Growing up Jack loved visiting his grandparents for the summer. He would beg his parents to take him to see them every day, but they'd always tell him to be patient. So he would wait and wait the whole year round until his Dad drove him from their London flat up to the quiet villages of the North. The feeling of the warm countryside air was better than Christmas for the tall brown haired, blue eyed boy, and now taller and eighteen Jack is visiting his recently widowed Grandmother on his own for the first time.
Jack walks the short distance from the train station into the village, admiring the quaint cottages and shops as he walks down the rough cobbled street towards his grandmother's farm. As he walks he notices a shop he's never noticed before. A herbalist shop with an old almost ancient sign reading something Jack's dyslexic mind can't quite decipher.
After slipping out of his comfortable white trainers Jack heads into the kitchen where he always finds his grandmother. He gives her a warm hug and she looks up at him with a wide smile on his face.
"My haven't you become the image of your grandfather when he was your age, dare I say sexier."
Jack's cheeks blush a bright red as he asks his grandmother to stop.
"I'm only teasing you lad, that boyfriend of yours is certainly lucky though, how long have you been with him now?"
"Me and Aarav have been together since the day I came out, do you remember?"
"Aw yes four years ago, mind you," his grandmother points a wooden spoon in his direction before continuing to stir a pot of some kind of batter. "I always knew you were one of those pansy boys. You were always trying on my makeup and shoes."
The two of them converse and laugh like this for the next few hours before Jack brings up the strange shop he'd seen on the way down.
"That shop is magical, been there for at least six centuries, owned by a beautiful woman named Isabella. Gorgeous red hair, she's been there since I was a young lass."
Jack takes a sip of his lemonade "she must be getting on a bit then?"
"Not at all, she hasn't aged since the day she turned forty-five some say she's a witch. Personally I call her a bitch."
"GRAN!!!" Jack spits out his mouthful of lemonade.
"That cow of a woman tried stealing your grandfather from me the day he turned eighteen, stay away from that shop lad if ya know what's good for you. She prays on young men like you."
But of course the next day whilst Jack was in town picking some bits up for his grandmother he couldn't help himself, but step inside Isabella's shop and gawk at the hundreds of bottles filled with who knows what.
"You smell good" a soft voice penetrates Jack's ears startling him. He turns to see a short red haired woman wearing a long green dress that reaches her ankles, he notices her feet are caked in dirt from always walking around barefoot.
"Oh ... uh thanks" Jack stutters out his words.
"What's a strapping lad like you doing in such a dainty shop as this?" Isabella circles him taking in his entire appearance, despite wearing a baggy white shirt, thin blue jacket, jeans that fall above his ankles, white socks and white shoes he felt almost naked under her eyes, like she could see past his clothes.
"I ... I never noticed this place before, I've been coming here since I was young and I never noticed it so I thought I'd check it out."
"Ah yes," Isabella stands still looking Jack up and down "that will be because the shop is only visible to those over eighteen."
Jack goes to point out how that doesn't make sense, but Isabella cuts him off.
"You must be looking for something here, a gift for your grandmother perhaps, maybe something for your boyfriend waiting for you in London?"
"How did you know that?"
