Post by Nita Elwyn on Nov 10, 2015 8:29:48 GMT -6
On a bright Saturday morning in early November, Nita stood on tiptoe and raised her wand as high as she could to get the last of the twinkling lights strung around the ceiling of her shop. She flicked her wand to set the lights in place, then turned slowly to survey her work. The lights were subtle but they gave the shop a warmer glow than it had had before, the smaller lights mixing with the larger glowing globes she'd already hung. The mural on the back wall had changed slightly with the season. Although the real trees outside had mostly lost their leaves by now, the ones in the painted forest were still brilliant red, orange, and gold. The whole shop smelled amazing. Nita had placed several small candles around the shop (enchanted to give light and scent but no heat, so they wouldn't harm the books) that gave off a slight spicy scent. It reminded her of the delicious smells in her grandmother's kitchen years ago, when Grandma made pies for Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving was odd up here in Snowy Vale. The Canadians celebrated the holiday in October. The Americans were preparing to celebrate it now, in November. The school had had a big fall feast and a fancy dress ball around Halloween. Nita had gone as a chaperone and enjoyed it immensely. She hadn't wanted it to end. She wasn't sure what other people in town were doing with their shops, but the feast and the ball had made Nita determined to celebrate fall as long as it lasted. She'd come home determined to decorate her shop for fall until after Thanksgiving.
With the lights up, Nita looked around once more to see if she'd missed anything. She'd changed the displays to books that had to do with fall--everything from fictional stories set in autumn to books of magical recipes for fall-themed foods. She'd also put up colorful leaves in the front window, hanging them from the ceiling so it looked like they were falling.
"Mrow!" Walter, her pet kneazle, called her attention to the radio, which she'd set on the counter, and which he was currently rubbing against.
"Of course," Nita said, smiling. "I knew I forgot something." She tapped her wand on the top of the radio. It began playing Vivaldi's lively "Autumn" piece. Nita danced a bit to the music as she moved behind the counter. She didn't always play classical music in here, but today it seemed the only appropriate piece. She settled herself on her stool behind the counter. A flick of her wand turned the Closed sign on the front door to Open and she waited for the first customer of the day.
