. “You want a party. You decorate.”

  He took a sip of his goo and slid behind his clipboard again.

  “But also, yes,” he called, almost an afterthought.

  I grit my teeth.

  “Vaarg, Vaarg, please, PLEASE let us out! He is going to get us all killed,” Sybil flew from the Aisle and threw herself at Vaarg’s feet.

  I didn’t even know a cloak could do that.

  Throw itself at one’s feet that is.

  I sighed and turned away.

  “You’re not going anywhere, get back in that Aisle,” Vaarg snarled.

  The cloak drifted back to the Aisle and the gloom of the store fell back to silence once more.

  The cloaks are getting way more ornery, I mused, tapping the floor with my leg.

  I paused to enjoy how it echoed.

  The store hollowed out where I was tapping just so it could echo, as the floor was otherwise composed of a perfectly sturdy mahogany.

  I smiled.

  “Hey, wanna help me decorate for Stupid?”

  The store creaked and candles with a plethora of different colored flames grew out of every shelf, nook and cranny imaginable, making the store brighter than I had ever seen it.

  Which led to more whispering from Aisle 2. Something about bringing the “cleansing light of day” within the walls of the store.

  I rolled my eye.

  It also accentuated just how much it needed to be cleaned.

  “Thanks, buddy,” I said, reaching down to grab my favorite dust rag from my cleaning closet; which the store had preemptively opened for me.

  The store creaked back happily.

  “Absolute nonsense. Store listens to him. Let’s him clean it. Let’s him change it. I saved the ungrateful thing,” Vaarg mumbled behind me, staring at the candles as if they personally offended him.

  Honestly? They probably did.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  I smiled as I got to cleaning.

  It was the little things.

  At that moment, the bell above the door wheezed.

  I turned to see Grif step through.

  I rubbed my eye to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. He rubbed his eyes as well.

  ”Light?” he mumbled.

  His face brightened when he saw me. He smiled and proceeded to walk in my direction — talking in Vaarg’s direction and looking everywhere else.

  “One of your goblins said there’s a party,” he exclaimed. “Naturally, I didn’t believe it. Had to come see for myself!”

  He chuckled heartily, as if he had something immensely amusing.

  “He did what?” Vaarg snapped.

  “Yup,” Grif continued enthusiastically, winking at me. He reached out to poke a candle with a neon purple flame.

  It growled back menacingly. Grif wisely moved on.

  I couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “There is no party,” Vaarg stated.

  “Oh. Well. Now that’s just a shame,” Grif sighed, his huge frame sagging theatrically.

  “Why are you here, really,” Vaarg sighed, barely audible mutterings drifting around his clipboard.

  Grif smiled and shook his head.

  “It’s good to see you Beeg,” he nodded, clasping my shoulder with one of his enormous hands. “It’s good to see you’ve continued surviving. Looks like you grew up a bit, too,” he nodded, looking me over.

  I rolled my eye. Thanks for the Grif seal of approval?

  “Thanks Grif,” I sighed. “Are you here to help decorate?”

  Sibil and Henrietta immediately launched into frantic whispering.

  “Did you see that — “

  “It’s a trap! — ”

  “The Great Warlock is going to destroy Grif! — ”

  “The fool doesn’t even know!”

  Vaarg peeked around the side of his clipboard.

  Grif looked at me awkwardly.

  They… might not be wrong, I realized.

  “So uh, how about you uh, grab — “

  “Hey! Yea, I forgot! I uhhh, something buy. Need. Yes — thanks, Beeg!” Grif cut me off, burning a beeline to the exit.

  “Grif, wait!” I called, stepping forward. My leg echoed through the floor.

  But he was gone.

  I blinked. Honestly? I was a little surprised the store had let him leave.

  The shelves stretched happily, candlewax dripping everywhere.

  Sibil and Henrietta screamed.

  I sighed.

  “Buddy?” I grunted.

  The store happily spit out a mop bucket — one of its favorite pieces of equipment.

  I smiled. At this point, my stash was becoming a real closet. I had something for almost every occasion. I would have to get a new mop though. Oh and there was a particular dusting broom I wanted. I had seen it in Karla’s shop, it looked wonderful for corners —

  I didn’t even notice Henrietta or Sibil as I happily got to my cleaning.

  ____

  A handful of hours later, the store looked halfway presentable.

  Ok, there wasn’t anything I could do about the ooze drifting from shelves. Or the quiet sobbing coming from the cursed jar Aisle. Or —

  Ok. Aisle 3 was clean, and at least the cobwebs were gone from everywhere else, I grunted.

  At some point, several of the AP team had arrived, lugging tables and carting food.

  The store had graciously retracted an entire Aisle to make room — much to Vaarg’s frustration.

  “If I have to host a party, at least leave the merchandise so I can make money,” he fumed.

  Streamers hung from the ceiling — which had been a feat. Apparently, Molly was not afraid of heights, as she had scaled the wall and swung across the ceiling to hang them.

  Now that there was light, I saw the store was almost 40 feet tall. Triple the height it looked from the outside.

  I think it might have made itself taller just for fun. I knew it grew Aisle for said reason. Some days we had 50, others we had 5.

  Never really knew.

  The store happily slurped up the latest set of streamers and Molly shook a fist in frustration. I knew the feeling, as the store had a penchant for a particular brand of paintbrush —

  At that moment, the door opened and It strolled through, cake levitating above one hand.

  “Beeg, I have procured the cake,” he nodded.

  Procured?

  I squinted. “Who are you, and what have you done with It?”

  It started at me a moment. Then slumped slightly. “Too much?” he asked, sounding much more like himself.

  I smiled. “No, just different.”

  He straightened and smiled, before dropping the smile with a cough.

  “Yes well, I bring company.”

  He stepped aside, and the procession began.