Fabulous Spec-Fic Smackdown

Door to the Witch World

(Authors Note: Written for Round 1 - Part 1 of the Fabulous Spec-Fic Smackdown. Prompts were to feature a newly written book and a character called Pipaluk.
Word count  about 1440 according to Wattpad - not counting this note)

Eric moped along the street, hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face. All his mates were at the football match, without him. His mum had to work, he knew that, but had one of his so-called mates thought to invite him to go with them? No, not one. They had all rushed off with their dads to see the match.

Moodily, Eric kicked a pebble, sending it skittering across the pavement. His eyes followed its path, watching it ricochet off the front of a building. He stopped and stared. Lost Worlds Book Store. The building was so narrow, there was only room for a single door with a small window alongside. Both were framed by wood panelling, painted a dark green and a small sign on the door said "Open". It looked interesting, if slightly old-fashioned, but the most surprising thing was that he was certain it hadn't been there the day before.

Eric squinted, trying to remember what had occupied the space yesterday, but nothing came to mind. It must be one of those pop-up shops that were so popular these days.

Oh well, he might as well go inside and check it out. He had nothing better to do at the moment, and if he was lucky, they might have some graphic novels that he hadn't already seen. Despite the old-fashioned appearance, Lost Worlds had a fantasy sound to it.

He pushed open the door and stepped inside. To his delight, a row of graphic novels filled one side of the shop. A small fantasy figurine perched halfway along the top shelf seemed to indicate the fantasy section.

Eric had just begun to flick through the new release books when he found one that made him smile. Eric and the Witch World. Story and graphics by A. Wych. If you loved Narnia, you'll love this! How cool was that? He hoped it was a good story! He opened the first page to check the quality of the graphics. A boy was walking along a snowy path through a forest, leading toward a castle, complete with moat. Best of all, the boy had a dog by his side (Eric loved dogs) and was that a dragon? In the sky above the castle? Eric peered closer.

A small voice spoke just above his ear.

"What do you think? Do you want it?"

Eric jumped, his head swivelling wildly to find the source, but he was the only person in the shop. Even the owner had disappeared into the back.

"Up here," said the voice, impatiently.

The figurine was talking to him. It was green and sticklike, with large eyes and a triangular head. It was sporting a red scarf, tied jauntily around its neck.

"B-bowtruckle?" stammered Eric, naming his favourite character from the popular Fantastic Beasts franchise.

The creature gave a small sigh of exasperation. "I get that a lot, but no, I'm a different creature entirely. Promantideamantoideamantidae. But you can call me Pipaluk."

"Pipaluk?" repeated Eric in a dazed voice, wondering if he was dreaming.

"That's me," agreed the creature, smiling for the first time. "Now, you look like a kid who enjoys a bit of adventure. What do you say? Are you ready to tackle the Witch's World?"

That was the title of the book he was holding. This must be a sales gimmick. Super cool though, he hadn't seen anything like this in any other shops. He stared harder at the figurine, trying to see where the cord was, or perhaps it was battery operated, but it looked so real. As if it was really alive.

"Eric?"

Eric blinked, realising Pipaluk had been talking and was now waiting rather impatiently for an answer.