The Collector of Remarkable Stories by E. B. Huffer Page A
Authors: E. B. Huffer
Tags: Fantasy
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watch."
"You liar! You’ve been snooping!"
Margie threw the watch across the floor. "I’ve not been snooping. The watch told me all this stuff. It told me that you have a problem with your front tooth; that you suffer pain with your knees; that you once lost a ring that meant something to you and to this day you're terrified it landed up in a bag of meat scraps that got fed to the pigs ..."
"Enough!" shouted The Giant. "No more."
Margie stared at the floor.
"They was really talking to you then."
"I guess," said Margie sulkily.
"You know what this means?" said The Giant with burgeoning excitement.
Margie shook her head.
"Maybe you are the Collector. Maybe Auguste were right all along!"
The Giant clapped his hands together so gleefully that Margie couldn't help but laugh. She didn't know who this Collector person was. Truth be told she didn't much care. The Giant was full of funny ideas that didn't make sense. What was important right now was that The Giant had believed her. She liked The Giant a lot. He was a simple person who wore his heart on his sleeve. She liked this; it made things easy. And easy was good. Like all things in Limbuss, she was beginning to feel languidly comfortable with her existence. The search for her bag had long since been abandoned. Instead she passed the time quite happily poking through the Emporium, not really thinking much at all.
What she didn't know was that throughout Limbuss news of the Collector's potential return was creating quite a stir. Everyone wanted a piece of the action and unfortunately this didn't bode well for Margie.
Something Changes
Margie spent the next few days wandering round the Emporium finding more and more items that spoke to her. She was mesmerised by the stories that they told, the characters and the voices. Only the more time she spent in the Emporium, the more she began to sense something unpleasant.
It started one afternoon whilst Margie was flicking through an old Girl's Own Annual from 1901. As she sat cross legged in the centre of the room, she became aware of a change in the atmosphere. It felt heavier, as though something large and unseen had entered the room. Her eyes couldn't see it, but her body sensed it. She rubbed the goosebumps on her arms. Then she thought she heard something, barely audible. A heavy breath perhaps or the sound of someone creeping through the shadows.
Margie closed the book and stood up. Unnerved she made her way cautiously through the tunnels and doorways of the Emporium. Was The Thing following her? She wasn't sure. Suddenly the Emporium didn't feel so friendly. The rooms felt colder, darker. In her panic to get away, she didn't take any real notice of where she was going and, just as she realised that she was completely lost, she felt a sensation across the back of her neck like a dog panting … followed by the sound of breath being exhaled.
"Who is that?" she cried, spinning around quickly.
Silence.
A moment later the sensation passed. Exhausted and afraid, Margie sat down and tried to gather herself.
It was several hours before she was woken from a deep sleep by someone or something calling her name. Margie could see no one but quickly sensed to her horror that whoever the voice belonged to was right there in the room with her as she sat lost and frightened in the heart of the Emporium.
Mechanical Spider
Margie remained very still and listened. Was it possible that she had imagined someone calling her name? She slowly raised herself off the floor, her face still creased from her deep sleep. Then she remembered that she was lost.
With no idea how to find her way out of the Emporium Margie felt the anger rise in her body. As the frustration mounted she kicked a small metal ball near her feet. It rolled across the floor at speed and crashed into a pile of old books.
Suddenly Margie was deafened by an ear piercing shriek – like a smoke alarm only much louder. Margie’s hands flew up to her
"You liar! You’ve been snooping!"
Margie threw the watch across the floor. "I’ve not been snooping. The watch told me all this stuff. It told me that you have a problem with your front tooth; that you suffer pain with your knees; that you once lost a ring that meant something to you and to this day you're terrified it landed up in a bag of meat scraps that got fed to the pigs ..."
"Enough!" shouted The Giant. "No more."
Margie stared at the floor.
"They was really talking to you then."
"I guess," said Margie sulkily.
"You know what this means?" said The Giant with burgeoning excitement.
Margie shook her head.
"Maybe you are the Collector. Maybe Auguste were right all along!"
The Giant clapped his hands together so gleefully that Margie couldn't help but laugh. She didn't know who this Collector person was. Truth be told she didn't much care. The Giant was full of funny ideas that didn't make sense. What was important right now was that The Giant had believed her. She liked The Giant a lot. He was a simple person who wore his heart on his sleeve. She liked this; it made things easy. And easy was good. Like all things in Limbuss, she was beginning to feel languidly comfortable with her existence. The search for her bag had long since been abandoned. Instead she passed the time quite happily poking through the Emporium, not really thinking much at all.
What she didn't know was that throughout Limbuss news of the Collector's potential return was creating quite a stir. Everyone wanted a piece of the action and unfortunately this didn't bode well for Margie.
Something Changes
Margie spent the next few days wandering round the Emporium finding more and more items that spoke to her. She was mesmerised by the stories that they told, the characters and the voices. Only the more time she spent in the Emporium, the more she began to sense something unpleasant.
It started one afternoon whilst Margie was flicking through an old Girl's Own Annual from 1901. As she sat cross legged in the centre of the room, she became aware of a change in the atmosphere. It felt heavier, as though something large and unseen had entered the room. Her eyes couldn't see it, but her body sensed it. She rubbed the goosebumps on her arms. Then she thought she heard something, barely audible. A heavy breath perhaps or the sound of someone creeping through the shadows.
Margie closed the book and stood up. Unnerved she made her way cautiously through the tunnels and doorways of the Emporium. Was The Thing following her? She wasn't sure. Suddenly the Emporium didn't feel so friendly. The rooms felt colder, darker. In her panic to get away, she didn't take any real notice of where she was going and, just as she realised that she was completely lost, she felt a sensation across the back of her neck like a dog panting … followed by the sound of breath being exhaled.
"Who is that?" she cried, spinning around quickly.
Silence.
A moment later the sensation passed. Exhausted and afraid, Margie sat down and tried to gather herself.
It was several hours before she was woken from a deep sleep by someone or something calling her name. Margie could see no one but quickly sensed to her horror that whoever the voice belonged to was right there in the room with her as she sat lost and frightened in the heart of the Emporium.
Mechanical Spider
Margie remained very still and listened. Was it possible that she had imagined someone calling her name? She slowly raised herself off the floor, her face still creased from her deep sleep. Then she remembered that she was lost.
With no idea how to find her way out of the Emporium Margie felt the anger rise in her body. As the frustration mounted she kicked a small metal ball near her feet. It rolled across the floor at speed and crashed into a pile of old books.
Suddenly Margie was deafened by an ear piercing shriek – like a smoke alarm only much louder. Margie’s hands flew up to her
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