Without further word, she marched in the door of the shop.
26
PANDORA’S TREASURE BOX SPECIALIZED in items that, for the most part, looked to be related to some aspect of magic. They had everything from board games with flying creatures, to amulets, to fairies, to gnomes, to dragons of every sort, to wizards and witches, to crystals, to intricate handmade magic wands that cost hundreds of dollars. Glass shelves in the center of the shop held more elaborate collectible figurines. Books on the shelves against the far wall had titles about spells, wizards, and magic.
Alex had seen places like Pandora’s Treasure Box before. As a boy he had visited such shops a time or two. He’d outgrown them in his early teens.
A smiling, overweight woman in a baggy maroon sweatshirt came out from behind the counter. A small dragon comb adorned her short, curly brown hair. Reading glasses hung around her neck on a chain festooned with delicate winged fairies. She looked to be in her fifties.
“I’m Mary, welcome to Pandora’s Treasures. May I help you two find anything special?” she asked in a warm, friendly voice.
“We’re just looking,” Alex said before Jax could say anything. It didn’t help.
“Why do you have these things?”
The woman’s face creased with a perplexed smile as she glanced around. “They’re treasures. People love to collect them. There’s nothing like a wizard sitting on your desk to brighten your day.”
“Depends on the wizard,” Jax said.
The woman chuckled. “You’re right, my dear. Some of them can be quite mischievous.”
“What makes you think so?”
Mary held a hand out to a display in the center of the shop. “Well, just look at them. We have all sorts. Some wizards are very serious, but there are some — like this fellow here — who love a bit of mischief.” The wizard was levitating a dog.
The woman was right about the variety. There were jolly-looking wizards in peaked hats, wizards with long pointed beards pondering books or crystal balls, and wizards in black robes with glowering, hooded eyes that looked like they really could cast spells. Some were plain pewter while others had been painted in elaborate detail.
Alex thought they had better things to do and wanted to leave.
The woman gazed lovingly at her display. “These figures are reminders to people that magic is in the world all around us.”
“No, it’s not,” Jax said.
She did not look at all pleased. Alex was beginning to worry.
“Why, of course it is,” the woman said with a jovial chuckle. “We may not be able to see it, but magic is very real. You just have to be attuned to it.” She heaved a sigh. “It would be a sad world if we didn’t have magic.”
“Yes,” Alex said before Jax could say anything, “I can see why people would want to collect these, but magic isn’t real.”
Mary winked at him. “Oh, don’t let the magic go out of your life. That would be a sad thing, wouldn’t it, to become so cynical? We all have the capacity to tune in to magic if only we pay attention. We have but to open ourselves to it.”
She lifted a delicate chain off a stand. “We have these crystals on necklaces you might like for your lovely lady. They would be beautiful on her, don’t you think? People say that the crystals help them feel the waves of magic emanating up all around us.”
Jax wasn’t listening. “These things are dead wrong,” she said to herself under her breath. Mary, showing Alex the necklace, didn’t seem to notice.
Jax leaned in a little to peer intently at the items displayed on the second shelf down. A card read “exclusive pieces.” When the woman saw Jax’s area of interest, she put the necklace back and turned her attention to the center display.
Jax carefully pulled a figure out from the back.
The woman looked pleased at the selection. “Ah, you have good taste.”
Jax lifted the figure, an acrylic casting of a nicely sculpted woman with long flowing hair and a simple white dress cut square at the neck.
“Woman of mystery,” Mary said softly.
Jax looked up. “What?”
“They call her the Woman of Mystery.”
“Is that right?” Alex put in, trying his best to sound cheery. He wanted out of the shop. He could see how quietly upset Jax was getting. “Well, we—”
“She’s an ancient figure.” The woman leaned a little closer. “I’ve owned this shop for twenty-seven years and I rarely come across examples of this particular personage.”
“Twenty-seven years,” Alex said. “Isn’t that something.” He saw Jax cast him a sidelong glance.
“Yes, that’s right. In that time I’ve seen the Woman of Mystery offered for sale in a few different forms. Always fine pieces, though, like this one. I like to keep one in the shop. That distinctive dress is a hallmark of the Woman of Mystery. It’s how you can identify her.”
“Really,” Alex said, paying more attention to Jax.
“Yes.” Mary sighed. “Not a lot of people seem to be interested in collecting her. I usually end up having each figure for quite some time before they sell, but I still can’t resist always getting another so that I always have one in stock.”
“Why don’t people usually collect this piece?” he asked.
“Maybe because so little is known about her. I know a great deal about all of my better pieces, but even I am not sure of her powers.”
“Her powers?” Jax asked, looking up sharply.
“Yes,” Mary said. “It’s not known if she’s a sorceress, a white witch, or some other figure of mysterious magic. For that reason she’s always called the Woman of Mystery. I know her when I see her — I recognize her by that dress and her long hair. I’ve never seen her called by any other name, except by people who don’t know her.”
“What do you mean, ‘know her’? ” Jax asked, heat evident in her tone. “How could anyone possibly know her?”
The woman reverently lifted the small statue from Jax’s hands.
“The figure was originally found in a few very old books. Very old — and they were from different places. Though she looked somewhat different in each of the books, the plates in those books always depicted her in this dress.” Mary ran a finger along the neckline of the dress. “Always white, always cut square at the neck. That’s how I know her as the Woman of Mystery when I see her. She’s very special.”
“Why?” Alex asked, caught up in the story.
The woman’s smile broadened at having interested customers. “Well, she’s mysterious. No one knows her origin or who she is.
And, like I said, no one knows her powers. But she has them, that much is sure.”
“How do you know that she’s even supposed to have powers?” Alex asked. “Maybe those pictures were of a queen, or a famous woman from the time — a saint, a patron of the arts, something like that.”
“Alex,” Jax whispered, “can we go, please?”
Mary was talking and didn’t hear Jax. “What little is known from those ancient books is sketchy, however they do say that she had great power, though they never say what those powers were. Some translations hold her in reverence, while others indicate that she was greatly feared.” Mary sighed. “She’s a woman of mystery.” Her smile turned sly. “But she has magic.”
“I don’t see how you can say that,” Alex said.
The woman peered into his eyes for a time. “I know, because people are afraid of her. I have customers who collect figures of every sort — even some of the most frightening wizards. Not a lot of those people, though, will
