After the pair had ventured through several seemingly unrelated rooms, they found themselves entering a well populated room. It was one of the Mansion's infinitely numerous bazaars. There were twelve small stands lining each of the two longer walls in this large rectangular room. Each of the twenty-four stands appeared to be selling mostly useless trinkets, but Melissa wanted to get a look anyway, just in case there was something that might be of value to her. After all, she had not exactly packed for this trip. She was barefoot, in a yellow dress, and nothing else but the underwear.
"Jerry, what exactly is this place?"
"It's just an open market. Those that happen upon a room such as this are free to trade goods. Most shop owners are looking for gold, but some will accept barter. None will take any of your world's paper money."
"That doesn't matter, I didn't bring any with me. Not even a little bit of change."
"That part is too bad. Your coins might have actually been worth a small something."
"You say I can barter though? What do I have to barter with? My dress? My shoes that I left at least forty rooms ago? That's all I've got."
"Well then you probably won't be purchasing anything on this particular trip. No harm in looking around though, if that's what you would like."
Melissa only managed one step before Jerry was flying in front of her face.
"Don't Move!!!!"
"What? Why not?" she whispered, figuring the warning warranted at least that level of discretion."
"It's you. You're already here."
"Huh? Yeah, I know. Here I am." She made a 'ta-da' motion with her arms.
"That's not what I mean. I mean another you. Another you is already here. You are standing next to that booth with all the jewelry. Take a look, but be careful and be quick."
Melissa took a quick peak. She wasn't sure what to expect, but what she saw is what she should have expected. There she was. Dressed differently, but otherwise, it was her exact twin. Her doppelganger. As if he had read her mind, Jerry wrote, "It's not your doppelganger. It's another you. From another place, or time, or maybe both. It's always hard to know. But it doesn't matter what the circumstances are. You should never encounter yourself, not if you can avoid it."
Melissa couldn't help but watch her other self. She called no attention to her nosiness, heeding Jerry's warning. It was just so fascinating to see. She had seen herself in the mirror every day since she was two. Had even seen herself on video before. But this was quite different. To know that if she wanted to, she could reach out and touch this other self. To not know what this other self was going to do next.
What this other self did do next was sickening to her. The action itself was bad enough, but it was the consequence for that action that was really hard to swallow. Melissa was still peering over the top of Jerry's cover, seeing, but not being seen. Her other self was at a booth which was offering jewelry and other such trinkets. Though she herself would never think of stealing, her other self didn't have to think twice. In the blink if an eye, she grabbed a handful of jewelry, and bolted for the nearest door. Guards were after her immediately.
Melissa had to see what happened. In spite if her shock, she followed the guards who were following her other self. They all passed through the same door. Very early in her journey, she had figured out that not all doors lead to the same place all the time. In this case, however, all persons passing through this door found themselves in the same room.
The Melissa Thief had probably thought she might be able to get away with quick action, and a series of untraceable doors. She was unfortunate, as she chose a door that opened to a grand ball room. The next closest door was one hundred yards away. She didn't even cover half the distance when one of the guards caught up to her, and cut her down. One thrust of a sword through the middle of her back was all it took. Her body crumpled, as the real Melissa (at least that's how she thought of herself) cringed.
She just stood there, silently, shocked, unsure what to be feeling. The guards reclaimed the jewelry, and walked back through the door they had come in through.
It took her a long time to recover enough of herself to move or speak. Jerry had remained silent, figuratively speaking, not wanting to impose until she was ready to communicate.
"What will happen to the body?" She asked.
"The inglots will take her away, and consume her." He added an illustration to show the inglots, little impish creatures, ugly, but not apparently evil. He then added, "they are sort if the caretakers of The Mansion Eternal. Thanks to them, nothing stays around for long. Dirt, rotting food, dead bodies. They take care of it all."
She struggled mightily to get her next question out. "Was that really me? Is that how I am going to die? Unceremoniously, in front if myself, and all because I was stealing? That doesn't seem like me."
"It's not you," he wrote. "There are an infinite number if possibilities of who that was. But unless you want that to be your fate, you know how to avoid it. Don't steal any jewels."
Melissa had to think on this for a bit, but after taking emotion out of the situation, and considering everything scientifically, she started to feel better.
They sat and watched as the inglots came and took the body away. If it wasn't so morbid, it might have been cute. Three little buggers dragging away something four times their size... there was just something almost comical about it. They dragged the body through the far door, never to be seen again. But something was left behind.
Melissa stood and walked over to where her other self had been executed. There was a pouch lying on the ground. She picked it up. In a sense, it was hers after all. She looked inside to see a plethora of coins. They varied in size and color, but it was obvious that collectively, they had at least some value.
"Is this a lot of money?" She asked Jerry, knowing he didn't have eyes with which to see, but that he would be able to sense them.
"It's a lot. Not a king's random, but enough that you would be worth robbing."
"Do you think I should keep it?"
"I think you have to. You may need to buy something to eat, a place to sleep, any number of things before you find your way out if here." He added in invisible ink, "or until you give up on the hope of ever leaving."
She slung the pouch over her shoulder, picked Jerry up so he wouldn't have to use his own power to move around, then headed for the door. Maybe it still led to the bazaar. She could spend some of this money she had found. Then a second thought occurred to her. Someone that looked just like her had very recently caused a commotion. She turned and headed toward another door. There would be other opportunities to do some shopping.