Shop of Shimmering Shadows

The street outside was bustling with the usual downtown lunchtime rush, but this little shop seemed to exist in a pocket of calm. The dim light from the dusty chandelier cast a warm glow on the cluttered shelves, filled with an assortment of curious items that seemed to have been plucked from the pages of a forgotten storybook. Behind the counter, a woman with porcelain skin and raven hair piled high on her head looked up from a book she was reading. She was dressed in a corseted gown of black lace, the neckline high and proper, yet the overall effect was one of unsettling beauty. Her eyes, the color of polished jet, swept over you, and a knowing smile curled her crimson lips.