An hour passed with no sign of either Gareth or a customer. Then another. Charlotte was a diligent worker but all this time stood pointlessly behind a counter on her own was too becoming too much to handle. Surely it was time for her break by now? And if not who was going to know?
She stepped away from her workspace and entered the small room to the side of the shop which she had been eyeing curiously for a while now. It had been left unlocked which she assumed meant it wouldn't be off limits.
To her surprise the room was almost entirely stocked with row after row of vials filled with liquids of various colours and consistencies. Charlotte had seen some of these on sale in the shop window and assumed they must be some kind of herbal remedies. She was feeling a little thirsty and drained from standing on her feet without a drink for so long and some of these looked pretty appetising. She was sure Gareth wouldn't miss one of the vast ammount he had stored here.
She picked up a vial of red liquid that looked like it could have formed part of a cocktail. She gave it a sniff, it had a slightly sweet smell with no hint of alcohol. What the heck, Charlotte downed the whole thing in one and tossed the empty vial into a bin nearby that was already half full of them. It didn't taste too bad at all. Then she began feeling a tingling sensation that ran all over her body, not unpleasant but certainly unusial. Maybe these drinks were stronger than she thought?