Jasmine had always thought about that old, abandoned building but her mother had given her a precaution about the Emporium. One frosty Friday, her mum told her to buy some milk for her coffee at Mr Roger’s shop on Marsh Lane. As she walked along the pavement, her eyes caught a glimpse of the Emporium. The door was half locked and her friend taught her how to open a locked door. She grabbed her hair pin and twisted it inside the keyhole. The door was open and with the milk a distant memory, she stepped inside.

In each and every spot there was something amazing waiting for her to look at them. She heard the chirp of a feathery phoenix tweeting like a small child stranded on a deserted island and the voice of a perfectly designed talking mirror! She smelt the strong fragrance from a sweet perfume that she hadn’t seen before and the essence of Scottish, scarlet strawberries. She saw a stuffed cat that looked as soft as a bed of fur, a broken watch covered in diamonds and an Iphone 15 that wasn’t even made yet! (Well someone probably made it for themselves.) But the only thing that fascinated Jasmine was a shiny hardback book. When she opened the book, the pictures glowed, the letters burned a fiery red and the pages gleamed like a successful student’s face, ready to get a job. 

“What are you doin’, sneakin’ in and lookin’ at me book of curiosity?” spat a vicious voice. Jasmine gulped, pushed the book away and stepped back to look at the owner. He was an ancient-looking man whose hair was as grey as a wolf’s furry coat. Crawling up the man’s back was a black cat. It purred furiously, like it was a sign to not open that book…