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Finally they broke camp and started down the tunnel. It twisted and turned and seemed to go on forever.
Thèrèse wasn't sure what to expect at that end – a dungeon, a mad scientist' lab or maybe a sewer reservoir where all Porta-Potty sludge ends up, forming an evil toilet face large enough to swallow the world. "Do you ever feel like we're going in circles in here?" Thèrèse commented.
It wasn't an arguable complaint.
Leo had to admit that this tunnel had been going on forever, making it feel like they were in some kind of an infinite tunnel. "The exit of this tunnel is going to hit us like a ton of bricks at this rate." He replied.
Instead, they found polished steel elevator doors, each one engraved with a cursive letter 𝑀. Next to the elevator was a directory, like for a department store.
"M for Macy's?" Piper guessed. "I think they have one in downtown Chicago."
"Or Monocle Motors still?" Leo said. "Guys, read the directory. It's messed up."
Parking, Kennels, Main Entrance Furnishings and Café M Women's Fashion and Magical Appliances Men's Wear and Weaponry Cosmetics, Potions, Poisons and Sundries
Thèrèse was baffled by how the letters were written. "This directory is messing with my brain. I just can't understand the logic of this at all." She shakes her head.
"Kennels for what?" Piper said. "And what kind of department store has its entrance in a sewer?"
"Or sell poisons," Leo said. "Man, what does 'sundries' even mean? Is that like underwear?
"Maybe that's just a luxury brand?" Thèrèse commented.
Jason took a deep breath. "When in doubt, start at the top."
★
The doors slid open on the fourth floor, and the scent of perfume wafted into the elevator. Jason stepped out first, sword ready. "Guys," he said. "You've got to see this."
The department store looked like the inside of a kaleidoscope. The entire ceiling was a stained glass mosaic with astrological signs around a giant sun. The daylight streaming through it washed everything in a thousand different colors. The upper floors made a ring of balconies around a huge central atrium, so they could see all the way down to the ground floor. Gold railings glittered so brightly, they were hard to look at.
They could see for miles around them and wasn't sure if they had ever seen a place that was so beautiful as this before. "Wow, this is absolutely unreal." Thèrèse said with an amazed tone. She just kept looking up as he saw how beautiful the stained glass mosaic and daylight that was making everything so colourful.
Leo stepped to the railing and looked down. "Check it out."
In the middle of the atrium a fountain sprayed water twenty feet into the air, changing color from red to yellow to blue. The pool glittered with gold coins, and on the either side of the fountain stood a gilded cage.
