FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

1

Alexis had never noticed the little antiques shop before. She wasn't exactly sure how she'd missed it - it was right there on the corner of the high street, between different big-franchise restaurants and coffee shops.

It looked incredibly old, too, like it had been there for decades upon decades, and worn down. The old, creaking woodwork looked decidedly out of place in the middle of the city, opposite towering glass skyscrapers and busy, high-traffic roads.

Alexis stepped closer. She was curious, now. The door creaked open somewhat stiffly, and for a moment, she wondered if the place was even open. "Hello?" She called out. The place was dark, lit with the sunlight pouring through the dusty windows. "I'm sorry to intrude - I was just wondering if this place was open?"

There was a certain smell about the place, though not an unpleasant one. It smelled like spices, like cinnamon and incense. It was a warm, comforting smell, that seemed to embrace her as she stood in the doorway. Alexis felt suddenly aware of how cold it was outside, and how warm it was within, so she stepped closer, and let the door fall closed behind her. "It's just that I never really noticed this place before, and it's rather sweet! I do like to support local businesses, and all.."

Dust danced in the air, swirling around her as she walked further into the room. It sailed through the beams of sunlight, twirling around, tracing lazy circles through the rays. Alexis looked around. Even with the sunlight, it was a little hard to see. There was a counter, caked in dust and neglect, with an ancient-looking till. "Uhm, is.. Should I not be here? Is anyone around?" The unicorn sighed softly. It seemed like the place was closed. It was a shame, too, it was such a neat looking shop. She turned on her heels, about to make her way out, when she noticed something in the corner of her eye.

Reflected in the broken glass of an empty cabinet, on the far side of the room, was something gold. Glinting in the natural light, it stood out amongst the dark, old woodwork, and the dusty surfaces. This looked.. New, somehow. Polished. Something shining so brilliantly that Alexis couldn't help but stare at the reflection for a while.

As the beams of light shone down on the object, it seemed to shimmer and glisten. It was a beautiful light, whatever it was. Alexis was transfixed on it, staring at the reflection. It was nice. Comforting, like the scent of the place. Like the warmth of the shop. Just nice and pleasing and comfortable.

She jumped a little, as the reflection vanished from view behind a doorway. She looked around her, a little confused. "Huh," she muttered. She'd stepped closer and closer to the cabinet, eventually losing sight of the thing, and snapped out of it.

She turned around, looking back to the counter, and noticed the doorway behind it. She bit her lip. Was it.. Stealing, if the place was shut down, abandoned like this? Looting? Pillaging? Did it count at all?

She peeked her head around the doorway. Another empty room, with yellowing tarps covering furniture and shelves. But there, on the floor, was the object.

It was a necklace - a gorgeous, thin gold chain, with an intricate clasp. There was a pendant, too - like a locket; the shape of an oval with wonderful engravings on it. There didn't seem to be an image in it, just wonderful, winding line-work, abstract by design but impossibly captivating.

Alexis picked it up gently, and turned it over in her paw. The back was adorned with similar engravings, but not the exact same - each side had its own design.

It was beautiful. It looked brand new, it wasn't even dusty. It caught the light so perfectly, glimmering and glinting even in the low, natural light of the back room. It felt hefty, too. Heavy. Like real gold, but it couldn't be, surely?

Alexis softly stroked the engraved surface with her thumb. It felt nice. She often enjoyed the feel of different textures, and these winding lines felt good to trace idly. She gazed at the gorgeous jewellery. It didn't seem like anyone had been in here for a very long time, and yet, the necklace seemed brand new. It was stunning. She'd never seen a pendant quite so striking.

Alexis found her train of thought derailed by the sudden, intrusive sound of metal shutters being pulled down outside. She practically jumped out of her skin, dropping the necklace with a heavy thud, and swung her head around. It was the coffee place next door, closing for the night - was it 5 already? How had she spent three hours in here?

She looked down at the necklace on the floor. To her surprise, she was on her knees. Her shirt seemed to be a little wet too, and her chin - had she been drooling?.. "I must have fallen asleep," she muttered, wiping her chin with a look of embarrassment, before hesitating as her paw hovered over the necklace.

Could she? Should she? _Would_she?

The necklace reflected her own face up at her between the fragments of its engraved face. She imagined herself wearing it, walking down the street, the looks she'd get, the attention. She'd be gorgeous.

What was so wrong about looking gorgeous?

She got to her feet, and left the back room. She fished into her purse, and pulled out a few notes, leaving them on the dusty counter, just in case anyone came back for their necklace.

With the heavy, cold jewellery hanging around her neck, she stepped out of the little antiques shop, and made her way home.

The rest of the evening was rather uneventful.

Alexis closed the door behind her, and wandered in. Her roommate, a bat named Maddie, glanced up from her book and smiled at her. "Hey! You were gone a while today. How was shopping?"

"Huh? Oh, fine. Fine."

"Did you get anything? I notice you're not carrying any bags."

"Uhm, no, nothing really."

Maddie narrowed her eyes. "Nothing at all? You've been gone practically all day. Is everything alright? Did something happen to you?" Maddie had always been overprotective. She'd always had a sense of motherly love about her. It was usually welcome, but skirted the line between pleasant and overbearing rather often.

"Well, uh, not really, no," Alexis muttered, her voice shrinking in her throat. Instinctively, she stroked the necklace beneath her top.

Maddie sat up a little. "Ooh, Alex," she grinned, "did you buy yourself a necklace?" Her voice had become rather sing-song.

"N-no!" Alex huffed. She wasn't usually one to wear jewellery, so to come home after hours with something around her neck was certainly out of character. "I mean.. I-I guess I did.."

"Let's see it, then!" Maddie grinned, stepping closer. Alexis relented, and pulled the necklace out of her shirt. Maddie gasped, a smile on her face as she gazed at the pendant. "Oh, that's absolutely gorgeous, Alex! Is it real gold?"

"I'm not sure," Alexis admitted. Maddie glanced up at her with a confused look. "I mean, uhm.. I wasn't sure. But the man at the Farley's said it was, uh.. 24 carat."

"Wow, jeeze.. How much was it?" The bat's tail was wagging, and her wings were fluttering. Her gaze had returned to the pendant, her eyes locked to it as it turned and swayed from its chain.

"Oh, uhm.. I-it was.. A couple hundred?" Alexis plucked the figure from her head. She didn't sound particularly sure of it, either. How much would something like this cost? Was that too much? Too little?

"Oh, nice," Maddie smiled faintly. She didn't seem to have heard her, or at the very least, didn't seem to care. "It's gorgeous."

"It is," Alexis smiled, watching the pendant with her. The two of them stood there in the doorway to the living room, Maddie bent down as Alexis stood there holding it. It felt like hours before they suddenly realised they'd been standing there so long. Maddie cleared her throat, and stood up.

"Jeeze.. Well, hey, it's absolutely gorgeous." She smiled, and placed a hand on Alexis' shoulder. "You deserve something nice every now and then, sweetheart."

Alexis smiled, and blushed. "Thank you, Maddie," she said softly, tucking the necklace into her shirt again.

Maddie returned to her book, while Alexis made her way to her room, to unwind a little.

It was late. Alexis turned to stare at the clock on her wall. Apparently, it was already quarter past one. Maddie was already asleep, snoring softly in her own room, but for whatever reason, Alexis just couldn't get any rest.

Maybe it was guilt. She'd never stolen something before. Sure, she'd left some money there, but it was hardly the same as paying for it properly. What if this was really valuable, and someone out there was looking for it, angry and full of vengeance? What if she was in danger?

Alexis whined softly, and pulled her pillow over her head. 'Easy now,'_she thought to herself. _'Deep breaths. Nobody's looking for it, it was just in some run-down store. I paid for it. It's mine. It's fine. And it's beautiful. It makes me look drop-dead gorgeous.'

She pulled the pillow off her face, and sighed. The necklace was on the dresser beside her bed, dangling off the edge of it, hooked around a bottle of claw varnish. She turned onto her side, and stared at it.

Her eyes traced the winding line-work once more. The gorgeous, polished gold. The wonderful reflections of light that bounced off of it. It was absolutely beautiful. She loved it, and it was hers, now. It belonged to her. She reached out, her fingers tracing the lines, feeling the texture of the grooves and curves and smooth, silky metal. It relaxed her - textures often did, but none so much as the texture of this pendant. It felt nice. What was the word people used? For things that fit in hands well.. Ergonomic. That's exactly how it felt. Ergonomic.

There was barely even friction. It slid across her fingers like water. It was surreal, but it felt so nice. The pendant hadn't even heated up against her chest - it stayed cool, and comfortable. Welcomingly cold, like the underside of a pillow. Like sliding an arm, or a leg, against a wall, and just enjoying the feel of the cold, coarse texture of it.

It soothed her. She felt good. She felt peaceful. Relaxed. She kept staring, and stroking, and touching, and experiencing.

She'd already started drooling into the pillow.

There were words in her dream.

She couldn't see them. She couldn't even hear a voice - but they were there.

_You're very sleepy._They were crystal clear, and loud - but not startling. On the contrary, they were relaxing. Alexis nodded. She heard herself respond. "Sleepy, yes."

And your head must be so fuzzy._Alexis felt herself nod. It was true - she did feel fuzzy. It was difficult to think of anything - what was going on, where she was. Clearly the words knew this. _Don't worry. You'll never need to think anymore."Never need to think anymore," Alexis nodded, agreeing.

Thank me.

"Thank you," she spoke without emotion, her voice monotone and mumbled. Relaxed.

What's your name?

"Alexis," she sighed, or perhaps, snored. She wasn't sure.

Now you are a plaything. Repeat that.

"Plaything," Alexis nodded again. She could feel her head rub against the pillow. "I'm a plaything."

And you belong to me. I will take over, now. Your mind, and body. You don't want them anymore.

"Yes," Alexis sounded almost needy - as needy as someone could sound whilst seemingly lacking any real responsiveness. "Please. Please, take control. My mind. My body. Please. I don't want them anymore." She was begging. It sounded like she needed this. It sounded like she craved this.

Up. Came the words. Alexis felt herself sit.

By the time she woke up, it was about half past 12. Alexis rubbed her head, and groaned. She didn't remember falling asleep. She remembered having trouble with it, certainly, but nothing past that. Her dreams had been strange, too. Abstract, fragmented. Swirling colours and shapes, golden colours.. Had she really been dreaming about the necklace?

She turned over, and stared at the dresser, when her stomach dropped.

The necklace had vanished.

In a panic, she jumped up out of bed, about to rush into Maddie's room and question her, when something hit her chest. She looked down at the necklace. She was wearing it.

Dazed somewhat, she sat down on her bed. She softly stroked the pendant. She tried her hardest to remember the evening, but she was sure.. Positive, she'd never put the necklace on. She must have fallen asleep looking at it. She remembered feeling the texture for sure, but she'd never put it on, had she?

Her head felt fuzzy. She rubbed her forehead, and glanced back up at the clock. She'd clearly overslept. She sighed, and decided to get something to eat. She walked down to the living room, and waved at Maddie sleepily. "Hey, Maddie."

"What's up?" Maddie smiled, looking up from her book.

"I just wanted to apologise for oversleeping. Didn't mean to leave you alone this morning."

Maddie seemed confused. Her face screwed up a little, and she cocked her head to the side. "Uhm, Alex, sweetie, are you feeling alright?"

"My head's a little fuzzy, but I'm fine otherwise. Why?"

Maddie's face of confusion became one of slight concern. "Uhm, well.. You've been awake since 6 in the morning, at least."

Alexis' sleepy eyes snapped open wide. "I- I have?"

Maddie nodded. "That's when I woke up, anyway. I came in and said good morning. You were sitting in bed. We had breakfast, and everything. You said you needed to find something upstairs.. That was about ten minutes ago." Alexis started to feel lightheaded. She swayed a bit, feeling as though she was about to faint. Maddie noticed, and frowned. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

Alexis stammered. "Yes, u-uh, yes, I'm ok." She lied, of course. Her head was swimming with panic and fuzz. "I guess I just.. I'm more tired than I thought I was."

Maddie nodded, and held her hand. "Yeah, you did seem to be kind of.. Out of it."

"I did?" Alexis sat down in a heap on the sofa. "What, uh, what did I do?"

"Well, not a whole lot. You were quiet. Mumbly, like you'd just woken up, but it didn't really stop, either. Even after eating." Maddie sat beside Alexis, and held her hand. "You were slow, too, kinda sluggish. You took a while to catch up with me, even just walking. I thought maybe you might be feeling ill, but you said you felt.. Wonderful."

"Wonderful," Alexis repeated, unsure if she was agreeing or just trying to understand. "But I was.. Okay?"

"Yeah, you were. You kept stroking the pendant. I figured it was just because you like feeling things."

"So I was already wearing it? You didn't put it on me?"

"No. I didn't." Maddie shrugged, still looking confused. "You really shouldn't sleep with your jewellery on, sweetie."

"I didn't think I had," Alexis admitted, before standing up. "I do think I feel a little ill, Maddie. I might just stay rested today, if it's all the same."

Maddie nodded. "Do you need me to get you anything? Soup, or ice cream or something?"

"No, thank you. It's ok. I think I just need to think for a while." Alexis made her way out to the hall, and walked up to her bedroom. Maddie watched her trudge upstairs, and shook her head softly, before returning to her novel.

Alexis closed her door, and pulled off the necklace, practically throwing it onto the bed. She looked shaken, and she tried not to look at the jewellery. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she had a feeling it was entirely down to the necklace. She'd never been known to black out, or sleepwalk, or forget things - but the very night she comes home with the necklace is the night she manages to black out, and wake up after spending 6 and a half hours walking around, without knowing?

She shuddered. She didn't like it. It was creepy. The amulet she'd coveted since yesterday suddenly just felt gross to be around. She glanced at the jewellery on her bed, and felt her stomach churn. It was fucked up. What was in it, some kind of drug? A hallucinogen?

Against her better judgement, she sat on her bed, and picked it up again. She tried to prise it open, her fingers desperately trying to get a grip on it, but the metal was so smooth and polished, it slid right out of her squeezing grip, and fell to the floor. Alexis sighed, and rubbed her head. This was just too much. She lazily kicked it under her bed, and lay down on the mattress. "Jeeze," she whined. "I need to take that back to the store tomorrow. I don't want that thing near me, any more.."

She yawned. It seemed she was still pretty tired, despite sleeping last night - had she even been asleep at all? She pulled the duvet around her, and wrapped herself up in it. It didn't take long before she fell asleep, and began to rest up.

Beneath her bed, the necklace slowly turned clockwise.

That evening, she dreamed again. The same dream she'd had the night before. Swirling, foggy colours and abstract shapes, that rich, gold colour the only reliable constant. It shimmered and waved like a river, the colours and swirling lines moving like ripples on the surface. It was nice. Relaxing. Soothing. It had always been soothing, even last night it felt good to watch - but after the stress of the previous day, it was good to remember.

It was relaxing. It felt good to stare, to gaze, to watch.

Alexis' eyes were open, even if she wasn't awake. The necklace hung in the air before her, held up by some invisible force, as it turned of it's own accord, shimmering, seemingly shifting in the evening darkness. Alexis wasn't conscious, not entirely, anyway - but the visions were not a dream.

She was transfixed, her breathing slow and steady, just as she did while she slept.

The shifting, cool colours oozed like smoke from the necklace's seam, spinning in circular, spiralling motions as the unicorn was forced to watch.

Alexis stared. Her eyelids were heavy, her eyes glassy and glazed over. As she 'slept', she heard soothing words in her head. There wasn't a voice, per se, just the words - but they came through with clarity.

Sleep.

Dream.

Watch.

Relax.

Very good.

I make you beautiful. I complete you.

I make you feel good.

Very good.

All I ask in return,

Is that you watch me

And stare

And gaze

And dream.

Sleep.

That's good.

Very good.

Let me take control.

Let me take over. Yes, that's it.

Very good.

You think I'm beautiful.

What harm could it do?

You don't mind. You never mind.

You'd have to think, to mind.

I belong to you. You belong to me.

That's a good girl. A very good girl.

Very good.

Very good.

Very good.

As she 'slept', Alexis found herself mouthing the words as they appeared in her head.

"Very good. Very good. Very good."

Whatever it was that was happening, had lasted from the moment she fell asleep to the moment she woke up the next day. As she groaned, rubbing her eyes and stretching her arms, she noticed the necklace around her neck. She reached down, and stroked it gently, a little smile on her face.

She didn't remember the emotions of the last night. There was much she didn't remember, at that. She didn't even notice she'd woken up in the hallway, standing up. Yawning softly, she made her way downstairs, and began to brew a pot of coffee. As she sat down, a steaming cup in her hands, and began to wake up properly, Maddie wandered in, dressed in her pyjamas. She yawned, and smiled at the unicorn. "Oh, Alex, there you are. How are you feeling this morning?"

Alex smiled, her eyes just a little vacant. "Very good."