Fogland by Michael Wallace

Author:Michael Wallace [Wallace, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Balsalom Publishing
Published: 2024-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Neither Chloe nor Oakley looked up from their work when Ian entered the Shroomery shortly after opening time the next morning. He’d fallen back asleep after wrestling with the ideas dredged up from his subconscious, and had not arrived in time to catch them before the store opened.

Chloe was busy with a customer, showing a woman a small wooden chest painted with a scene of a goddess in a flowing blue gown, with stars, moons, and astrological symbols carved around the edges. The interior telescoped to reveal various compartments and sub-compartments. It was an expensive handmade piece, but Chloe was a good storyteller. Her enthusiasm coaxed the customer into pulling out a credit card. Oakley rang up the purchase while Chloe turned her attention to an older man who entered behind Ian, asking about Chaga powder, what sounded like a slight Iranian accent flavoring his words.

Ian stood in the middle of the shop, waiting. He was curious if either of them would notice him before he spoke. Or even, he thought, if speaking would do the trick. Neither acknowledged his presence, although once, when he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, Chloe glanced up from helping the man get his mushroom powder extract. Her eyes slid past him before returning to the task at hand.

Soon, both customers were out the door, and the shop sat momentarily empty. Oakley mentioned a couple of items they needed to restock, and Chloe said she was thinking of changing suppliers on some supplements. She didn’t like the labor practices of the current supplier of those products, thought they were exploitative.

“Am I invisible here?” Ian asked. “Can you hear me? If I start helping myself to crap off the shelves will anyone notice?” Nothing. Frustration clawed its way to the surface, but he fought it back down and kept his tone as even as he could manage. “Oakley? Chloe? I’m standing right here.”

He reached back to push open the front door, which activated the door chime, but neither reacted to the sound of a Tibetan bell. Someone saw him, though. Jasper had been curled up next to Chloe’s lava lamp, which hadn’t yet been on long enough to melt the waxy core, but was apparently giving off enough heat to attract a sleepy dog. The Beast got up, yawning and stretching melodramatically before coming over to greet Ian.

“Nice to see someone hasn’t gone blind. Or maybe it’s your nose,” he added as the dog nudged his hand, apparently dissatisfied with the effort being put into head scratching. Ian rubbed more vigorously, and the dog leaned in his full weight, practically pushing him backward. “Isn’t anyone wondering what the Beast is doing? Apparently not.”

Finally, he walked over to Chloe, reached out, and tapped the crystal hanging around her neck to send it swaying. She seemed to feel the movement and raised a hand to steady it. Her eyes cleared the instant she made contact with the crystal. They widened in alarm.

“Ian,” she said simply.

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