It all started on that midsummer morning when Derek went downstairs to check out the family that is moving out of his distant aunt’s flat. He barely finished his morning coffee and he was still in his pajamas when he reached the supposed apartment. He didn’t know much about the family that lived here. It was rare to see them in the hallways and even rarer to see them in the flat meetings he attended, not like he attended much anyway.
Derek wasn’t really interested in the family but more so in the apartment room. He lived on the top fifth floor and it is a tiring mess to climb the stairs every single time. There’s an elevator but it’s been out of commission for the past year and a half. It’s been unused for so long that it became the flat’s second janitor’s closet.
Derek was thinking of asking his aunt about him transferring to this room. That would mean higher rent. He’d rather choose that than continue hurting his bones and risking an earlier onset of atherosclerosis.
The door’s locked but little did other tenants know that Derek has a master key to all the apartment’s doors. His aunt doesn’t know either.
Derek expected an empty room and clear spots where furniture used to be. But it seems the tenants haven’t finished packing yet. Rows upon rows of cabinets and shelves lined the room, and there was an empty cashier table immediately to the right of the entrance. It was strange. The room looked somewhat bigger than what it was supposed to be. There’s a window but the moon is up outside. It should be early in the morning!
Then there’s a cat staring at him with its deep crystal blue eyes. The cat meowed at him and Derek replied with a shy wave of his hand.
“Welcome, customer!” A voice boomed behind him.
“Ahhh!” Derek screamed. “Jesus Christ, you scared the shit out of me.”
Derek turned around to see a man in his mid-20s, right in the avenue of his age. Like him, he wore a thick coat as pajamas. He still had his rabbit slippers on and an earl gray on his hand.
“This isn’t my aunt’s apartment, is it?” Derek asked.
“Keen eye, young man!”
“Keen eye? We’re the same age!” Derek said in his mind and never let the words escape his lips.
“Indeed, this room is not your aunt’s apartment but we are in your aunt’s apartment.” The shop owner smiled and then laughed. “Don’t bother to think about it. You won’t stay long anyway. As a host, I will allow you to pick one merchandise off my shelves. For free!”
Derek’s eyes thinned. “Is there a catch? Free things tend to have a catch in them.”
“Rest assured, there is no catch. But you are liable for everything that happens to you regarding the merchandise you choose. Not like you can sue us or anything. Anyway, choose!”
“Oooo-okay…” It was suspicious indeed.
Nevertheless, the shop owner’s giving free stuff so might as well get it. Things are better when they’re free.
That enthusiasm for getting free stuff quickly turned to a frown when Derek realized that most of the stuff on the shelves is useless junk. There’s a gaming system but the internal wires are sticking out. There’s a mirror, or at least it was supposed to be. But the reflection is nothing but a deep ink abyss. Then there’s a doll who looked kind of decent but it has a hole on its bum. Derek quickly wiped his fingers off his shirt after touching the doll. He felt dirty.
Then there is something at the back of the shelves that caught his attention. It must be the crow-brain in him and his knack for shiny stuff. It’s a dagger complete with its leather sheath. The weapon looked intricate. Its grip was sculpted from a single piece of iron. But the lack of rust suggests that it was made from a material that isn’t iron. It was sculpted in the form of a snake, interwinding upwards then downwards into biting its own tail. At the pommel is a dull red ruby - the source of the fading glint. The dagger has a bit of weight into it, but nothing Derek couldn’t handle.
It is strange but it felt like the dagger called to him. If he was going to pick anything from this dingy establishment, then it’s this.
Derek returned to the reception desk where the shop owner had already finished drinking his tea, including Derek’s own coffee that he left on the table.
“There is one catch! And that is for me to acquire something you own, which is this coffee.”
“You made that up didn’t you?”
“Yes… I can’t help myself. It’s a long day and I need the caffeine.” Derek looked around and it seemed he was the only customer. Long day, my ass. “But enough about me. Let me see what you chose.”
Derek gave him the dagger and the shop owner proceeded to pull the sheath. It is shaped like a simple dagger but there are these deep dark waves ebbing to and fro on the dagger’s surface.
“The dagger of Ourobouros. But I just call it skin dagger because the original is a mouthful. Powerful stuff you chose here young man.”
Psh. Derek was thinking of appraising that thing and selling it online. That dagger looked antique. He’s not an archeology buff but he’s 90% sure that it’s legit. There’s bound to be someone that’s willing to buy it for a couple thousand.
The shop owner called to his cat, and suddenly, he stabbed the cat in the nape.
“Wh- what the fuck!? Why did you fucking do that!?” Derek screamed.
“Relax… look,” The owner pointed to the neck, to the wound that lacks blood. He slid the dagger downwards making the bloodless wound deeper. The wound terminated at the top of the base of the tail. Derek wanted to look away because of how gross it looked but his curiosity forbade him. The owner put his hand inside the wound, where it created long hills in the shape of his finger, and then yanked something out.
That something looked like a doll or something at the like. It has the color and texture of a white flour sack and has the shape of a cat similar to the one stabbed. Then there is the cat’s lifeless skin dangling from the shop owner’s fingers. The cats once lively eyes now staring at him, like a deep endless abyss.
“The skin dagger allows you to extract the skin of any living things, leaving a suit,” he raised the cat’s skin. “And a doll,” he said, raising a cat-shaped doll.
Derek grabbed the doll and found it surprisingly warm on his fingers. And he swore he felt some semblance of a heartbeat on the chest. But that’s impossible! The doll wasn’t moving. He let it fall to the table and it bounced like a ragdoll.
“You may ask, what is the use of this dagger?” Those were the last words Derek heard before his understanding of all things sane broke down into endless questions and curiosity.
The shop owner stretched the skin until it was as large as him. It was as thin as a phyllo sheet and you could see his translucent figure on the other side. Then let go of the seams and the cat’s skin snapped back and enveloped him entirely. The man squirmed underneath that cover and as he did, his size gradually decreased to that of a cat.
The furry pound of flesh fell over the counter and Derek looked over to see what the hell just happened. As he did, the cat from before pounced at him and it was Derek’s turn to fall butt-first on the floor. The cat’s paws grabbed him on both ears, and it gave him a kiss on both cheeks. It jumped back. To put a cherry on this madness, the cat stood on two hind legs and did a little dance amid the struggle of staying upright.
The cat lowered its head and placed its black paws on a tiny slit and stretched it open. The shop owner popped out, leaving the skin hollow and dead once more.
“It should be used on humans, but you get the idea.” The shop owner returned to the counter and dressed the cat doll with the cat skin. He bumped the ruby pommel on the lifeless feline and a small ringing sound was heard. The cat blinked alive and returned to its usual cat-like antics as if nothing happened.
Few words were exchanged beyond that other than thanks, be careful, and no refunding even though it’s free. Derek left the room but opened it once again to see it return to its original form - a desolate room filled with dust and clear spots where the furniture was. Derek would think of it as a hallucination or a fucked up dream if it weren’t for the dagger in his hand. The snake on the handle looked at him like it was ready to snap at his neck. But it’s just a piece of metal, it can’t do that. Right? But with all that shit he saw, everything is possible.