Lessons Begin

Once all the tea was finished, Ruby made her way over to the kitchen sink, ready to clean all the dishes; but as the water began to run, Kemuri looked out the window and realised that it was going to start to get dark soon and rushed over to Ruby’s side. “Leave that to me, after all, this is my house now and you still need to set up your tent. It is starting to get late you know.” said Kemuri as she guided Ruby away. Hearing this, Ruby made her way to the door, ready to make her way to the spot she and Kiki had been thinking of earlier that day. Kiki rose to her feet, ready to follow Ruby and help her, but the mushroom fairy reminded her that she had a more important job to do - take Mishka to find him a new home in the village. Kemuri turned, looked at her new friends and said goodbye, reassuring them that she could handle tidying up herself and telling Mishka she looked forward to seeing his new home soon.

Exiting the house, Ruby waved goodbye to Kiki and Mishka, promising to see them tomorrow, and then headed towards the grassy area which used to be the village garden to set up her tent. It didn’t take long before she found herself at a familiar place. She stood, gazing at the old village gardens which had been left to grow in their own wild way, no longer looked after and pruned to perfection, before slowly looking towards the buildings to her right. These buildings were some of the most distinct houses in the village, built by talented craftsmen in the shape of toadstools specifically for the large family of mushroom fairies that used to live here. Ruby’s gaze fixed on the house she used to call home. She didn’t dare go inside as she knew she only planned to stay for a few weeks. If she entered her old home once more, it would be even more painful to leave and that wasn’t something she wanted to go through again. She loved her life, camping and travelling around, she didn’t want old memories to hold her back from her plans.

Snapping out of her own thoughts, Ruby reached into her magical purse and pulled out her tent and everything else she needed to set up camp. After setting up so many times, Ruby had the process down to a fine art, meaning she was completely set up within 15 minutes. Sitting down on the plush red and white cushions she had placed within her tent, Ruby pulled out a pen and paper and began to write to a good friend she had met in Pearly Shores a few months ago. They were the perfect person to help Ruby to get her hands on a coffee machine for Kemuri.  Once the letter was complete, Ruby retrieved her ocarina and began to play a short calling melody. A few moments later, a small grey dove flew down to her. Ruby rolled up the letter, placed It in the pouch tied to its leg and let it go. Doves were used less frequently now to send messages as postal services had been set up in all of the large towns nearby. However, when sending messages from or to more secluded areas, the doves were still sometimes used and this was the occasion to do it as the village was unknown to most people in the larger towns. After all, the emerald forest was a dangerous place to them!

Whilst this was all going on, Kiki and Mishka made their way through the village, passing by many different empty houses. Eventually, they found themselves in front of one of the oldest buildings in the village. It was two storeys high, made of timber framing and wattle and daub with a steeply pitched roof and an old tile roof. Lanterns hung by the door and a small circular window could be seen on the second floor. MIshka stared up at the house in awe. It was such a wonderful house, but it seemed too big for him to ask to live there. It seemed like too much; I don’t deserve it, he thought. Kiki turned back and saw Mishka gazing at the house. She saw his expression and knew he loved the outside of the house. It was a special house for Kiki as one of her tree guardian elders had lived there before they had passed away. It was hard for her to simply pass this house on but she took a step forward and opened the door. It had been the first house Mishka had responded to in this way, she could at least let him see inside. As the door opened, Kiki made her way inside, followed by her new bear friend. An enormous room greeted them, with a large kitchen and a beautiful Aga oven on one side, a large wooden staircase on the other side heading upstairs, and a long wooden table in the middle with a couple of wooden chairs. Kiki had spent many evenings here sharing food and enjoying the company of all the other guardians but it was now empty, which saddened her greatly.

Mishka stood in the doorway, mouth open wide in awe. It was a beautiful sight, a wonderful home. Kiki gave a little smile, took a deep breath and asked “Is this the one? Is this where you would like to call home?” with a small quiver in her voice. Mishka looked at Kiki, sensing she hesitancy and attachment to the house. “Uh, yes. I mean, no I couldn’t. It s too much” he replied stumbling over his words. The tension and emotions Kiki felt flooded out of her as she gave a small laugh. Mishka was such a kind bear and he had been through so much. Her elder would have wanted her to give Mishka this house as he seemed to love it as much as they did. ”It’s yours if you want it. Dare I say its the perfect kitchen for you to learn in and I have a feeling you might need all this space, though I don’t quite know why yet” she responded with a large grin.  Mishka’s face lit up as he nodded eagerly. Kiki made her way to the door and said “I will let you settle in now then and I will bring the keys in the morning.” As the door closed, Mishka made his way up the stairs; there was more for him to explore.

The next few weeks in the village seemed to fly by and the library seemed to always be visited by someone in the village beside the dragons. Prickles would often pop in early in the morning, bringing with him something new he had written for Kiki to read and give him feedback on. Later in the morning, Ruby would visit, bringing everyone breakfast and taking time to talk to the dragons about their cuisine until MIshka arrived, ready to find Ruby to teach him how to cook so they could prepare lunch for everyone. Then, in the afternoon, Kemuri would visit with Mishka, bringing freshly brewed tea or some instant coffee before they both delved into their book of interest. And finally, in the evening, Ruby would return, bringing Prickles so the whole village could enjoy eating their evening meal together. Each day Kiki felt more and more happy and grateful for their situation. It hadn’t been that long ago that she was alone, working thorough what seemed to be endless paperwork and unsorted books. Now, her days were filled with new friends and the village was starting to grow once more.

In these weeks, Ruby was always busy. Each morning she took the time to talk to the dragons about their cuisine whilst they worked in the library before going to Mishka’s new home and teaching him to cook. In the first week, Ruby took the time to teach Mishka dishes that she thought would be easiest for him to learn. She began with soups: warming carrot and coriander,  creamy potato and leek and chunky chicken and vegetable soup. These were the perfect three dishes that she taught MIshka first and everyone  loved the taste of them all, Mishka especially loved the fact he could take some bread and dip it in the soup. His success motivated Mishka to learn more and each day he would always find Ruby in good time, eager to learn more from her. After this, Ruby taught him some simple stew recipes. They started with a sausage and lentil stew before working on a cauliflower and chickpea stew and finally they decided on a beef casserole. Each one was delicious and Mishka learnt different accompanying foods to go with them: rice, mashed potato and extra roasted vegetables. Through these simple dishes, Mishka learnt many of the basic techniques of cooking and he felt ready to try different recipes he could find in the library on his own. However, there was one thing he was desperate to learn from Ruby: how to make bread. In their final official lesson together, Ruby finally taught the little bear how to make bread. Mishka loved the process of making bread more than anything else he had learnt. He found the kneading of the dough and mixing of ingredients much more fun and sometimes even therapeutic. Most importantly, the bread he made came out wonderfully and the aroma of freshly baked bread was so lovely, he wanted to make it over and over again.

Alongside teaching Mishka, Ruby learnt a lot herself from the dragons as they told her all of their favourite dishes. There were some that Ruby already knew of from her travelling but there were a few that stood out to her. First there was ginger beef which consisted of crispy fried strips of beef with a sweet and spicy sauce flavoured with lots of ginger, paired with wonderful fried rice. It sounded amazing to Ruby and she couldn’t wait to try it out when she could find all the ingredients. The next dish also seemed delicious to her. It was chilli con carne, a spicy stew which contained minced beef, chilli peppers, tomatoes and kidney beans. The dragons usually served it with rice and crunchy, cheese covered nachos. Once her teaching with Mishka was complete, she found time to try to make this recipe and although each time it was delicious, it took her 5 attempts before the dragons were able to tell her she had it perfected. The final dish the dragons spoke of was sushi and although this was something she had heard of, the recipe was unknown to anyone else she had met. This made her wings tingle. Finally she would learn what it really was. To her surprise, instead of teaching her the recipe, the dragons instead gave her a book they owned as there was actually more than one type of sushi. Ruby was full of excitement and couldn’t wait to learn them all.

By the third week, Mishka had finished his lessons and spent a lot of his time in the Great Tree Library, reading books on baking and pastries as he had become very passionate about learning and making them. Often after getting some guidance from Ruby, and borrowing the ingredients she had, He spent time trialling different recipes, finding his favourites. Every time, he would have too much for himself so he would always knock on doors and visit the Library, sharing what he made with anyone who wanted it. Surprisingly, although he was a beginner, Mishka had a natural talent for baking and everyone loved getting fresh bread, pastries, cookies and sometimes even cakes from him. Seeing how much everyone enjoyed what he was making, an idea began to form inside the little bear’s mind.

In the middle of the third week, Ruby received a message to say the coffee machine she ordered was ready to collect. She made her way to the Library to inform everyone of her departure, whilst trying to keep what she was going to do a secret. Unfortunately for her, the news of her departing sent the village into a frenzy. Everyone was panicking, not wanting her to leave just yet and Kemuri was tugging at her arm begging her to stay as she hadn’t taught the little cat how to brew coffee yet. Ruby gave a big sigh realising, she was going to have to explain where she was going. “I will be back, don’t worry. I am just going to collect something I have ordered.” Once again the room was filled with voices, everyone taking a guess as to what she was going to collect or insisting that she tell them what it was. She gave in once more saying: “Oh okay it’s a coffee machine. I did promise Kemuri that I would teach her after all!” The little cat bounced up and down on the spot in excitement, her blue eyes twinkling in anticipation. Everyone looked at her and laughed, Kemuri looked very cute and funny at that moment and they couldn’t hold in the laughter. Ruby waved goodbye to everyone and made her way to the edge of the forest near Pearly Shores.

After a couple of years of travelling, Ruby knew her way through the forest like the back of her hand, so it only took her two days to return. One day travelling there, one day coming back with the coffee machine. If the little mushroom fairy didn’t have her magic purse, this would have been an impossible task for her, so she was very lucky to have it. In the meantime, things in the village continued as always with Kiki and the dragons working in the library, Prickles deep in his writing, whilst Mishka and Kemuri spent their time together, drinking tea and eating whatever Mishka had baked freshly that day. Kiki was so pleased to see all the creatures thriving in the village but she did start to wonder what the newest villagers were up to. Every time she popped over to see them, usually to return empty cups or plates they had left in the library full of tea and snacks, the pair seemed to go very quiet, their voices turning into a whisper. What were they planning?

Once Ruby returned, the coffee machine was placed in Kemuri’s kitchen and lessons began. On the first day, they started with the basic principals of how to use the machine to make a simple americano. It took a couple of tries before the coffee tasted perfect, but Kemuri was a quick learner. After that, Ruby would visit the cat’s house each morning, ready to teach her a few new types of coffee, from cappuccino to mocha, with syrups and no syrups, every drink Ruby knew, Kemuri wanted to learn. As the days went on and the drinks were shared in the village, each inhabitant began to learn what their favourites were, ready to put in their orders once Kemuri had learnt all she wanted to know.

After a week, Kemuri and Mishka had been meeting every day after Ruby left the grey cat’s house. They began the week simply talking but after a couple of days they started to ask for paper from Kiki and they would spend their days scribbling down ideas. For what? Nobody else knew, but they were obviously planning something. Finally, at the end of the week, they were ready to uncover what they had been discussing. Once the villagers had finished their evening meal in the Library, the pair stood up and announced they had something they wanted to share. Mishka went first to explain his idea. He wanted to open a bakery in the village so people in the forest could come to his cart and not go hungry anymore. He had found out over these last weeks how much he enjoyed baking and he wanted all the forest inhabitants to enjoy breads and pastries just like he could, and not rely on scavenging for food. Kiki and Ruby shared a small glance. It was a wonderful idea and they too were concerned about how hungry other forest inhabitants might be. This was a wonderful opportunity to care for them and introduce them to the Library, so more creatures would come to borrow books and possibly fill up the village once more.

Once Mishka laid out his plans, Kemuri took the stage to explain her idea of setting up a drinks stall, specialising in coffee, as she wanted everyone in the forest to know how wonderful coffee was, how it had helped her, and most importantly, how delicious all the different types were. The table let out a small laugh hearing her words. They had all seen how much the little cat loved her coffee, so it was no surprise she wanted everyone else to try it too. Once the pair had finished explaining all their thoughts, Kiki grinned at them “So this is what you were whispering about every time I visited!” she said. The pair smiled back and nodded, proud they had come up with the idea without help. Kiki was still unsure of one thing though, where would they sell from? Kemuri’s kitchen had already been taken over by the coffee machine, she definitely couldn’t sell it from home and Mishka, although having a wonderfully large kitchen, lived more tucked away from the centre of the village. They both needed a designated area to sell from, without taking over any of the empty houses she hoped would one day be filled again. The table decided it was a wonderful idea but they would all go away that evening to think about how to make the idea a reality.

Before leaving, Ruby asked to borrow the paper with their plan on, and grabbed a few empty pages from the front desk of the library before heading back to her tent. That night, in candle light, Ruby sketched and sketched, ideas and examples of bakeries and coffee shops from everywhere she had visited. She started out sketching buildings, shacks, wagons, tents and stalls, all the unique ways creatures had been selling food and drink in different locations. She wasn’t an artist but what she sketched was very understandable and demonstrated perfectly what she had once seen. As the sun began to rise, Ruby let out a large yawn before setting down her pencil. She had finally finished the last sketch. With paper surrounding her, she laid her head on a pillow and finally drifted off to sleep.

That morning, the village gathered in the Library, waiting for Ruby to bring them breakfast, a routine they had all become accustomed to. However, as time passed on, Ruby didn’t arrive and the table grew impatient. Their mushroom fairy friend was never late and some creatures grew concerned she had left the village already. Kiki couldn’t understand how that could be possible. Ruby had taken the bakery and drinks shop plans with her, Kiki knew she would never take them away and then leave; something must be wrong. The guardian fairy rose to her feet, announcing she was going to visit Ruby’s tent. To her surprise, everyone at the table rose to their feet as well and followed her. As the group made their way to Ruby’s campsite, they couldn’t help but notice there was still no smell of anyone cooking. Kiki quickened her pace, moving from walking to flying, her wings fluttering as quickly as she could. Drawing near to Ruby’s campsite, everyone was relieved to see the red and white tent still standing there. Getting closer, Kiki saw that the tent was still closed and a faint snoring noise could be heard. She put a hand over her mouth, letting out a small giggle before signalling to everyone to be quiet. Slowly pushing back the curtain of the tent, Kiki looked inside to see her friend lying in  a sea of drawings, curled up in a ball, her head perched on the corner of a cushion. Then, one by one, a new head poked through the opening to see what was going on.

The papers rustled and Ruby let out a small groan as she woke. Opening her eyes, she sat up and was greeting by eight pairs of eyes staring at her through the tent door. “Hello” she muttered, still half asleep. Suddenly realising what was going on, Ruby jumped up, wide awake, making everyone laugh. “Late night? asked Kiki after her giggles subsided. Ruby nodded “I had too many ideas I needed to get onto paper that time slipped away” she said as she gathered together the papers on her floor. Kiki took the pile of paper from her and they all agreed to meet Ruby back at the library when breakfast was ready.

Sitting round the table once more before Ruby arrived with breakfast, Kiki passed around the sketches in the pile of paper. Everyone was amazed at all the different ideas the little red fairy had come up with and excitement bubbled under the surface as they waited to discuss everything over breakfast. Ruby burst through the door after a few minutes, panting and out of breath trying to get everything ready as quickly as possible after making everyone wait for so long. Soon the table was filled with scrambled eggs, beans, bacon and toast; a delicious quick breakfast that everyone enjoyed. Ideas and conversations flooded the room as everyone tucked into their breakfast and by the end, some decisions were made. Kemuri was going to have a coffee cart that she could set up every morning by pulling it from her house to the village square nearby. Mishka, on the other hand, would have a permanent stall set up in the square and each day he would simply bring the freshly baked goods from home to his stall to set up and sell. A couple more sketches were created to Mishka and Kemuri’s specifications before Ruby pulled out her ocarina once more and sent the sketches off to a builder in Claymont City so they could build the cart and stall for them.

Just as everyone was going to leave, Kiki suggested one more thing they needed to decide. If the village was going to grow once more, it needed a name. Without a second thought Fumi piped up “It’s Kiki’s Lane, isn’t it?”. The dragons laughed as Kiki looked confused. Lienna then explained how the little green dragon had come up with this name when they first began visiting the library. Fumi would always sing a little tune saying “We’re going to Kiki’s Lane” each day on their journey to the library and the name had stuck with them all. Prickles silently got out his notebook and the sound of his pen scribbling on the paper filled the room. Holding up his notebook, it read “Kiki Lane” and the room was filled with everyone else saying the name over and over before one by one they all smiled. Turning to Kiki, Ruby spoke for the group “I think that settles it. This village is called Kiki Lane.”.