Angela squinted, trying to see through the heavy rain.

The acid-green neon sign in the window looked blurry, like it was melting into the Seattle night. Angela looked around. She stepped out from the doorway where she was hiding. She’d chosen that doorway because it was across the street from the shop she was watching.

Pike Place Market was known as "the soul of Seattle.” It was open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Most of the vendors, craftspeople, and performers opened their shops from nine in the morning until four in the afternoon. A few restaurants and cafes stayed open later. But now it was nearly three hours past midnight. The Market had been put to bed for the night.

Angela really wanted to know if there was anyone inside the little shop with the green neon eye in the window.

She ran across the wet pavement and pressed herself against the brick wall, next to the shop’s door. She looked up at the sign, blinking the rain out of her eyes. The green neon eye flickered. It lit up the words below it.

Curious And Strange Things

The light flickered again, like it knew Angela was there. Maybe it was warning her that even though the eye was neon, it could still see her.

A beaded curtain in the window partly blocked the view of the interior. Angela didn’t think there was any movement behind it. All she saw was darkness and a dim, lonely light at the back of the shop. It was hard to tell if there was anyone inside or not.

Angela was tired of guessing.

Angela took a deep breath. Gripping the brass doorknob, she twisted it and pushed.

One step and she was inside the shop.

So Mindy wasn't lying, Angela thought. When everything else is locked up for the night, this place is open. I wonder what else that she told me might be true?

Angela coughed. The scent of incense was strong in the air.

Pike Place Market spread across nine acres of downtown Seattle overlooking the waterfront. Sea breezes and salt air fresh from the Pacific Ocean were the norm. But in this dark shop, it smelled like sandalwood, sage, and a hint of strawberries.

Her cough didn’t bring anyone to see who had come in at such a late hour.

Angela tried calling out. “Hello? Is anyone there? Hello?”

No answer. Not a sound.

Angela shivered. So Mindy was right about that, too. No one was here.

She made her way deeper into the shop, moving toward the faint glow of light coming from the back room.

“Hel— hello?” She hated that her voice shook as she spoke.

When she found where the dim light was coming from, Angela stopped and stared.

It was a wood-paneled room with a bare lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. The bulb didn’t give off enough light to reach the dark corners. But it did illuminate one very important feature.

A door.

It was a very plain, wooden door. Except for the doorknob. The doorknob was crystal. It sparkled even in the shadowy light.

Angela stepped closer. She reached out one hand and trailed a finger along the door’s edge. There were carvings that she hadn't seen at first. Animals, trees, stars, circles, lines, and maybe something like ancient symbols? She couldn’t really tell.

Angela took a step backwards. And another. She stared at the door from a safe distance. She tried to remember exactly what Mindy had told her.

Pike Place Market was one of the oldest public markets in the United States. It had been around since 1907. But it wasn’t only a place for buying, selling, and entertainment. It also provided housing to some people who lived in Seattle.

Angela’s friend, Mindy, lived with her disabled grandmother in an apartment at the Market. The apartments were specially designed for low-income, senior artists. Mindy’s Nana Ree used a wheelchair, but that hadn’t slowed down her painting. Pike Place Market gave her enough space to paint as well as live.

Living at the Market made Mindy an expert on all things Market-related. Or so she thought. Sometimes that bothered Angela. Angela might not live so close to the Market, but she was born and raised in Seattle. She’d been visiting the Market since she was old enough to take the bus on her own.

So when Mindy told Angela that she’d noticed something weird, Angela thought it was just part of their I-know-it-better-than-you-do competition about Pike Place Market.