Autumn Picnic

A few weeks later many of the trees’ leaves were finally turning into beautiful warm shades of orange, yellow and red. Birds fluttered through falling leaves and the forest floor crunched as different animals made their way through the trees or stopped to play with the leaves beneath their feet. Autumn had made its home in the Emerald Forest once more. As Maya made the journey through the fiery-toned forest to check on the pond situated in the most northern part of the forest she passed many different creatures, some familiar, some not. She had been visiting Kiki Lane village more frequently to see her friends and saw a large array of different animals visiting the market area. As she pushed passed the hundredth branch on her journey, she saw a beautiful fox who seemed to be lost. News of the village market had spread like wildfire in the forest and everyone was eager to visit. The fox was no exception and quickly asked the water fairy if she knew what direction the village was. He had been searching for it for the last few days but seemed to be going round in circles. Maya chuckled to herself, he was just like another fairy she knew - terrible with direction. She pointed the fox in the right direction before he thanked her and they both went on their merry ways.

Back at the inn, Piccolo gazed out of his bedroom window. Over the last few weeks the renovations had come on in leaps and bounds. The dining area was finally at the decorating stage with all sanding and repairs complete and the reception area only needed finishing touches. The renovation trio had become very tired with all the work and had decided to slow down for a few days. Hattie was happy sitting in her room pondering over samples and decoration ideas and Ruby was busy in the kitchen testing different recipes for everyone to try to work out a menu. Piccolo watched the afternoon sun shimmer through the trees and wondered what he should do. That morning he had swept all of the important areas and had been urged at lunchtime by his hedgehog friend Prickles to truly take a rest from cleaning.

The little grey mouse watched as the leaves gently fell from the trees and he began to realise how long it had been since he had properly ventured out of the inn. They had all been so busy that it had slipped his mind. As he stood there contemplating what to do, his mind wandered back to the village evening meal a few days ago.

Although the new market area was a large open space, after years of sitting derelict most of the benches were broken or past their best and most of the customers didn’t want to stand or sit on the floor drinking their coffee or eating their baked goods. Mishka and Kemuri had brought their concerns to the evening meal and the assembled creatures quickly brainstormed how to solve this issue. Small groups discussed their ideas before everyone presented their best ideas. It was the dragons that came up with the winning idea in the end; with Kiki’s help they had quickly made it a reality. A small walk away from the market, beneath the canopy of the trees, they had created a picnic spot. Between the trunks of the trees and wooden poles they had hung a string of lights for a cosy well lit area, whatever time of day. Tree stumps and wooden logs were set out as seating and ornamental pumpkins had been placed to create a homely autumn picnic spot. It definitely wasn’t a perfect final solution, but it would work until they had the time and funds to create a permanent seating area somewhere in the village.

Piccolo made his way over to the small cupboard in his room and rummaged around trying to find something. He was sure it was in here. It had been such a long time since he had needed it but somewhere in there was a small backpack, the perfect size for his little body. Finally he found it. Placing a book inside and slinging it over his shoulder, he made his way out of his room towards the kitchen. Ruby was so busy flicking through her numerous recipe books deciding what to make next that she didn’t even notice the little grey mouse enter and collect a small flask from one of the shelves. It was only when Piccolo left and she heard the door shut that she realised someone had been in.

Piccolo had become more comfortable approaching people, especially Ruby, as time had gone on but he still found it hard to disturb people who were busy or deep in thought so he didn’t dare ask Ruby to help him fill the flask. Before leaving he quickly poked his head into Hattie’s room and told her he was going out before making his way out of the inn and off to the marketplace.

The little mouse clutched onto the straps of his backpack as he walked though the streets. Although there were more creatures visiting the marketplace, many of the streets were still empty and quiet, with most of the buildings still vacant. He had never visited the market and was a little anxious at the thought of going on his own but even so his little legs kept moving him forward. It would be okay, he told himself.

Rounding the corner he was pleased to see it wasn’t too busy. Mishka was standing next to Kemuri and there was only one customer at the coffee cart. Noticing Piccolo’s appearance, the brown bear waved hello with a smile, followed soon after by Kemuri. It was as if a weight had been lifted off Piccolo’s shoulders. Why did he need to be scared? With confidence flowing through him, he almost skipped over to the coffee cart. “Could I maybe have some tea in here please?” the little mouse asked handing over his flask. Kemuri’s eyes lit up in surprise. “Well of course, what a wonderful idea!” she replied, opening up the tea canister beside her. Piccolo dug into his bag trying to find some money but the cat barista quickly assured him it was on the house for his first visit. Soon after Mishka made his way over, presenting the little mouse with a paper bag. Peeking inside Piccolo saw a cheese croissant. Piccolo was taken aback by their generosity. After the tea was made and the flask returned back into his backpack with the cheese croissant beside it, the little mouse gave them a large grin and thanked the pair before making his way to the picnic spot.

As he passed through the opening between some of the bushes nearby, a small crunching noise could be heard as Piccolo made his way over to the seating area. Small and light, his little body wasn’t heavy enough for the leaves to make a loud noise. Looking at the area before him, Piccolo searched for the perfect spot to have his mini picnic. Beneath the twinkling lights was a single tree stump. There was nobody else around so Piccolo thought it was the perfect spot for a solitary little mouse. After retrieving his flask and croissant and putting them onto the tree stump, the little mouse placed his bag on the floor and climbed onto the stump. It wasn’t a very large stump but even so, it was tall enough that his little legs hung off the edge, dangling quite high off the ground.

Opening up the flask of tea, Piccolo was surprised to see he had brought two cups with him but soon realised why. Although the flask was perfectly sized for a small creature like him, it came with quite a large cup. The last time he had used it, he must have been out with Hattie and placed a smaller cup inside the larger one so they could both share the drink. Holding the two different size cups in his hand he quickly deliberated over which one to use. It didn’t take him long to choose the smaller purple cup and begin to pour out his first serving. Piccolo breathed in deeply, the fresh autumn air filling his lungs with the aroma of musky fallen leaves and freshly brewed tea.  Taking his first sip, Piccolo flinched as the hot beverage tingled on his tongue nearly burning it. Perhaps he should let it cool a little before having more, thought Piccolo, placing down his cup and picking up the paper bag beside him.

Piccolo carefully pulled out his cheese croissant from the bag and took a small bite. His eyes lit up and a smile formed as he took in the texture and flavour. He had never tried a cheese croissant before. If fact he had never had a croissant at all but he knew immediately it would be his new favourite snack. He would have to go back to Mishka more often for one! The flaky outside and light, airy inside paired beautifully with the cheddar cheese inside creating the perfect pastry sandwich for a little mouse. Just as he was about to take another bite, a loud rustling sound came from somewhere close deeper in the forest. Piccolo froze in fear. What was that noise?

A few moments later, Piccolo’s heart pounded in his chest, anxiety overwhelming him as a red fox appeared in the picnic area from behind some trees. Its white tipped, bushy tail caught the little mouse’s eye. It looked incredibly soft and cuddly but Piccolo was still scared of the red furred animal. The fox looked around with its teal coloured eyes and noticed the mouse before it quickly made its way over. Sitting down on the forest floor next to the stump Piccolo was sitting on, the fox introduced himself. “Hello I’m Rowan. It’s lovely to meet you” he announced with a grin. Piccolo’s body was frozen, unable to respond. What did the fox want with him? Suddenly the fox’s stomach growled, cutting through the silence. Realising Rowan was friendly and hungry, Piccolo’s body relaxed just enough for him to break apart his croissant and squeak out a small “Would you like to share?”

Rowan gladly accepted the offer, taking one of the sections of croissant from the pink hands of the little mouse. With growing confidence, and the fear subsiding, Piccolo remembered the second cup he had brought with him and poured his new acquaintance a cup of tea. Passing the teal coloured cup over to the fox, Piccolo realised the cup he had brought almost matched Rowan’s eyes as he shared a similar eye colour to Hattie. Piccolo had always thought of the cup as Hattie’s because of this but on this occasion, it seemed a perfect fit for the fox sitting in front of him. Taking a sip of his own cup of tea which had now cooled to the perfect temperature, the little mouse found the courage once more to speak up and talk to Rowan. “What brings you here today?” he squeaked, staring into his drink.

After getting past the anxiety and initial awkwardness, the pair sat and chatted for a long time. They never seemed to run out of topics to talk about. Rowan enjoyed explaining about his journey to find Kiki Lane and Piccolo relished explaining about the renovations at the inn. Conversation between them seemed to come naturally and they were quickly on their way to becoming good friends.

As the day progressed, the light began to slowly fade. With the arrival of autumn came earlier sunsets. Under the canopy of the forest, this meant that it became dark quite a lot earlier. The lights twinkling above them soon became their only source of light. It was time to head home, decided Piccolo.

Rowan had explained in such great detail about finding Kiki Lane that it felt wrong to send him away now when he had gone to all the effort of finding their little village, thought Piccolo. He could take the red fox to the market, but they were sure to be packing up soon and he would have nowhere to go as night crept in. The inn was not completely ready for guests but all of the chambers in the upper rooms were ready. “I think we should head off now, it’s getting dark” commented Piccolo. A look of disappointment flooded Rowan’s face, thinking they would have to part ways. Where would he sleep tonight, pondered the red fox? “Oh gosh! No! I mean come with me to the village” explained Piccolo, concerned he had offended his new friend.

“Really?” beamed Rowan jumping to his feet. With the confusion sorted, Piccolo climbed down from the tree stump, packed his bag and hauled it over his back. Full of anticipation, Rowan quickly set off in the direction of the forest. ‘Wrong way!” chuckled Piccolo, calling out to the fox before the pair set off in the right direction, towards the inn.

It was quickly becoming very dark as the Fox and Mouse made their way through the streets of Kiki Lane. As they reached the inn, the windows glowed from the light inside, inviting them in. Pushing open the door Piccolo called out to his colleagues. “Hello! We have guests!”

Suddenly the door into the reception swung open as Hattie hurtled in with Ruby flying behind her at top speed. They abruptly stopped, seeing an unfamiliar face and adjusted their aprons, making sure they were presentable. Piccolo stood next to his new friend and felt two pairs of eyes staring at him intently, unsure what exactly was going on. He quickly excused himself to the fox before scurrying over to Hattie and Ruby to explain the situation.

Piccolo wanted to offer Rowan a room at the inn, even just for one night. He had heard all about the fox’s wish to visit the market square and wanted to make sure it became a reality. Of course the fox could technically sleep outside as he had done throughout his journey to Kiki Lane, but the nights were getting colder. How could he let a new friend sleep in the cold when he knew there were empty rooms at the inn? It wouldn’t be very hospitable of them to do this to a guest who had travelled so far! The little mouse hoped everyone would agree with him.

Hattie and Ruby listened intently to their tiny friend’s idea. Ruby had already started to prepare their evening meal and knew there would be enough for one more so was happy with the idea. Piccolo twiddled his fingers, waiting to hear their response. Hattie looked down at her close friend and felt so proud of him. Who would have thought that little Piccolo would bring in their first customer? Quickly going through the different rooms in her head, she chose what she believed to be the perfect style for their first guest. Ruby looked over to Hattie and they both smiled at each other. “What a brilliant idea little one!” they chorused as Piccolo’s head shot up to look at them with excitement.

Piccolo glanced over at Rowan waiting by the front door. Suddenly he felt two hands on his back, pushing him forward. “Go ahead” whispered Hattie with pride. Taking a step forward Piccolo cleared his throat “We have the perfect room for you if you’d like” he announced with a smile. The inn had its first guest.