December 21
Molly stepped outside and breathed in deeply. The icy scent of snow and evergreens and the sea flooded her lungs, giving her a blast of energy that she never tired of. In the Cove, the combination of Roads and the sea gave the air a fresh scent that she didn’t notice in other towns. Maybe it’s the magic, she thought once again. It was the only answer she could come up with. After all, the folks of the Cove had cars; not that many of them used them in town, true, but they were there.
Then again, in what other town would you see things like that on a regular basis? She watched as Lisa and Neil Jackson swept by in their sleigh, gliding over the icy paving stones, pulled by two of the stags from the herd they kept on their farm. The pale white deer looked like snow ghosts as they trotted down the lane, heading into the downtown area. Waving to Lisa, Molly made a mental note to package up some more of the gingerbread men and send them off to the farm; the kids would love them. And she’d include some of the doggie cookies too, for Tigger, yet another of Schrodinger’s friends.
“I love this town,” she said out loud, shifting her backpack to her left shoulder. “I don’t think I could live anywhere else.”
Schrodinger was upstairs, sleeping – she’d left without him, telling him that she couldn’t very well Christmas shop for him if he was right with her. Her plan had been to borrow her Aunt Marge’s car and drive into Portland, but Molly found herself loathe to drive on this perfect morning. Instead, she walked by the Bookstore and into the very center of town, where it looked like Christmas had exploded all over everything. She’d been so busy with the bookstore that this was her first trip into the center square, and she paused at the edge of it, fascinated.
Carter’s Cove had a few different “town squares” – the one with the Town Hall and the Courthouse was a few streets over, but the acknowledged center of town was called Captain’s Square, and was where the shops held sway. In the center, there was a large statue of a centaur, looking out over the buildings: a monument to Calypso, one of the first sea captains after Captain Carter to sail into the Cove. She and her crew had helped explore the Sea Road to one of the Eastern Kingdoms, bringing back tea and silk to the Cove. Spider silk, too – Molly’s mother had a beautiful spider silk tapestry from one of Calypso’s last voyages hanging in her office. Now, Calypso’s statue was wreathed in greenery, with small white lights twinkling in between the leaves. At her feet, eight small trees, lit with the same lights, marked off the cardinal points of the compass. Each tree, Molly knew, would be decorated in a different way, signifying the eight pagan holidays in the Wheel of the Year.
The stores themselves had gone all out too, in an effort to spread Christmas cheer. Instead of the canned Christmas music that most of the regular stores offered during the season (starting in October, which Molly detested), the stores in Captain’s Square didn’t decorate until the weekend after Thanksgiving, and many used the music of local Minstrels or bands, recorded and played via a simple cantrip. Some even had the players themselves in. Molly smiled and looked around, plotting her trip.
She needed more stuff for Schrodinger, and her parents, and her brother, who was due back Christmas Eve. And she wanted to get some special tins for the Gate techs who had made her Christmas so special already.
Thinking about that made her recall the conversation with Tom the other day, and she sighed. I hope we can still be friends, Molly thought, heading into the first store on her list.
Home for All was the Cove’s answer to the Blue Seal stores Molly had seen elsewhere, but Julia Kasey, who ran the store, had refused repeated offers to franchise, for the simple reason that Blue Seal couldn’t get all of the stuff she needed.
“They just don’t cater to the clients I have,” she’d said one time to Molly. “I mean, CrossCats are just the beginning. Have you seen what manticores eat?”
“Who has a manticore in the Cove?” Molly had asked. “I want to know to avoid their place.”
Julia had laughed. “It’s a special order – one of the dwarven enclaves along the Stone Road have two. Apparently they’re very good at sniffing out precious metals. They order twice a month.”
Home for All also carried the special treats that Schrodinger adored. Molly also had ordered, through Julia, a new coat for the CrossCat, since his old one had started to get a bit worn. She’d gotten the text that it was in the day before.
“Hello!” she called out, stepping into the store. The scents of apples and cloves hit her nostrils; Julia had a crockpot of mulled cider on a small table near the door, with cups and a sign inviting her to help herself. Molly did, then went into the back, where she found Julia packing up something that looked like grain feed.
“It is,” she said, when Molly asked her. “Sometimes I do sell the stuff for Earth animals, after all.” She stood up, dusted her hands off, and added, “You in for your order?”
“Yes,” Molly said, and followed her to the counter, where Julia pulled out a large parcel. Molly opened it eagerly, and then sighed. “Oh, it’s perfect.”
Julia grinned. “Awesome.” The super-soft material, like flannel but waterproof, was hand-woven in one of the smaller villages off the main Sea Road. This one was varied shades of blue and green, which would look stunning against Schrodinger’s mackerel-grey stripes. Molly packed it away in her backpack, along with the treats, and then headed out after a few more moments of chatting.
Her next stop was the Tin Shop – a lovely little store that specialized in boxes, tins and all sorts of containers. Here, she picked out some specialty tins for cookies, and then made her way up to the counter.
“Hi Molly!” Catherine Taylor came out of the back room. “Find everything you need?”
Molly nodded. “Just these today, but I need to talk to you about a mass order for Valentine’s Day. I have a feeling I’m going to have a run of orders for chocolate raspberry truffles and chocolate strawberries.”
“Oooh, put me down for a tin now!” Catherine said, laughing. “How many do you want?”
They firmed up the order, and then Molly went to pay for the tins. Catherine shook her head. “Nope, you’re all set.”
“Excuse me?” Molly said, confused.
“You’re all set,” Catherine repeated, bagging up the tins. And then she handed Molly the bag, and a small red envelope with a package attached to it. “Apparently, someone anticipated your need.”
Molly raised an eyebrow, but opened the envelope. “Dear Molly, I know you’ll need more tins, so these are on me. Now, go and make a special treat for yourself and Schrodinger. SA”
She then looked at the package, and laughed. “Chestnuts. Of course.”
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