The Tiny Cleaner

For the next few nights, Ruby couldn’t sleep. Thoughts kept whirring through her head and she couldn’t decide what to do next. She was well aware she needed to stay until the coffee wagon and bakery stall were complete so she could help transport them from Claymont City to Kiki Lane with her magic purse, but everything else made her feel uneasy. The longer she was staying in the village, the harder it was becoming to pull herself away from this place she used to call home; and yet that was exactly what she wanted, no, needed to do. She had so many places she wanted to travel to and so much more she wanted to learn that she couldn’t stay here forever. At some point she needed to let go and move on. Every day she left her tent, she spotted her old home and it beckoned her in. Each time she tore her gaze away and moved on, adamant she would stay away from it; it was too risky. And yet just being in the village brought back so many memories and she was having so much fun; it would be sad to leave once more. As the nights continued, the little mushroom fairy grew very tired and started to wonder what she could do that would make it easier for her to leave once the time came. Perhaps setting up more amenities in the village whilst waiting for the delivery would put her mind at rest? She did worry about Kiki and leaving it all down to her once again. The guardian fairy was perfectly capable of managing things, but the library was her primary focus and she still had so much to do. Maybe if everything was put in place, she wouldn’t have to worry about her dear friend and she would be able to continue her travels with peace of mind? The only thing was, she had no idea what she could do to help.

In the Great Tree Library, Kiki also couldn’t sleep. The villagers had helped Mishka and Kemuri to solidify excellent plans for the opening of their stalls and everything seemed to be running smoothly their end; and yet her mind raced with the thought of even more visitors, and everything else that needed to be done. Once they had a coffee cart and bakery up and running, Kiki Lane was sure to start getting visitors most days once word spread. But were they truly ready? Was the village ready? When everything began, Kiki had only hoped to find friends to help with what she thought would be a slow process of rebuilding the village and tidying the Great Tree Library. She had been sure that it would take long enough for the Library to be tidy before the village grew, but she had been wrong. There really wasn’t much time left before they needed the library to be ready and there was still so much left to do, even with an extra five pairs of hands. The village had grown more than she had expected, and quite quickly, but the little fairy couldn’t help but wonder if what they were going to offer was enough. People might visit for the library, a coffee, or a croissant, but there was nowhere in the village serving a full meal. Since Ruby had been visiting, she had been cooking most meals for all of the villagers but Kiki knew Ruby wouldn’t stay forever as the red fairy loved travelling and had only promised to stay until the stalls were set up. Who would provide meals when she left? And housing! If creatures in the forest travel far to visit the library and stalls, where would they stay? There were only so many houses to go around and they might only stay for a few days and giving out houses for a few nights was not the ideal solution when they hoped one day there would be more permanent villagers living in those houses. Kiki’s mind wandered to how the village used to be and the inn that always used to be busy. It had been abandoned for a few years now and was probably far from useable. Anyway, she had no time to start a new project, she needed to focus on the library. It was the most important task she had as its guardian she thought, as her eyes finally closed and she slowly drifted off to sleep.

After three night of little sleep for both the fairies, they wearily made their way to breakfast. Once full of energy, both fairies now moved slowly and had little energy to converse with all the other villagers over breakfast. Near the end of the meal, they caught each others’ eyes and both realised how tired the other looked. Their wings drooped behind them and dark circles were begin to form under their eyes. Without saying anything, they locked eyes and gave a little nod and they both understood what the other thought. With breakfast packed away and everyone making their way to their respective tasks and homes, the two fairies slowly made their way to a seating area in one of the library’s rooms near the top of the tree. The room jutted out of the Great Tree’s trunk and had a large window that looked over the village. It was one of the tidiest rooms in the library and contained a couple of bookshelves and a scatter of old floor pillows around a low table. Sitting down, they took turns to share their worries with their good friend.

Drawing closer to lunchtime, Ruby gazed out of the window as Kiki shared what had been bothering her. The mushroom fairy’s eyes settled on the old inn as Kiki shared her accommodation concerns. Hearing little reply, the guardian fairy looked out of the window at what her good friend was captured by. The village inn was one of the oldest remaining buildings in the village and also the largest. Over the decades, it had been added to as demand for rooms increased. The oldest parts of the building were made from timber framing and wattle and daub, the same style as Mishka’s new home, whilst newest sections incorporated stone foundations and walls, topped with the same timber framed style. There were a mix of differing heights, with some parts two storeys, some three and even a tower which spanned four storeys. Overall, it was an unusual but charming inn which held a special place in the fairies’ hearts. “It probably needs a lot of work” said Kiki as the pair gazed at the old inn. They both knew it could be the answer to some of their problems but it would probably be a bigger task than they could handle. It had been abandoned a few years before the old fairy villagers had left; with visitors dwindling it had no longer been profitable. Being so old, and with no one looking after it for so many years, it would probably require lots of cleaning and refurbishment. Ruby gazed longer at the building as Kiki made her way over to one of the bookcases. It would be a good project, thought Ruby, one that would keep her mind and body busy and something what would help the village before she leaves. “Maybe we should at least take a look? It could be better than we think” murmured Ruby, catching Kiki by surprise. “You’re right. We shouldn’t be so negative. Let’s have a look after lunch” replied Kiki, smiling at her old friend, who grinned in response.

After a delicious lunch of tomato soup and fresh bread, Ruby and Kiki set off for the inn. Coming closer to the front entrance of the inn, which was the oldest part of the establishment, the metal hanging sign creaked in the wind, the words on it no longer legible. Pushing the door open and entering, the fairies were surprised by what greeted them. They were expecting a room with years of piled up dust, cobwebs everywhere and peeling wallpaper. Instead, what they found was a tidy reception area. The reception desk was dustless and looked as if the wood had been recently polished. The wallpaper looked old, yes, but clean, and the only cobwebs in sight were high up in the corners of the ceiling. It was all rather strange and the pair were quite confused as no-one had been in here for years. Or so they thought. The inn’s first building housed the reception, kitchen and restaurant area on the first floor and a couple of lodging rooms upstairs. Ruby was least concerned about the kitchen and restaurant as she knew they were something she could handle, so the pair focused on inspecting all of the lodging rooms in this building, and all the others. To their amazement, all of the rooms were as clean as the reception was. Of course some of them required work as they had not been decorated in years, but there was not as much work needed as they had first believed. With fresh wallpaper, paint and bedding the rooms would work perfectly well for now and no-one could complain as the furniture had been replaced not too long before the inn had ultimately closed its door those years ago.

As they entered one of the final rooms, situated on the second floor of the most newly added building of the inn, Kiki suddenly stopped as she neared the window. Putting her finger to her lips, she signalled for Ruby to be quiet. The red fairy quietly fluttered over and stood next to her friend in silence. The pair could hear a faint swishing noise which seemed to be coming from the room below that they had yet to check out. Confusion flooded their faces. The noise seemed awfully familiar, possibly someone sweeping the floor, and yet there shouldn't be anyone else here. What was going on? Intrigued, Ruby fluttered her wings and started flying towards the staircase as quietly as she could with Kiki following hot on her heels. Previously, the fairies had taken their time and walked through most of the inn to check for creaking floorboards but this seemed like the occasion for flying. If there was anyone in the room below, they wanted to arrive quietly, so whoever or whatever it was wouldn’t get startled. Soon they had arrived at the door of the room, the swishing sound intensifying as they drew closer. Ruby took a deep breath before placing her hand on the doorknob and slowly turning it to enter.

*

Piccolo was in his element as he calmly swept the floor. The little grey mouse had spent most of the morning tidying up the reception area of the old inn, scrubbing down the desk until in sparkled and removing any cobwebs he could reach. He took pride in keeping the inn clean, even if he was the only creature who ever stepped foot inside it. Now though, after eating his lunch, he could spend his afternoon cleaning his own room. A few years ago Piccolo had stumbled across the abandoned inn during a rainstorm. He had been running through the forest trying to find a good place to shelter when he came across the fairy village and rushed into the first building he could find. Inside, the rooms were a mess. Dust, grime and cobwebs filled every room, signs it hadn’t been used in many years. For months, Piccolo had been wandering the forest, trying to find a good place to call home but he had struggled to find anywhere that suited him come rain or shine. Strangely though, despite the state the building was in, he felt at home as soon as he entered. The little mouse wasn’t fazed by the mess and was in fact excited to transform the place. He spent a whole day roaming the many rooms of the building he now understood to be an old inn, carefully choosing which room he would choose to be his own. He could see many of them needed more work than just cleaning and he didn’t have the skillset to make them work for living in right now. There was one room, however, which caught his eye. The wallpaper was a beautiful mixture of cream and buttercup yellow stripes with small stars, creating a cosy warm environment. The floor was a beautiful wood tone which would look wonderful after a good scrub and polish - something he was sure he could do. And finally, what truly made the little mouse feel like it was the room for him, beautiful purple cushions, bedding and a vase all the colour of his eyes. The room contained a lovely tan couch, small bed and chest of drawers, with a desk and chair by the window. With a bit of love, this room would be perfect for one little mouse.

As Piccolo swept he couldn’t help but wonder what the inn had been like when it was in operation. How many visitors did it get? Was it usually quiet or bustling with noise? Suddenly pulling him out of his thoughts, he heard the handle on his door start to turn. Who was there? Was he in danger? Scared, he quickly scurried behind the sofa, leaving everything behind, and held his breath.

*

As the fairies entered the room, tiny footsteps were heard and the swishing sound stopped. Ruby and Kiki were astounded by what they saw. This room was a step above the rest, spotless and homely - someone had definitely been living here. Fresh flowers sat in a delicate purple vase, the bed was lovingly made, and right in the middle of the room stood a dark wooden bucket full of soapy water, held together with metal bands. A white and purple gingham cloth rested over the rim of the bucket which contained soapy water. A broom rested on the arm of the sofa. It had a long wooden handle and straw bristles, very lovingly handcrafted by someone. Looking around closely, Kiki saw a slender pink tail peeking out from behind the the sofa. After pointing it out to Ruby, Kiki calmly called out “Hello? Would you come out so we can see you? I promise we mean well.” Slowly the tail moved before two large grey and pink ears peeked out, followed by a tiny pink nose and a grey and white face. The fairies gazed at the purple eyes that anxiously stared back at them before looking at each other in surprise. There before them was a lovely grey mouse who looked very friendly, although quite scared at this moment.

*

Piccolo peeked out from behind the sofa and saw two beautiful fairies looking at him intently. He had never met a fairy before so their stunning wings, glistening in the sunlight, made him pause in amazement. Still scared about what they wanted from him Piccolo shakily squeaked “P-p-p-please don’t make me leave. I-I-I’m sorry it was empty a-a-and I thought it would be okay for me t-t-t-to stay here”, stuttering with anxiety. It took a little while for the fairies to convince him that everything was okay and he wasn’t in trouble. Piccolo let out a sigh of relief before questions filled his mind once more. Why were the fairies here then? Was it their inn? And how do they keep their wings so shiny? He pushed that final thought away - it really wasn’t the most important question, especially to ask strangers. Moving the bucket and the broom out of the way, Piccolo perched himself on his bed and offered the guests a seat on his sofa so they could all comfortably chat.

*

Kiki and Ruby took a seat, smiled at their new acquaintance and properly introduced themselves. Piccolo’s eyes lit up hearing about the Great Tree Library and all the new creatures who were living in the village. He had lived here for a few years now but had never ventured further into the village, only ever briefly leaving the inn for fresh flowers, water and wild vegetables so the idea of other villagers excited him. The little mouse had ultimately made the inn his home without asking anyone so the thought of someone finding him had made him too scared to go anywhere further into the village out of fear they would kick him out.

As Piccolo pondered everything the fairies had told him, Ruby and Kiki shared a knowing glance. They could do this. The inn could be restored to working condition once more and Ruby was happy to take charge. “We’re going to restore the inn and open its doors once again to the creatures of the forest. That’s the reason we came to look around today” announced Ruby with brimming excitement. Kiki ran through the other housing options they had for their new friend as panic stirred within Piccolo’s mind. “Please don’t make me leave here. I-I-I will be as helpful as I can be. And I can continue to clean everything, just please can I stay here” exclaimed the tiny mouse as tears began to fill his eyes. Flustered, the fairies looked at each other, trying to help calm the little mouse down. “I’m sorry. We didn’t realise how much this room means to you and just thought you might like your own house. Of course you can stay. This room can be yours as long as you help out a little bit once the inn opens” reassured Kiki, feeling guilty she had nearly made her newest friend cry. After wiping his eyes and calming down, Piccolo stood up and offered to show them around the communal spaces of the inn - the dining area, kitchen and bathrooms. Accepting his offer, the fairies jumped up from their seat and followed their new friend.