Lizzie walked down the sidewalk, admiring the window displays in the shops downtown. Just past the Make Like A Tea And Leave Café, there was a new shop that Lizzie had never seen before. The sign in the window read:
Spiraling Into Madness
Magical Treats and Pleasures
Adults Only
In the window, there were two creepy, realistic mannequins with wide smiles and blank, lifeless eyes. They were both wearing hot-pink dresses and matching platform heels. Lizzie had to admit, the dresses were kind of cute. Pink was her favorite color, after all.
She opened the door and walked inside. It was a small, standard-looking shop. She didn't see anyone else in the shop, but there was quiet music playing over the speakers.
"Hello?" she called. "Are you open?"
There was no response, but she figured the store wouldn't be closed if the door was unlocked and there was music playing. Actually, the music was kind of pretty, like a lullaby.
She walked through the aisles, looking at the objects lining the shelves. She remembered that the sign had advertised "magical" things, but Lizzie assumed they were just trinkets and gimmicks.
There was a pretty, purple gemstone that caught her eye. She picked it up and held it up to the light, which refracted in a dazzling pattern that was hard to look away from.
She finally managed to set it down, a feeling of calmness settling over her. She kept walking, occasionally picking up an item to examine it, then setting it back on the shelf after a moment or two.
At the back of the store, she found a door that was cracked open. She looked around the main section of the shop, didn't see anyone, then pulled open the door and stepped inside. She was slightly disappointed that it seemed to just be an empty, dark (and creepy) room.
The room suddenly erupted in a burst of light, burning her eyes with the brightness. The walls were covered in vivid, colorful spirals that whirled and twisted and filled her vision. She couldn't look away from them; they were just so beautiful.
"Relax..." a pretty voice crooned over the speakers. Her ears were filled with soft, soothing music and she swayed, the spirals making it hard to stay balanced. She managed to stumble to a chair in the middle of the room, still staring at the spirals.
She was too entranced to notice cuffs clamping around her wrists and ankles, preventing her from leaving the chair. The music and spirals just kept filling her head, pushing her thoughts away.
The spirals suddenly disappeared and she blinked groggily, shaking herself awake. Her head felt cottony and tired, like she'd just finished solving a rocket-science problem.
