The streets were one lane only as most people preferred to use their money on shoe leather rather than on petrol. The shops along the street had been there for many years, you could tell because they were looking somewhat dilapidated – but it’s not that they were bad looking just that they had this worn sort of feel to them. Most of the shops were pretty open as they had no wall separating them from the sidewalk. There were not many shoppers out as the summer heat gave them no reason to want to go outside. It was such a slow day that most of the shopkeepers put up their Out to Lunch sign even though is was nearly four in the afternoon. This way they could enjoy a cappuccino in the cool air conditioning of a nearby café, watching all the people who dared to go outside suffer.

But there were always the few shopkeepers who would rather suffer if it meant a chance to get some customers. And there was one particular shop owner who was outside his shop, sweeping all the dust from the store to the empty road. Hanging from the ceiling was a sign that read the name of the store: Warui Maejirase. This store sold all kinds of odds and ends, like incense sticks, hand painted sarongs, candles and special perfumes. It was more of a store for tourists than for people actually buying anything for a purpose. There were shelves that were seeping out onto the sidewalk which irritated most shoppers as then they either had to go out into the street to get past or – dare I say it – go through the store.

The shopkeeper was an old man. He was the kind of person that when he finally understood what you were looking for you’d be so fed up that you didn’t care anymore. Even so he was a nice man, even-tempered and kind which mostly made up for the fact that he wasn’t very bright.

There was one customer in the store. He looked about fifteen or so. He was clad with leather, even though the heat should have made that unbearable, or at least illegal. He had a small silver skull earring in his left ear and you could see a few scars scattered randomly across the back of his neck.

He was wandering aimlessly around the store, probably looking for a five finger discount. Of course nothing in the store was really worth ripping off. Sometimes you got lucky but most of the time for anybody who lived in a twenty mile radius of the place there was nothing worth spending their time on.

But he was most likely bored, so bored that he had to go as low as to steal for entertainment. Talk about thrill issues. He occasionally picked up a trinket and looked at it then practically threw it back onto the shelf.

But then he stopped. There, among the fish-shaped candles, was a book. It was bound in a red cloth and had a silver design going all along the bottom and the top of the book. The pages themselves were black.

He examined the book, seeing if it was small enough to fit inside his jacket or at least small enough so he could run off with it without being too obvious. He seemed unsure, so he decided to see what was actually in the book for the cover gave no clues whatsoever.

He slowly untied the string that kept the book shut. He opened the cover only to find a blank black page. The only thing on the page was a small one in the top right hand corner, written in silver. He skimmed through the pages only to find them blank as well, except for the page numbers which continued throughout the whole book.

He set the book down, puzzled. A wind which seemed to come out from nowhere blew causing him too look around him, his confusion only growing for wind never blew there – not in the summer at least.

When he looked back at the book it was opened to about the center. Written in white letters so large that it took up two pages was a word. He picked the book up again and held it close, examining the pages.

“Obliterate,” He murmured the word to himself.

Then suddenly, before he could even let out a yell, a light - so unnatural that it seemed almost like magic - shone out through the book into the boy’s face. Before he could even realize what was happening, he was gone and all that was left was a pile of dust on the floor. The book fell to the floor with a loud thump.

The shopkeeper came out from the back of the store, looking around for the source of the noise. He noticed the book on the floor and put it back onto the shelf. Then he saw the pile of dust. His eyes widened.

“More dust! Where does all this dust come from?” He questioned out loud. Then he grabbed the broom that was leaning against the nearby wall and again began to sweep the dust into the street.

Thank you for reading.