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Description

    As the owner of a curiosities shop, Alma was used to seeing unusual items. It’s what the store was famous for even a century ago when her great grandmother ran it, displaying things like the bones of ancient lizards, accursed idols from long-dead tribes, and collectors paraphernalia such as posters of Clive the magnificent in his heyday. Alma had even peddled for a monkey’s head once, shrunken like a raisin and smelling of salts and alcohol. Nothing was off the table save for what was most taboo, and despite outward appearance, she made a pretty good living. At all times, her store was stocked to the brim with books piled in corners and dusty shelves crooked from the weight of magic scepters, stone idols, and the ribcage of a rare boar. Alma often dealt with traders at all hours of the day for a quick turnaround, so it was no surprise when a man stumbled through the doors late one night as she was preparing to leave.

  “Otho? It’s been a while, my old friend.” Alma said as she wiped down the front counter with a wet rag.

  The man smiled, air whistling through his missing teeth. His hair was like an unkempt mop, and he never could stand up straight on account of that terrible accident, and so he hobbled over to her, dropping a bag at his feet with an exasperated sigh.

    “How’s the family, Em?” He asked, running his hands through his hair.

    “We are doing well enough. The girls miss you though, you’ve been gone for a while this time. Was your expedition successful?” She asked, her voice steady but with a glint in her eye.

    You see, Otho was a scavenger who traveled to fallen cities of ancient man uncovering relics long lost, relics that, more often than not, made her a lot of money.

    “Oh yes, it was.” he smiled. “In fact, I brought something just for you.” Then, from his pack, he pulled an old long rifle still intact and bearing a maker’s emblem.

    Alma gasped, carefully picking up the instrument with a gloved hand and wiping down the stock. Amazingly, some of the original paint was still visible.

    “You always do know how to make a girl blush.” She put the rifle back on the counter. “How much do you want?”

    “I want twenty gold pieces for it.” He paused. “But since we’re old friends… I’ll let it go for fifteen.”

    “Fifteen? Otho, I have to make a living here.” She looked at the rifle once more. “I will give you five gold pieces.”

    “Come on, Em. You can at least do ten.”

    “No, I can’t. I would give you ten if it were in perfect condition.”

    Otho pursed his lips, pausing once again. “How about seven and eight silvers?”

    “Otho…” Alma crossed her arms.

    “And, I will throw in those glasses you like so much.” He darted into his bag, pulling three, four, no five clay cups with glossy finishes of assorted colors.

    Alma looked them over slowly while her heart pranced like a lovestruck girl. “There’s a crack in one, but… Alright, you drive a hard bargain.” She took his hand with a firm grip.

    “Give me a second, and I will get your money.”

    She reached under the counter and pulled a metal box. There was no lock of any kind, but only she could retrieve its contents. While her grandmother wasn’t magical, Alma was quite good at pulling the strings of reality and warping two locations together with tools. If anyone other than she reached in, they would get a painful surprise from old wedge the family snapping turtle.

    “There was one other thing,” Otho said as she counted out the coin. “It’s an item I’m not sure you would want, but maybe your daughters?” He pulled out an old wooden box with color long faded and only the word devour visible on the top.

    “What is it?” She asked, looking over the unusual rectangular woodwork.

    “I think it’s a board game.”

    He opened the box and pulled out a wooden platform with four sculpted heads on each corner. The craftsmanship was spectacular, which depicted foreign beasts with broad snouts and jutting jaws.

    “It also comes with these.” Otho pulled out a bag and poured colored marbles onto the platform. “Now, if you press down here.” He tapped on a lever behind one of the unusual heads, and its mouth lunged forward, biting back down to swallow a few marbles whole before returning to its original position. A slot on the back of the platform stored the stones consumed so the user could count them.

    “Up to four kids can play at a time, and I think the one that eats the most wins.”

    “Where did you find this?” She laughed, certainly Emily would love such a game. “Let’s try it out.” Alma took a position on one side of the board, pausing her finger above the wooden lever.

    “Alright.” He smiled, putting a few marbles back onto the arena and taking the opposite position.

    Alma started, gently tapping the wooden lever bringing the wooden monster to life. Mouths lunged forward, shaking the board, and the marbles bounced around, caught within an inescapable arena. Alma smiled as the polished glass dwindled until only a few remained.

    As the last ornament bounced around, they frantically tapped the levers trying to coax the token into the hungry mouths of synthetic beasts. Yet, as the marble leaned towards Alma, there was something in the light that caught her attention, something that sickened her stomach.

     These were not simple glass baubles; no, these ornaments resembled something familiar, painted colors that reminded her of the clouds, the oceans, and the earth below, colors that swept her from the comfort of her shop to grassy plains and deep canyons.

    No, these were not marbles at all.

    They were planets.

    For an instant, Alma found herself far from the comfort of her shop, looking up at the night sky. What she saw was not the gentle light of distant stars but a gaping maw that swallowed the horizon, gullet so deep that the edges of reality stretched outward like soft noodles. She felt a crushing weight as the last vestiges of sputtering light gasped their last with only nothingness beyond.

    “Nooo!!” She screamed, pushing her arms out, and her hands smacked the wooden gameboard to the ground with marbles scattering like ants beneath the shelves.

    “What is it, Alma?! What’s wrong?!” Otho reached, but she stepped away, catching her breath.

    There was a memory stored within that game. She was sure of it. No doubt, some sick cultists hid away an ancient fragment in a child’s game.

    “I’m alright, Otho. Thank you for your concern.” She said, helping him pick up the board and scattered pieces. “I will pay you ten gold pieces for this game.”

    “What?!” His words caught in his throat. “But, Em, that’s too much.”

    “Just take it as an apology for damaging what you worked so hard to recover.” Alma dropped the money on the counter.

    “Well, if you’re sure.” He was hesitant, picking up the coins as if they might nip at his fingers.

    “I’m sure, old friend. Please, with my blessing.” She smiled, shaking Otho’s hand one last time before he pocketed the money.

    “Bless you, Em. I don’t know what I would do without you.” He waved to her. “Give my best to the Girls.”

    “You should stop by tomorrow; I will keep dinner for you. I know Emily would love to see you again.” Alma waved back.

    “I will do that, thank you, and have a good night.”

    Just as Otho shut the door behind him, Alma bolted it and returned to the wooden game board. She flipped it over and found an ouroboros scratched into the wood along with an inscription. She knew the language well enough to understand what it said.

    “In the blackest of places, when a deity was one, it craved a hunger so fierce that it could not be satiated. To embark upon perfection and find relief, it tore its stomach free when the stars were born. That pouch of unsatisfied gluttony scours the darkness still, consuming all in its path until nothing remains. Unlike the others, it is the only one to have forgotten its name. Blind to its sin and free of thought, it holds the abyss behind a thin curtain; a curtain that we call the Hunger; a curtain that we call the Great Devourer. Matter, space, and time are all consumed in equal measure. Not even light itself can escape once caught within the Hunger’s grasp. Few can say for sure what lies beyond the darkness, but we will share this secret. Deep within its belly lies a locked gate, and beyond that is a jaw-less maw so massive it will swallow all of creation. Glory to him who has the key for not even the Devourer can find the way home.”

    Alma sighed, flipping the board over and securing it in the wooden box, never to be opened again. She pulled a key from around her neck and took the relic into the back, past a hidden door behind moving bookshelves. In that secret room, dust was more abundant than air, and cursed items lined the shelves. Things that should never grace mortal hands, this room was a lockbox and the real purpose behind the curiosities shop’s founding.

    She placed the game board in a vacant space next to a doll that winked at her. Alma wouldn’t stay long, but she took one marble from that blasphemous game before leaving, the marble that looked so much like home.

    At least the peninsula would be safe from the Devourer,

    for now.

    Closing the door behind her, she thought about how much she would make on that rifle. Thirty gold pieces would do, she thought with a grin hiding the key under her blouse.

    Yes, thirty gold pieces would do just fine.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey everyone,

Okay, now I know what you're thinking. Hey, I've seen this piece before! Well, you're most certainly correct. I thought it was about time that I remaster some of my older more dated pieces. The original work can be found here:

Now, with that said, the story is completely new. Hey, wait? Didn't we hear about a strange curiosities shop before? Yep, we sure did, check out this story below:

This certainly won't be the last time we hear about Alma's little shop. There are just too many cursed items out there

I hope you all enjoy

Till next time.

-Cheers

Description

    As the owner of a curiosities shop, Alma was used to seeing unusual items. It’s what the store was famous for even a century ago when her great grandmother ran it, displaying things like the bones of ancient lizards, accursed idols from long-dead tribes, and collectors paraphernalia such as posters of Clive the magnificent in his heyday. Alma had even peddled for a monkey’s head once, shrunken like a raisin and smelling of salts and alcohol. Nothing was off the table save for what was most taboo, and despite outward appearance, she made a pretty good living. At all times, her store was stocked to the brim with books piled in corners and dusty shelves crooked from the weight of magic scepters, stone idols, and the ribcage of a rare boar. Alma often dealt with traders at all hours of the day for a quick turnaround, so it was no surprise when a man stumbled through the doors late one night as she was preparing to leave.

  “Otho? It’s been a while, my old friend.” Alma said as she wiped down the front counter with a wet rag.

  The man smiled, air whistling through his missing teeth. His hair was like an unkempt mop, and he never could stand up straight on account of that terrible accident, and so he hobbled over to her, dropping a bag at his feet with an exasperated sigh.

    “How’s the family, Em?” He asked, running his hands through his hair.

    “We are doing well enough. The girls miss you though, you’ve been gone for a while this time. Was your expedition successful?” She asked, her voice steady but with a glint in her eye.

    You see, Otho was a scavenger who traveled to fallen cities of ancient man uncovering relics long lost, relics that, more often than not, made her a lot of money.

    “Oh yes, it was.” he smiled. “In fact, I brought something just for you.” Then, from his pack, he pulled an old long rifle still intact and bearing a maker’s emblem.

    Alma gasped, carefully picking up the instrument with a gloved hand and wiping down the stock. Amazingly, some of the original paint was still visible.

    “You always do know how to make a girl blush.” She put the rifle back on the counter. “How much do you want?”

    “I want twenty gold pieces for it.” He paused. “But since we’re old friends… I’ll let it go for fifteen.”

    “Fifteen? Otho, I have to make a living here.” She looked at the rifle once more. “I will give you five gold pieces.”

    “Come on, Em. You can at least do ten.”

    “No, I can’t. I would give you ten if it were in perfect condition.”

    Otho pursed his lips, pausing once again. “How about seven and eight silvers?”

    “Otho…” Alma crossed her arms.

    “And, I will throw in those glasses you like so much.” He darted into his bag, pulling three, four, no five clay cups with glossy finishes of assorted colors.

    Alma looked them over slowly while her heart pranced like a lovestruck girl. “There’s a crack in one, but… Alright, you drive a hard bargain.” She took his hand with a firm grip.

    “Give me a second, and I will get your money.”

    She reached under the counter and pulled a metal box. There was no lock of any kind, but only she could retrieve its contents. While her grandmother wasn’t magical, Alma was quite good at pulling the strings of reality and warping two locations together with tools. If anyone other than she reached in, they would get a painful surprise from old wedge the family snapping turtle.

    “There was one other thing,” Otho said as she counted out the coin. “It’s an item I’m not sure you would want, but maybe your daughters?” He pulled out an old wooden box with color long faded and only the word devour visible on the top.

    “What is it?” She asked, looking over the unusual rectangular woodwork.

    “I think it’s a board game.”

    He opened the box and pulled out a wooden platform with four sculpted heads on each corner. The craftsmanship was spectacular, which depicted foreign beasts with broad snouts and jutting jaws.

    “It also comes with these.” Otho pulled out a bag and poured colored marbles onto the platform. “Now, if you press down here.” He tapped on a lever behind one of the unusual heads, and its mouth lunged forward, biting back down to swallow a few marbles whole before returning to its original position. A slot on the back of the platform stored the stones consumed so the user could count them.

    “Up to four kids can play at a time, and I think the one that eats the most wins.”

    “Where did you find this?” She laughed, certainly Emily would love such a game. “Let’s try it out.” Alma took a position on one side of the board, pausing her finger above the wooden lever.

    “Alright.” He smiled, putting a few marbles back onto the arena and taking the opposite position.

    Alma started, gently tapping the wooden lever bringing the wooden monster to life. Mouths lunged forward, shaking the board, and the marbles bounced around, caught within an inescapable arena. Alma smiled as the polished glass dwindled until only a few remained.

    As the last ornament bounced around, they frantically tapped the levers trying to coax the token into the hungry mouths of synthetic beasts. Yet, as the marble leaned towards Alma, there was something in the light that caught her attention, something that sickened her stomach.

     These were not simple glass baubles; no, these ornaments resembled something familiar, painted colors that reminded her of the clouds, the oceans, and the earth below, colors that swept her from the comfort of her shop to grassy plains and deep canyons.

    No, these were not marbles at all.

    They were planets.

    For an instant, Alma found herself far from the comfort of her shop, looking up at the night sky. What she saw was not the gentle light of distant stars but a gaping maw that swallowed the horizon, gullet so deep that the edges of reality stretched outward like soft noodles. She felt a crushing weight as the last vestiges of sputtering light gasped their last with only nothingness beyond.

    “Nooo!!” She screamed, pushing her arms out, and her hands smacked the wooden gameboard to the ground with marbles scattering like ants beneath the shelves.

    “What is it, Alma?! What’s wrong?!” Otho reached, but she stepped away, catching her breath.

    There was a memory stored within that game. She was sure of it. No doubt, some sick cultists hid away an ancient fragment in a child’s game.

    “I’m alright, Otho. Thank you for your concern.” She said, helping him pick up the board and scattered pieces. “I will pay you ten gold pieces for this game.”

    “What?!” His words caught in his throat. “But, Em, that’s too much.”

    “Just take it as an apology for damaging what you worked so hard to recover.” Alma dropped the money on the counter.

    “Well, if you’re sure.” He was hesitant, picking up the coins as if they might nip at his fingers.

    “I’m sure, old friend. Please, with my blessing.” She smiled, shaking Otho’s hand one last time before he pocketed the money.

    “Bless you, Em. I don’t know what I would do without you.” He waved to her. “Give my best to the Girls.”

    “You should stop by tomorrow; I will keep dinner for you. I know Emily would love to see you again.” Alma waved back.

    “I will do that, thank you, and have a good night.”

    Just as Otho shut the door behind him, Alma bolted it and returned to the wooden game board. She flipped it over and found an ouroboros scratched into the wood along with an inscription. She knew the language well enough to understand what it said.

    “In the blackest of places, when a deity was one, it craved a hunger so fierce that it could not be satiated. To embark upon perfection and find relief, it tore its stomach free when the stars were born. That pouch of unsatisfied gluttony scours the darkness still, consuming all in its path until nothing remains. Unlike the others, it is the only one to have forgotten its name. Blind to its sin and free of thought, it holds the abyss behind a thin curtain; a curtain that we call the Hunger; a curtain that we call the Great Devourer. Matter, space, and time are all consumed in equal measure. Not even light itself can escape once caught within the Hunger’s grasp. Few can say for sure what lies beyond the darkness, but we will share this secret. Deep within its belly lies a locked gate, and beyond that is a jaw-less maw so massive it will swallow all of creation. Glory to him who has the key for not even the Devourer can find the way home.”

    Alma sighed, flipping the board over and securing it in the wooden box, never to be opened again. She pulled a key from around her neck and took the relic into the back, past a hidden door behind moving bookshelves. In that secret room, dust was more abundant than air, and cursed items lined the shelves. Things that should never grace mortal hands, this room was a lockbox and the real purpose behind the curiosities shop’s founding.

    She placed the game board in a vacant space next to a doll that winked at her. Alma wouldn’t stay long, but she took one marble from that blasphemous game before leaving, the marble that looked so much like home.

    At least the peninsula would be safe from the Devourer,

    for now.

    Closing the door behind her, she thought about how much she would make on that rifle. Thirty gold pieces would do, she thought with a grin hiding the key under her blouse.

    Yes, thirty gold pieces would do just fine.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey everyone,

Okay, now I know what you're thinking. Hey, I've seen this piece before! Well, you're most certainly correct. I thought it was about time that I remaster some of my older more dated pieces. The original work can be found here:

Now, with that said, the story is completely new. Hey, wait? Didn't we hear about a strange curiosities shop before? Yep, we sure did, check out this story below:

This certainly won't be the last time we hear about Alma's little shop. There are just too many cursed items out there

I hope you all enjoy

Till next time.

-Cheers