Bloom 4

The sun peeked through the curtains to wake me up today. So of course I had to go spend some time with her, sitting on the bank with a cup of tea. It was while I was sitting out there that I noticed how drab the shop looked. The paint is faded, some wood is warped. If I'm going to own this place I need to make it someplace I can be proud of. I found some books on decorating and got to work with some of the stuff I had laying about.

I had all this glue and paper on my fingers when another bookseller came in. The foxes name was Oatly. He was a charming fellow with a lot of tricks of the trade for me. I was able to buy a book of poetry from him for the beetle. He also had another odd tome for me. He said to be careful who I sold it to. I set it to the side for myself to read before I put it on the shelf. He wished me luck before he left. I hope we meet again downriver.

Some young kids came in with their folks and offered to help me with the decorations. They had some creative ideas that I was glad to accept. This one cat was bursting with ideas for the future shop. She yammered on about all the potential improvements. Her imagination was seemingly limitless. I just had to offer her a science fiction novel. She had to know that people all over this world had ideas as big as hers. The store was almost too quiet when she left. The mess they all left is a less fond remnant.

The decorations were all put up when a shopkeep from Thistledown came up and whistled his appreciation. He heard the kids in town boasting about the work they did and had to come see. He was also here for a book of romantic poetry for his husband. He gave me some extra supplies he had laying around for any future products. It was full of odds and ends, paint, brushes, hooks, twine. I'm so grateful. I know they'll go to good use.

A sparrow came in with this bag that was half their size. They kept it slung over their shoulder with one hand. I swear I saw it wiggle at least once. They were looking for any stories about the bunyip. There are rumors that its a creature with a motley assortment of features that has been spotted wandering about at night. I dont have any books with characters exactly matching their description but there are some with similarities. The sparrow seemed a little worried. Terry, a toad, comforted them as best he could. When they left he asked me to share a cup of tea with him. He even complimented my grandma's handiwork on the teapot. It was odd. I never met him before. Yet he knew these little things about me and the shop. He asked if the door still sticks when it gets cold (it does). He knew about my favorite book, how much I need the rocking of the water. But he commented in such a warm way, I didnt know how to respond. I just followed his lead. He left after he finished his cup. For some reason there were no tea leaves remaining.

Coins:398 Books:420 Customers:66