Robert Thompson

That green Toyota was Robert's car, Clarissa didn't expect to see him there. Of all the people in town, he should have been the last one to fall for these "miracle cures". Then again, she could say the same thing about herself. She didn't even know what she was coming here to buy, but she knew that she wanted to buy something. It was a foolish impulse to do what everyone else was doing, but it seemed that "jumping off of a bridge" was getting everyone she knew fantastical results. She laughed at herself as she exited her SUV and walked up to the shop's thick wooden door.

The herbalist's shop was both bigger and smaller than she expected. It could only be the size of the little cabin, but it was absolutely full to bursting with items. Every wall was filled from top to bottom with intricate wooden shelving, indexed with little label-maker strips that named each item. The density of it took her breath away. Looking through the shop's one room, it had 3 rows of 6 foot tall shelves that spanned the length of the shop and barely left room for one person to walk through. Mrs. Bell walked up to what she assumed was the service counter, but there was no one there. Robert was also nowhere to be seen. She couldn't have missed either of them in such a small room, after a bit more investigation she saw what must be a closed door behind the counter that blended with the wood paneling and wondered what was behind it. For her first visit, she was not entirely impressed with the customer service. She wandered around the tiny shop as she waited.

She heard voices from behind the door that startled her. Until then, the shop had been entirely silent besides her own footsteps. It was embarrassing to admit that she felt like a bit of a voyeur as she tried her hardest to discern what was being said. For the most part she couldn't put any of the phrases together, but the voices quickly became louder and it was obvious that at least one of them was walking towards the door. When it opened she felt an irrational need to hide, as though she was witnessing something she shouldn't see. She stood behind a shelf that was just large enough to block her from view.

"Thank you again for your time, Miss." Robert said, "Same time next week?"

"Of course, Robert," A low female voice said, must be the herbalist,"We should see more progress next week. These things take time."

There was a pause, and then Clarissa could hear Robert's booted footsteps as he exited the shop. She stood bolt upright, still hiding for some reason.

"You can come out now." The herbalist said.

A rush of blood shot to her cheeks and she poked her head around the corner, mortified.

"Hi ther--"

Mrs. Bell was completely speechless. The herbalist's skin was a deep crimson red, not a natural red that came from sunburn or blush, it was unnerving. More startling than her skin, the woman's eyes were demonic, her sclera were black, not white, and her irises were as red as her skin. Her face was faceted but feminine, like a marble statue, and she wore only a thin robe that covered a thin frame. She watched as the woman took a necklace from the counter and placed it around her neck. She blinked and the woman's skin shifted to a more natural deep chocolate brown. The woman then put a ring onto her pinky finger and her eyes shifted back into reality, with white sclera and brown irises.

"Please, do not be afraid." The woman said, holding up her hands in a surrendering gesture. "I was careless with my appearance. I apologize. How can I help you today?"