Hudsonville: Tales of the Hunted

Chapter 4: Shopping Spree

Cici bounded down the rickety stairs with Andy in tow, skipping several steps at a time. Andy struggled to keep up, tripping over his own feet as they burst out onto the street.

"This way!" Cici said, veering sharply to the left. Andy was pulled along. "It's just a few blocks down!"

As they hurried through the streets, Andy took note of the storefronts they passed. "Discount Familiars," "Coff-Inn." Some shadowy robed figures lurked in the alleyway, their glowing eyes blinking at him as he passed.

"Almost there!" Cici announced as they rounded another corner.

Andy's eyes widened as an explosion of neon light assaulted his vision. At the end of the street stood a garish building covered in flashing signs and pulsating lights. "Gene's Emporium," read the great neon sign that stood atop the complex. A giant animatronic Djinni raised its lamp up and down, just behind. Plumes of smoke came out of the lamp's spout every few seconds.

"Magical Bargains!" "75% Off All Items!" "Enchanted Or Your Money Back!" It was a visual assault, but somehow, Cici seemed totally unaffected. Andy, on the other hand, felt his stomach lurch. The pulsating lights and swirling patterns made him feel nauseous. He stumbled slightly as Cici pulled him toward the entrance.

"Oh, woah, you good?" Cici asked, noticing his queasiness.

Yeah," Andy said with an ominous belch. "'Scuse me. Just a lot to take in."

Unfortunately for Andy, this was only the start of it. As soon as they stepped through the doors, everything appeared far more chaotic than before. Every inch of the walls and shelves were crammed with bizarre antiquities and cursed objects—dried lizards, shrunken heads, vials of glowing liquid, rune-inscribed weapons, things that Andy couldn't even begin to identify. The ceiling was lit up by a mass of floating orbs of various sizes, each emitting their own unique color of light.

There was one clear goal in Andy's mind; to find these magic crystal balls Ryan was talking about and get the heck out of dodge. Cici, however, had other plans. She eagerly tugged him deeper into the emporium, weaving through the cramped aisles with her hostage lugging slowly behind.

"You've gotta see the movie section, it's my favorite!" Cici said. She pulled Andy into a dusty corner, where the two came across several shelves packed with colorful VHS tapes. The worn plastic cases were adorned with faded cartoon characters and bizarre titles the boy could not quite decipher.

"Okay then," Andy said, grabbing one of the titles off the shelf. "So are these magic, or somethin'?"

"Even better; they're cursed." Cici said.

"Cursed?"

"Yeah, but in a fun way. Like...here!" Cici plucked a tape from the shelf and pointed to the character on the box. She had gigantic, expressive eyes and bizarre, puffy pink hair. On the center of the character's face was a big red circle which represented her nose.

"I watched this one last week. For three days after, everything I ate tasted like bubblegum." Cici said.

Andy grimaced. "That sounds awful."

"Oh boo, it was hilarious!"

As Cici cackled, Andy looked down at the movie he grabbed. On it, there was a figure draped in long, white robes that looked like they were about to be sacrificed; a tall, gold-robed figure stood over them with a dagger overhead.

"What's the deal with this one?" Andy asked. Cici tilted her head, taking the movie from him and turning it over.

"Uhhh...huh. I dunno. Haven't seen this one yet." With a shrug, Cici placed the film under her arm. Andy gave her a confused look.