Hurting and crying, he turned and groped for the doorway, blinking away tears. He found the door ajar and slipped out, pulling it shut behind him.
“Ted? Are you okay?” It was the woman in the mystic shop, standing in the dim light of the long, dusty corridor.
Ted nodded, and wiped his eyes with one hand.
“Take your time, Ted,” she said quietly.
Ted swallowed and took a deep breath. Now the darkness and silence in the weird shop seemed safe and familiar. The strange bottles and tinted jars on the dusty shelves were a comfort.
“It didn’t work out, did it?”
Ted shook his head.
“I saw what happened. You kept leaving the door open, and I followed you. I’ve seen strange…things here before, but these rooms were just about the most extreme. Was…that what you were looking for?”
“Not really.
