Magic in the Margins
This story is dedicated to a special kitty named Elvira.
The jingling of a bell heralded Soot’s approach. Emma, standing on a ladder, shoved the book into its spot before looking down.
A small, green plastic ball, containing a tiny bell, rolled across the floor, knocking against a box of bestiaries waiting to be shelved. Behind it, a black streak gave chase, heedless of obstacles and people in the bookshop.
The ball banged against the bottom of a bookcase of beginner’s spellcraft, arching a swoop across the floor. It spun past the base of Emma’s ladder.
The streak pounced onto the ball, resolving into a black cat with a pink collar. Emma slowly climbed down the ladder.
“Having fun, Soot?” she asked.
Soot blinked her dark gold eyes at Emma. Hopping to her feet, she slid her body across Emma’s legs before walking off to her faded green pillow in the shop window, which was bathed in afternoon sunlight. After using her paws to massage the pillow into an acceptable state, Soot curled in a ball and closed her eyes. A couple walking by stopped long enough to admire Soot before moving on.
Tail and Tome Bookery had been in Emma’s family for generations and was a staple in tiny Bramblerest. And there had always been a cat, as far back as anyone could remember. Emma’s mother had kept up to five at one point, in fact. And it made sense. You couldn’t very well call it Tail and Tome without something with a tail wandering the aisles.
Emma walked over to the counter, where a line of wizardry students had formed. Each of them clutched a copy of the new arcana textbook that had come in just the other day.
“Thanks so much for ordering these,” the first one said, a scruffy-looking guy named Paul. “You should see the prices the school store is setting. This copy alone would have set me back five hundred.”
“Tell your friends,” Emma replied, ringing him up. “I have plenty.”
“Is it true that a couple of stores have been broken into recently?” Paul swiped his debit card.
“Yeah. Julia’s Herbiary and that new alchemy shop.” She bagged up his book, grunting slightly with the effort. It was truly a tome.
“And they don’t know who’s doing it?”
“No, but I’m sure he’ll get caught soon. Come back again soon, okay?”
Quiet filled the store after the students left. She tidied the pile of bookmarks, stickers, mini cat paw page holders, and enamel pins she kept in little cardboard bins on the counter. She noted that she was going to need to restock the “Blind Book Date” carousel, as well.
The bell over the door jangled and a tall man in a long black duster walked inside. Emma didn’t recognize him, which was a rare thing in Bramblerest.
He had dark brown, almond-shaped eyes and black hair that curled around his ears. There was something solemn and hesitant in his expression as he came in, his gazing darting around until landing on her.
She smiled, a funny fluttering feeling in her stomach. “Good morning. Welcome to Tail and Tome. Can I help you?”
“Maybe.” His voice was deep, sounding almost like it came from somewhere near his ankles. “I’ll look around first.”
“Of course.”
Soot got up from her bed and started to hop down from the display window when she spotted the man as he walked by into the aisles. She froze and then sat, staring at him. Her tail twitched back and forth.
Emma fiddled with some of the display tables up front for the next little while, glancing back into the store from time to time. She wondered if she should go find him to ask if wanted help, only to dismiss the thought. If he wanted help, he would find her. After a small eternity, the man returned with books in arm.
“Ready?” she asked.
Soot jumped down from her place and slowly approached the man. She sniffed his muddy boots.
“Not yet,” the man replied. He looked down. “Nice cat.”
“Her name is Soot.”
“Not all cats like me.”
“She seems to like you all right.”
Soot backed away and sat down to stare up at the man with her lantern-like eyes.
The man gave Emma a hesitant smile. “Guess she’s reserving judgment. Um, do you have any books on herbs?”
“As in how to grow or how to use?”
“Both?”
“Let’s see.”
As she led the way into the aisles, Emma scrolled through her mental inventory. They came to the section on nature, and, after a bit of perusing, she found a volume on homesteading with sections on herbs.
“This may be of some help,” she said, handing it to him. “If not, I can always order something for you.”
The man shifted his pile to one arm to awkwardly hold the book to flip through it. The books slipped from his grasp, hitting the floor.
“Shit,” the man said.
“I got it.” She gathered them up. As the man thumbed through the homesteading book, she peeked at his selection. It was all history and science fiction.
The man nodded. “This’ll do for now.”
“Great. Did you need anything else?”
The man studied her, as if she’d said something interesting. He shook his head. “Thanks for the help.”
“No problem!” She led the way back up front. “Are you new in town?”
“Just passing through.”
Most people would have filled in more information, such as where they were going or where they had come from. Perhaps they would even ask questions about good places to eat. The man, however, just continued to stare at her with a wary curiosity.
Emma gave him his total, and he paid with cash, his large hands carefully counting out bills and coins. His knuckles were swollen, slightly, and callouses marred the tips of his fingers. He slid the exact amount to her.
She handed him his bag of books. “Thanks for coming to Tails and Tome Bookery! Please come again.”
The man nodded, avoiding her gaze, and walked away, the bell over the door chiming as he left.
After a beat of silence, Soot hopped back up onto the sill of the display window. But instead of lying on her bed, she stared out into the street.
After locking up for the day, Emma went into the backroom and up a set of stairs to her apartment. She checked to make sure the cat door was unlocked so that Soot could come up and down as she pleased.
When Emma’s mother had been alive, they had shared the apartment, filling it with laughter and late-night movie marathons. But Mom had died and while Emma kept meaning to move out, it just never seemed to happen. It oddly felt like she was in a strange holding pattern. Mom had made all the big decisions, and Emma was still getting used to the ones involving the bookstore. Thinking about finding a new place filled her with a sort of panic.
Emma went to the sink to strain her small pot of pasta. The kitchen window overlooked a parking lot behind her building. The cloud of steam from the pasta fogged the windows.
She glanced up and saw something in the lot below. She set the pot aside and grabbed a dish towel. She wiped the fog away, revealing a figure standing in the middle of the empty lot.
Streetlamps normally flooded the lot with light. But only one on the far end was working, leaving the normally bright lot drenched in shadows. Emma couldn’t even tell if the figure was looking at her, but her gut tightened with the certainty that he was.
Her mind flew to the latest break-ins at Julia’s Herbiary and Perwinkle Alchemy. They both had been ransacked. Rumor was that the burglar had used magic to get in.
The streetlamps really should be on.
Emma yanked the curtain in place. Her heart raced, and her instincts told her to do something. The only sound in the apartment was the soft bubbling of her Bolognese sauce.
After a moment of thought, she rushed from kitchen to living room, and through the door down into the store. A few lights had been left on, revealing Soot curled up on a table in the receiving room. By the back door was a security panel.
She reached it just as the handle on the door began to move. She hit the emergency button. Loud sirens screeched through the building.
The knob stopped moving. If whoever it was ran away, Emma didn’t hear their retreating footsteps over the noise.
The police arrived within five minutes. After taking her statement, they reviewed the footage. As someone approached the back door, the footage grew flickery and grainy. By the time the alarm went off, it was all snow. After five seconds, it returned to normal. No one was there. And all of the streetlamps flickered to life.
The two officers looked at each other.
“What is it?” Emma asked.
“I’m sure you’ve heard of the two recent burglaries. The security footage did the same thing,” said one of the officers. His nametag read “Collins.” “And all you saw was the figure in the parking lot?”
“I did.”
“And you believe it was a man?”
“I-I think so.”
“Have you seen anyone unusual lately? People lingering a little too long in the store?”
“Well, it’s a bookstore, Officer Collins.” She tried to laugh but all that came out was a weak chuckle. “Most people linger.” And then her brows rose. “There was a new customer today. He paid in cash, which is sort of unusual these days, I guess. He said he was passing through, though.”
“Can you give us a description?”
Emma felt bad about this. For all she knew, the guy was a truck driver or something. “Tall. Little over six feet, I think. Curly, black hair. Not too curly, though. Brown eyes. He was handsome.”
The other cop snorted. His nametag read, “Bingley.” Collins shot him a look. Bingley straightened his face. Emma could feel her face reddening. It wasn’t the best of descriptions.
“Did he give a name?” Collins asked.
“No.” She fought to think of any detail that could help. “He had mud on his boots.”
Collins grunted and tapped his pen against his notepad. “Listen, since you live on the premises, I think you should go stay with friends or family for the next week or two. If that guy tries again, you aren’t going to want to be here if he gets in.”
Emma did not like the idea of imposing herself on one of her few friends. “I’ll think about it.”
Collins scowled. “Ma’am, this is serious. In the last break-in, the store owner was injured. Maybe you should also invest in some door charms as well. More and more stores are getting them.”
They were also very expensive and required monthly renewal. “I’ll be fine.”
Neither cop seemed convinced, however. They took a copy of the security footage as evidence. A crime scene technician had dusted the door and doorknob for prints while Emma had been interviewed. After the cops informed her that she needed to come into the station the next day to get her prints taken for comparison with what they found, they left her alone.
Well, not entirely alone. As she started toward the stairs, Soot came out of the darkness. She rubbed against Emma’s legs. Emma picked her up and carried her home.
The next day was Sunday, and the store was closed. After church, she went by the police station to get her prints taken. And then, as she did every week, she went to the Happy Egg for brunch.
She picked a table in the corner. Soon after, a familiar face came through the door. Emma smiled and waved.
Jenny walked over. “I heard through the grapevine that you had some excitement last night.”
Emma stood and gave her a hug. “How are people already talking about that?”
“Well, Officer Bingley is married to Janey, who’s friends with Margie, who is the biggest gossip in all of Bramblerest. Everyone in the town learned what happened by the time First Baptist let out for the day. Is that book for me?”
Emma handed a new Louise Penny mystery to Jenny. “I had an extra copy.”
“Always thinking about me. I’ll settle up tomorrow.”
As soon as they sat, a waitress arrived to deposit a pair of steaming mugs of coffee.
“The usual, ladies?” the waitress asked.
“Sure thing, Amanda,” Jenny said. “You, too, Em?”
“Well, actually,” Emma said. “I thought today I would try the eggs benedict? With sausage links.”
“Oh, look at you being adventurous!”
Emma snorted.
Amanda nodded, noting it down on her pad, and then walked off to her next table.
Jenny said, “Changing up your brunch order? Next thing I know, you’ll be getting a dog.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “I think Soot would challenge a dog to a fight to the death.”
“And win. You know what I’ve heard? About the break-ins?”
“What?” She leaned forward.
Jenny propped an elbow on her table, hiding her mouth with her hand. “Elves,” she whispered.
“Elves?” Emma raised a brow. “The only people who believe in elves also read the Bramble Sun.”
Jenny picked up her coffee mug. “That’s what the rumor is. How else are you going to explain the security footage getting all strange?”
“But why break into stores, though? It doesn’t seem like a very elf-ish thing to do. And why my bookstore? It’s not like there’s a lot of--”
The bell over the door rang, and Emma’s eyes rose, as if drawn by an unseen force. Her heart skipped as the tall man in the black duster walked in. He read the sign that said, “Seat yourself, sweetie!” before letting his gaze wander over the diner. His eyes landed on her, and they locked gazes for a breathless moment.
Jenny, frowning, looked over her shoulder. “Oh.” She turned around. “Oh, he’s cute. Do you know him?”
The man broke the gaze first. He chose a table on the far side of the restaurant, sitting so that he faced the door with his back to them.
“Emma?”
Emma looked back at her friend. “What?”
“I asked if you knew that man?”
“Yes. Well, no. Not really.” She unrolled her silverware with more care than necessary.
“Emma Gail Gladstone, what are you not telling me?”
“I should have never told you my middle name. I hate it.”
“It’s a shortened form of Abigail! It’s cute!”
“It makes me sound like some kind of wind.”
“You haven’t answered my question. Or touched your coffee. Get talking, or I will walk over to that man right now and invite him to Thursday Night Book Club.”
Emma made a face. “You wouldn’t.”
Jenny scooted her chair back.
“No! No! Here.” She picked up her coffee and took a big sip. And then made a face. She poured sugar into the black coffee and gave it a stir.
Her friend raised a brow. “And?”
“And I really don’t know him. He came into the store yesterday.” She added enough nondairy creamer to turn the coffee into the color of pale sand.
“Absolutely disgusting,” Jenny said drily.
“Well, not everyone has a stomach made of iron.”
“You know, you were staring at that man awfully hard. Were books and currency all you exchanged?”
“Jennifer!”
“Emma!” She huffed a sigh. “Seriously, though. What’s going on?”
“Nothing. He came in the store yesterday.”
“What did he buy?”
“Just some sci-fi and history. And a book on homesteading.”
“Definitely not what I would imagine a serial killer to buy.”
Emma furrowed her brow. “What would a serial killer buy from a bookstore?”
“I would imagine anatomy books and a manual on how to dissolve a body in three hours or less. Don’t get distracted. What else?”
Emma shrugged. “That’s it. I tried to ask him some questions. He barely gave any answers, only said he was passing through. And-and then after the near break-in, when the cops asked about anyone unusual, I pointed to him.” She stared into her coffee with shame.
“Now, that I didn’t hear in the grapevine.”
“And thank goodness. Because what if he is innocent and is actually looking to stay here? I wouldn’t want to ruin his reputation.”
“You didn’t notice anything else? When Katie Simmons moved into town, you knew she was pregnant before anyone else because you clocked how many times she went to the bathroom during a dinner party.”
“Well…” Emma thought again over the encounter, trying to avoid remembering how nice his face was to look at. “Well, I did notice he has callouses on the tips of his fingers.”
Jenny sipped her coffee and turned that over in her mind. “Maybe he’s a musician. Oh! There’s a big music competition being held at The Blarney Barrell. I wonder if he’s come here to enter it. I mean, it’s either that or he’s an elf.”
Emma laughed, and just at that moment, Amanda returned with their food. Emma glanced back at the strange man. He had turned in his seat to look at them. Their eyes met. He turned away.
The rest of Sunday passed quietly, though Emma found herself repeatedly looking out windows to check the back parking lot for anyone who shouldn’t be there.
On Monday, Carrie, her only employee, watched over the store while Emma ran errands.
As she left Oddities and Wonders, a new bag of thrifted curiosities to use in her window display hanging from her arm, Emma noticed a big black dog lying on the sidewalk.
The dog looked like a German Shepherd, though much larger, all black, and shaggier. It had to be one of the most beautiful dogs she’d ever seen.
“Hello, handsome,” she said. “Are you friendly?”
The dog lifted its head and stood. Slowly, Emma held out her hand. The dog approached and licked her fingers. She scratched it behind the ears and ran a hand down the thick, double coat at its neck. She didn’t feel a collar.
“Where’s your owner?” She looked up and down the street. Aside from a few people coming in and out of shops, there didn’t seem to be anyone nearby. “Hang on.”
Emma went back into the store.
Mr. Davis smiled at her from the counter. “Forget something?”
“Do you recognize that dog out there?”
He looked out the window. “No. Never seen him before. If he’s still there this evening, I’ll give animal control a call.”
Outside, she paused long enough to give the dog another pat before moving on.
Later, as she left Hamish’s General Store, Emma saw the dog again, sitting by a lamp post.
“You aren’t following me, I hope,” she said. “I have a cat. I don’t think she would like you.”
The dog cocked his head and stared at her with intelligent eyes.
Emma started home. Every now and again, she looked over her shoulder. And there was the dog, following behind at a distance that grew shorter every time she glanced back.
When she opened the door of Tails and Tomes, the dog pushed past her and inside.
“No!” she said.
But it was too late. Soot, standing right in front of the counter, was facing the big, black dog. Emma froze.
The dog slowly lowered down until he lay on his belly. Soot studied the intruder for a long moment, leaning forward slightly to sniff at him. Then, with a flick of her tail, she minced off.
“New pet?” asked Carrie.
“He followed me,” Emma replied. “I’ll take him to the vet tomorrow. Maybe he has a microchip.” She shook her head. “Jenny is going to think she’s a prophet.”
“What’s that?”
“Never mind. Watch him, please.”
Emma dropped off the bag of display window décor in her back room and then went up to her apartment.
When Emma gave Carrie her lunch break, she discovered the mystery dog was a hit and had to repeatedly reply “I don’t know” to questions about breed and name.
“Pretty sure he’s a Groenendael,” one person said, giving the dog a good belly scratch, “but I haven’t seen those outside of dog shows. Or one so large.”
When Carrie returned, Emma popped out long enough to buy food, a collar, and a leash from Purrs McBarkin across the street.
The day ended, the store closed, and Emma took Dog on a brief walk before going home. Outside the store’s door leaned a baseball bat with a note affixed to it which read, “From Jennifer.” A little heart was drawn by her name.
Emma took the bat into the back room and left it by the table before going upstairs. To her surprise, Soot followed.
Soot and Dog took up either side of whatever room Emma occupied. When she settled in to watch television with a big bowl of ice cream, Dog laid by the couch and Soot took position on the cat tree.
As time passed, though, Soot drew closer and closer. By the time the show ended, Soot laid curled in Emma’s lap. When Dog turned his head to give Soot a sniff, she only glared for a moment before closing her eyes.
Emma smiled and started the next episode of her current binge watch.
She was halfway through when Dog’s ears perked up and he stood. Ears forward, he walked stiff-legged to the door that led down to the store. A low growl emanated from his chest.
Soot sat up, her tail curling around her feet.
“What’s wrong, boy?” Emma asked, fear winding around her gut.
Dog answered with a growl like distant thunder.
The monitors for the camera system were downstairs in the office, and she desperately wished they weren’t.
She switched off the television and went to the door. She opened it, intending to listen. Dog slipped past her and hurried downstairs, stopped by the door at the bottom. He pawed at it.
With a sigh, Emma followed. As soon as it swung open, Dog slipped out, melding with the shadows. She flicked on the light and went to the office.
The camera on the back door flickered with static. Goosebumps prickled her arms.
Something slammed against the back door. Emma expected to hear barking, but all was silent. What was the point of having an enormous dog around if it didn’t scare off the intruders?
Slam. Crunch.
Adrenaline flooded Emma in a cold rush, as if the crunch of wood breaking finally drove home the emergency.
The alarms blared as the door swung open. A man in a billowing cloak took a step forward.
A large black blur slammed into the man, latching its teeth into him. The man screamed, and a blast of light erupted. Dog, yelping in pain, was blown back.
Emma, blinking against the black spots in her eyes, grabbed the nearest thing to hand: the baseball bat Jenny had dropped off. The man surged into the room as she swung the bat. It connected to his head, and he dropped to the ground.
“Give that dog a steak dinner,” Officer Bingley said.
They were all standing in the back parking lot. The ambulance for the burglar was pulling away at high speed.
Officer Collins nodded. “He’s a good boy.” He pulled a card from his pocket. “Here’s a service you can use to clean up the crime scene. I hear they use real brownies.”
She took it, feeling a little numb. “I don’t think I’ll be needing that, but thank you.”
“I still can’t believe that guy was just stealing school supplies. Someone needs to talk to the wizardy college store about its prices. Ma’am, do you have anyone you can stay with tonight?”
Emma thought about Jenny but shook her head. “I’ll be fine.” She didn’t want to be smothered by Jenny’s well-meaning concern.
“Well, if you’re sure…”
“I am.”
Collins said, “Let’s at least secure that back door.”
But by the time they reached it, it was repaired. And the inside of the back room looked perfect. The faint lemony scent of cleanser rode on the air.
“Oh,” Bingley said, “you got your own brownies, I guess.”
“We’re really very grateful,” Emma said, pitching it a little loudly. It was always important to make brownies feel valued. She would have to scrounge up some special or first editions of their favorite books.
The cops bid her a good night, and she closed the door behind them, then re-armed her system.
“Don’t scream.”
Emma screamed, whirling around.
A man stood a few feet from her. He held up a hand. “Hey! Hey, it’s okay. It’s me.”
“Who are you?” she screeched. She grabbed the nearest thing at hand, the baseball bat, and brandished it at him.
“I’m Dog.”
“What?”
Now that the shock wore off, Emma recognized him. He was the strange man from before. However, he wasn’t in his long duster, but in a black shirt and black jeans.
“Here,” he said, “I’ll show you.”
From one second to the next, he changed. It was as if she blinked, and suddenly, there stood the large black dog that had saved her just hours ago.
“What?” she whispered.
Then, in another blink, the man stood there again. “My name’s Reggie.”
“Reggie.”
“Yeah. Reggie.”
Tears burned her eyes and she blinked hard. “What-why-what?”
“I’m a shapeshifter.” He said it liked it explained everything.
“So?”
“The other night, in my dog form, I was out for a run when I saw that burglar try to break in. You were so nice to me, ma’am, that I decided I would stick around as a dog for a day or two in case he came back. Now that he’s gone, I thought I’d let you know that it was me.”
“Oh.” She lowered the baseball bat.
He shifted from one foot to the other. “Listen, I’m gonna enter the music competition at the Blarney Barrell. I’ll have enough money after I win to pay you back for the dog food. It was pretty good food, too.” He gave her a crooked smile.
She smiled back faintly. “I’m glad to hear it. I wish you had been honest up front.”
“Most people get scared when they learn I can turn into a big dog.”
Soot appeared out of the darkness. She looked at them both before rubbing her body against Reggie’s leg. She purred.
“Well,” Emma said, “are you staying in a hotel here?”
“The Silver Crescent Inn.”
“Do…Do you want a ride?”
“I’d like that.”
After the last note of “You Ain’t Nothin’ But a Hound Dog” faded away, applause exploded in the Blarney Barrell. Reggie, guitar hanging from a strap around his neck and shoulder, bowed as he stepped away from the mic.
Jenny said, “He was great!”
Emma applauded, too. The next contestants started up, a band of folk singers with banjos and fiddles. Reggie joined them at the table.
“Great job,” Emma said.
He grinned and ducked his head a little. “Thanks.”
Jenny said, “Emma was telling me you’re staying over at the Silver Crescent. Are you looking for a more permanent place? I know a good realtor.”
“No, thank you. I’m moving into Emma’s apartment.”
Jenny choked on her peach bellini. Emma snatched up a bar napkin and held it out to her. Coughing, Jenny took it and dabbed at her mouth.
“You what?” she gasped.
Emma said, “He’s moving in but I’m moving out. I’m going to go look at houses next week.”
“Oh.”
“And Reggie is going to be working for me in lieu of rent. Part security, part cashier.”
Reggie said, “Emma says I can have a discount on the books, too.”
“But what about the dog?” Jen asked. “I heard there was a dog that attacked that crazy wizard guy. And was that wizard guy really after a textbook?”
Emma and Reggie glanced at each other. Reggie didn’t like too many people knowing he was a shapeshifter, so Emma said, “The wizardry college store has been marking up items incredibly high. Poor guy, I could have set up a payment plan for him if he needed a book that badly!” She sighed. “And I found a good home for the dog.”
“Too bad. But hey!” She held up her bellini in a toast. “Welcome to Bramblerest, Reggie.”
He grinned. “Thanks. Hey, the owner said contestants drink free, so I think I’ll get something at the bar.”
After he walked away, Emma felt Jenny’s eyes on her.
“What?” Emma said.
Jenny replied, “It’s going to be weird.”
“What’s going to be weird?”
“Dating your employee.”
“Jennifer!”
“Emma!”
I hope there are more Emma stories sometime soon!
This was a fun and cozy read! Personally, I don't know if I'd date a man who just saw me very comfortable at home in dog-form lol.