1 The Midnight Emporium

Arthur was having the worst day of his life. He just got fired from his job that morning. Of course, it was for the post of a delivery boy so he did not feel that much of a regret from it. The working hours were long but the pay was pitiably little.

Was it Arthur's fault that it was raining and the package he was supposed to carry wasn't wrapped properly? So a little water seeped through the package, how big of a damage could it really make?

Arthur didn't think too much of it but the recipient was practically bouncing off the walls with fury when the package was delivered. Apparently, he was expecting some kind of antique and any blemish on it, including water stain would have ruin its price tremendously.

The young man tried to argue but the man took out his phone and lodged a complaint to number that was printed on the invoice. It was Arthur's boss who answered the call and the poor man almost got his ear chewed off by the angry customer.

After leaving the man's place, Arthur got a call from his boss. The fury that his boss had suffered from the customer, he returned tenfold to Arthur. The customer demanded compensation and Arthur was thus informed that his paycheck would be used to cover for that. On top of that, he was also served a severance notice.

Arthur couldn't say he miss the laboring job but he did miss the money. Now how was he going to pay his rent and fill his stomach?

He sighed as he walked down the street. The night was falling and the city had gone down for its rest. There were not much people on the road and there was a chilly nip in the air. Arthur was still fuming to really notice the cold. He kicked at a pebble that sat on the road and the rock bounced several times before knocking into a door.

Arthur looked up at the building and he was surprised at how bleary it looked from the outside. The place was barely lit and since it was bookended on both sides by buildings that were taller than it, it felt like the place was constantly shrouded in shadows. By the place's façade which was literally grey, nondescript brick walls and a door, Arthur couldn't tell what kind of establishment it was.

There was a shop sign that hung above the door but Arthur had a hard time making it out due to the darkness. It seemed to read, "The Midnight Emporium."

'What kind of place is this? A shop? If I'm not mistaken, shouldn't this be an empty plot of land?' Arthur wondered to himself. The young man of around 25 had just moved the city several months ago. He came from a humble background and he moved to the city to pursue the common dream of hitting it big.

However, reality handed him a real slap to the face. Without a handsome face, brilliant mind or impressive resume, Arthur was shown the door whenever he turned up at an interview. He was simply too average to really strike it big. In the end, he had to work odd jobs like making delivery to make ends meet… But now that, said livelihood had dried up, what was he going to do?

The creaking of the door pulled Arthur back to reality. He frowned because he definitely did not reach for the door and there was no one standing on the other side of the door pushing it open either.

'Is it an automatic door?' thought Arthur to himself. However, the place didn't seem modern enough to be equipped with anything automated. An observation that was further confirmed when Arthur peered through the open door.

The interior of the room looked small, probably just about 25 metres by 25 metres. The defining feature was definitely its lack of lighting. There was a single candle sitting near the counter but the firelight was not strong enough to cast the entire place in light.

In the shadows, Arthur caught the shapes of racks and cases, however he stood too far to tell what they were displaying. There was no sign of other customer or even the proprietor. The place gave Arthur the impression of a monster opening its maw and it sent chills up his spine.

Just as he wanted to turn to leave, a young female voice called from within, "Please come in."

Arthur hesitated. After all, following an unseen voice into a mysterious shop did not seem like the brightest idea in the world.

Right then, the voice began again. "Please come in to take a look. Who knows, you might find the stuff of your heart's desire. After all, what do you have to lose?"

Arthur had to admit, the voice had a point. He was returning to a cramped rented room with not even a television to entertain himself. Indeed, what did he have to lose…

Compelled, Arthur walked through the door and he paid close attention to the door behind him. If it started to move on its own, then he would turn and run out immediately. Thankfully, the door just sat there quietly.

"Why are you standing at the door? Come in, come in." The voice welcomed. Now that Arthur was inside the shop, he could follow the source of the voice better. It came from the counter. Arthur frowned because there was no one there.

Ignoring the voice, Arthur stood where he was and looked around him. The cases and racks that he caught a glimpse of earlier were completely empty. He was expecting some kind of weird trinkets considering the nature of the shop but they were unoccupied.

Standing inside, Arthur could also inspect the shop's interior better. The floor that he stood on was cement and the walls were bare with the red brickwork showing. If the place was a shop, then it was probably just robbed or was closing down.

"What kind of shop is it? What exactly are you selling if the shelves are all empty?" Arthur questioned.

"Come closer, yes, come closer to the counter. There's still one last thing left to be sold and it's the most valuable yet."