Renovations and Revelations

Eager to tell Kiki the great news, Ruby rushed into the library, her wings fluttering at full speed. “They’re coming, they’re coming!” she exclaimed with joy. One by one, eight faces poked out from behind different bookshelves as Kiki flew down from the top of the tallest shelf in the library. “Who’s coming?” asked Kiki with a puzzled look on her face. “Piccolo!” replied Ruby as she spun in the air. Murmurs of excitement bounced around the room. “Hang on a minute. Calm down Ruby, you’re going to make yourself dizzy” said Kiki grabbing onto her friend’s arm and pulling her down to the floor. “That’s brilliant news but you said they’re coming. Who else is coming and why have you got leaves in your hair? I thought you were working at the inn” she questioned, picking off the leaves as the room fell into silence once more. Ruby enthusiastically explained everything that had happened that morning and about Piccolo’s lovely friend Hattie, before making her way to prepare lunch at the campsite. As she left Ruby noticed a smile creep onto Prickle’s face as everyone began chattering with excitement about their two new lunchtime guests.

At the inn, Piccolo slowly pushed open the door, allowing Hattie in for the first time. It was definitely in need of work but Hattie could see its potential just from seeing the reception. With a smile on his face, Piccolo guided his friend through the hallways to his room and  proudly opened the door to his room. Hattie looked around and noted how lovely her friend’s room was before walking over to the vase full of flowers. “I’m please to see you are putting your vase to good use” she commented taking in the aroma. “Of course.” Piccolo replied “It was a gift from you and it perfectly holds daisies” he continued, walking over and placing a few fresh daisies they had picked that morning into the purple vase. Hattie gave him a friendly pat on the head before they toured the rest of the inn.

With two extra places created at the table, Kiki rounded everyone up before going to check on Ruby. Sure enough, Ruby was just about to bring lunch back to the Great Tree. “Leave this part to me. Why don’t you go and bring our new friends to lunch? I’ll see you there” directed Kiki as she picked up the large picnic basket of food and made her way back to the library. Beaming, Ruby rushed over to the inn before guiding Hattie to the Great Tree, with Piccolo in tow nervously holding on to Hattie’s curly fur.

The lunch was a success with everyone enjoying the food and getting to know their new friends of the village. Bubbly and outgoing, Hattie did a lot more talking than her little mouse friend but nobody seemed to mind, understanding his shyness around new creatures. Kiki caught glimpses of Prickles and Piccolo passing notes  throughout the meal and it brought a smile to her face to know they were able to find someone to bond with despite their shyness. As plates were tidied up and conversations came to an end, Hattie took the opportunity to ask Ruby a question she had been thinking since visiting the inn. “Would you mind if I came to help with the renovations over the next few weeks? I have things to do this afternoon but I would love to come and help from tomorrow?” she asked as Piccolo enthusiastically nodded beside her. Not one to turn down help, Ruby was pleased to accept the offer before saying goodbye to her new furry friend.

That night, as Piccolo was taking a bath before bed, he began to think about his eventful day. He was so pleased he followed Hattie to the village lunch and began to think about all the new creatures he got to meet. They weren’t as scary as he expected, he thought to himself. In fact they were all rather friendly and he began to look forward to spending more time with each of them, Prickles especially. Drying himself off and getting into bed, his mind was filled with the beautiful sight of the Great Tree Library and he dreamt of wonderful tales.

The next morning, Ruby completed her normal daily routine before heading to the inn to start work. As she entered she was met by Piccolo sweeping away. Today, unlike any other day, he turned and gave the fairy a little wave before mumbling a small “Good morning.” Before she could respond the door behind he swung open as Hattie burst through the door with hands full of paint brushes and rollers. “Morning workers! I thought I’d start bringing supplies today as I can’t carry it all at once” explained Hattie with a grin before going over to hug Piccolo.

Over the next few days, each morning carried on like this with Piccolo’s greeting become louder and stronger each day. The trio spent the days working closely beside each other, continuing to remove the old wallpaper in the guest rooms. Hattie and Ruby worked brilliantly together with each of them targeting areas they were suited to whilst little Piccolo happily worked as clean up crew, gathering together the strips of ripped wallpaper and slowly cleaning up the debris and placing it all into bags to be removed later. Ruby had been quite surprised when Piccolo had joined them the first day but she could tell Piccolo had the confidence to help when Hattie was around. Each day he began to be more and more comfortable around all the villagers, talking to them and joining in with lunch and evening meals. Everyone was so happy to see his confidence grow as the days went on.

On the fourth day of renovating as a trio, they were finally ready to tackle painting. Everyone had a role to play in the painting and it worked brilliantly. As the only one who could fly, Ruby took charge of painting the highest points of the walls and cutting in around the edges of the ceiling. Piccolo, on the other hand, as the smallest had the task of cutting in along on bottom of the wall above the skirting. Finally, Hattie took charge of the rest of the wall, expertly using a long handled paint roller to let the process progress as quickly as possible. They all had great fun taking turns and choosing different colours for each guest room and Hattie enthusiastically updated everyone over lunch on what colour they were doing that day. They were all having a wonderful time.

As the days progressed, the trio slowly made their way through the long list of guest rooms that needed a fresh coat of paint. However, one thing they still couldn’t work out was how to decorate the communal areas. Each lunchtime and evening Ruby would depart to make food and Piccolo would get out a bucket of water and a cloth to clean up any paint splatters they had left behind. After a few days of not knowing what to do with herself, Hattie decided to start planning options for the reception and dining area and after seeing how wonderfully she was designing it all, Ruby left her in charge of decorations. She was very happy for her new fried to take the lead and Ruby would simply help her dreams become reality.

Living quite near the edge of the forest, Hattie had got into the habit of visiting the city once a week to shop for her weekly food. Claymont city was a bustling place, always up to date with the latest trends and bursting with different shops. Hattie was always enraptured by the shop windows of the interior and home goods stores and indulged herself by visiting one shop every time she visited the city as a treat so she knew a lot of different styles and trends that people were enjoying. It was in one of these shops that she had found the purple ceramic vase for Piccolo one year for his birthday.

Three weeks later, with most of the painting complete, Ruby got a message: the bakery stall and coffee cart were complete. Leaving the inn in Hattie’s capable hands, Ruby set off to collect what she had ordered after receiving a note from Hattie as she waved goodbye.

As Ruby flew through the forest, making her way through the trees, dodging hanging branches, she felt a pang of sadness. In the weeks working in the inn with Hattie and Piccolo, she had begun to feel like she was at home. She looked forward to working with them each day as she woke and went to sleep feeling like she had the best day and it didn’t feel like work at all. She had always longed to travel, perhaps because nowhere had felt so homely, so comforting. She would miss being in Kiki Lane, all her friends, their mealtimes together and the sense of belonging. Ruby had visited so many places but had always felt like a visitor and outsider but she felt a sense of belonging in the village, like she had a purpose.

Reaching the city gate she realised it was getting dark. Showing her identification badge, the guards let her in and she found a tavern to stay in for the night. She had visited the city before and knew of somewhere an old friend had recommended so she made her way there after getting directions from a local. It didn’t take long before she found herself sitting at a table waiting for food. The tavern was bustling with visitors and candles glowed, lighting up the room. In the corner was a bard singing to the room with a guitarist accompanying. If you looked more carefully, you could see her pale pink wings glistening in the candlelight. Ruby, however, was not paying attention as she retrieved the note Hattie gave her from her purse. Chuckling to herself, Ruby read the list scribbled on the paper in her hand. It detailed several shops in the city which Hattie had placed an order in which were ready for collection. After eating her meal and making her way to her room, Ruby collapsed onto the bed and closed her eyes, exhausted from her day of travelling.

The next day Ruby made her way to collect what she had ordered and placed the stall and cart into her magical purse before scouring the streets for all the shops Hattie had asked her to visit. It took her all day wandering through the city to find the different stores on her list. As night began to fall and shops started to close up, Ruby eventually made it to the final store : Miss Eleanor’s. Unlike many of the other stores, the shop window was not full of beautifully made home decor. Instead, a beautiful red dress stood in the window with gorgeous floral curtains and an old sewing machine. Ruby stared at the dress in awe. It was beautiful. Snapping herself out of a trance she pushed the door open, confused as to what it was she was collecting. A lovely young lady greeted her as she entered and introduced herself as Eleanor and complemented Ruby on her dress, making her cheeks flush red. “I’m here to collect an order for Hattie” said Ruby as she walked towards the counter. “Ah yes. You must be Ruby. Hattie told me in her letter you would be coming” smiled Eleanor as she went to collect several bags from the store cupboard. “Are you going to be alright carrying all of this?” questioned Eleanor in concern. Ruby pulled out her purse and slowly placed each bag inside as the shop owner smiled, understanding the purse’s abilities. As Ruby left, the owner sang out “And no peeping” with a smile, making Ruby very curious. Realising how late it was, Ruby headed back to the tavern. She was going to have to stay another night and depart tomorrow.

Back in Kiki Lane, Hattie and Piccolo continued to paint some of the woodwork in the inn - mainly skirtings and architrave. It felt quite empty without Ruby there and even Piccolo began to miss his new friend. Elsewhere in the village, Mishka took charge of mealtimes, applying everything he had learned from Ruby. Nobody dared to say it but they all knew it wasn’t as good as Ruby’s, even Mishka, but he ploughed on doing his best and everyone still enjoyed their meals. A hole was beginning to form without everyone’s favourite mushroom fairy and Kiki began to worry.

A few days later, Ruby returned and slowly emptied her magical purse of everything she had collected in her short trip to the city. As she entered the village, Ruby felt like she had returned home. The flame inside of her longing to travel had dwindled into a small flicker. As everyone saw her she was pulled into a large group hug. This was home. The inn was not yet ready but something inside of her said she should stay, even when it was completed. Not sure if she would change her mind, she uttered her thoughts to no-one.

In the next few days Mishka and Kemuri slowly started to set up and get to know their new mobile shops as Ruby continued work in the inn and Hattie unboxed all of her interiors. The first bag she opened was one from Miss Eleanor’s. Inside were beautifully handmade curtains and pillows with different themes and colour schemes for different rooms. She went through all of the bags from Miss Eleanor’s but instead of opening the final bag, she gave it to Piccolo with a nod who quickly scurried to put in his room. Questions flooded Ruby’s mind but she had to quickly move on as Hattie began to open boxes and bags from other stores.

On the third evening after Ruby’s return Hattie pulled Ruby and Kiki aside to ask them a very important question. She had spent a lot of time now working in the inn with Piccolo and had grown very fond of the old building. She had lived alone in the forest for a long time now but thought it was time for a change of pace. There was one room next to Piccolo’s in what they now considered the working quarters of the inn and Hattie wondered if it could be hers. “Would it be okay if I came to live in Kiki Lane?” she asked hopefully. “There’s a room next to Piccolo’s and I wold really love to work as the innkeeper if you would let me?” she trailed off, worried about their response. “I think everyone would be happy to see you in charge of such an establishment, you’ve done such wonderful work on it already” assured Kiki as Ruby nodded in agreement, her mind swirling with thoughts.

That night Ruby struggled to sleep once more and all she could think of was the inn. In the morning, she met up with Hattie at the inn. When they both arrived, they were surprised to see Piccolo was in his room with a paper sign on his door saying keep out. Knocking on the door, Hattie called out to her friend “Piccolo is everything okay? We’re just going to collect all of my things from my house.” The door creaked open slightly and Piccolo poked his head out “Okay” he chirped “I think it will be ready by then so see you later” he smiled before closing the door. Ruby and Hattie looked at each other in confusion. What would be ready? With no time to waste they pushed the situation aside and moved ahead with their day’s task.

It didn’t take them long to reach Hattie’s house. Ruby had gone expecting a lovely cottage in the village but was surprised to find a large burrow with a wooden door. “I found this place empty one day and made it into a home. Its quite cramped inside, only room for one, but it’s been enough for me. I have always dreamed of somewhere to decorate however I want though” mused Hattie as she opened the door which quickly fell off one of its hinges. ”Oh that happens sometimes. Don’t worry about it” she chuckled, too happy thinking about her new room at the inn.

With everything packed into Ruby’s purse, the pari set off back to the inn. “I’ve been thinking” said Ruby playing with her two plaits. “I was planning on leaving soon, you know,  travel and all that. But. Well. What do you think about me staying as the inn’s cook?” Ruby said staring down at the floor. Hattie gave a knowing smile, trying to keep her excitement at bay. “You’re a wanderer at heart. Or at least you thought you were. But like me you’ve come to love that old building and all the villagers in Kiki Lane haven’t you?” mused Hattie pausing to look at her red winged friend. “I would love for you to stay but ultimately it’s your decision to make” continued Hattie, bringing the teary eyed Ruby into an embrace.

A little while later Hattie and Ruby opened the door to the inn and found Piccolo sweeping the floor and humming a little tune. “Welcome home” he said greeting his friends. Hattie grinned and thanked Piccolo before asking him to collect the bag from his room. Sitting down beside a silent Ruby, Hattie placed a paw on her back to comfort her. “It is home. My home.” whispered Ruby as Piccolo entered the space. The red fairy was staring at the floor and didn’t notice Piccolo’s return, or Hattie walking over to him. Suddenly, a piece of red fabric was held out towards her, beneath her gaze. Confused, Ruby looked up to see Hattie and Piccolo wearing beautiful aprons. Piccolo wore a tiny purple apron and Hattie had a gorgeous turquoise one, both matching their eyes, and embroidered on them were their names. Looking down at red fabric, she realised it was for her and even had her name on it. Putting it on she marvelled at the perfect fit, draping beautifully over her favourite red dress. “How did you know?” choked out Ruby, tears now streaming down her face. “We didn’t. We just hoped” replied Piccolo as he walked over to give her a hug.

That evening, Ruby proudly walked into their mealtime, wearing her matching apron with Piccolo and Hattie, and announced to the villagers she would be staying. The room erupted in cheers and Kiki gave her friend a large hug. “Welcome home” she whispered a tear rolling down her cheek in happiness. With everyone calmed down, Piccolo tugged on Hattie’s fur: “I have something to show everyone” he beamed before scurrying off to collect something. As he returned Hattie announced over the loud chatter at the table “Everyone have a look. Piccolo wants to show everyone something!”. The table quickly became silent as Piccolo climbed on top of his chair and produced a wooden sign he had made all by himself with the words Kiki Lane painted onto it. “I thought our village needed a sign” he squeaked with a proud grin. The table applauded once more and Piccolo noticed Prickles hold up a piece of paper; drawn on it was a heart. The villagers spent the evening together celebrating, eating and chatting, ready for the village’s new chapter.