Post by Helia Ollivander on Jul 8, 2008 22:09:14 GMT
Please do not reply to this thread. Start a new one. This is just to set the scene, thanks.
In the round cobblestone cottage, two stores down from Madam Puddifoot's, just across from Scrivenshaft's, a young lady danced up the steps to "Helia's Wanderful World". She through open the windowed, wooden doors, the brass bell overhead jingling merrily, and promptly began coughing from all the dust.
"Okay, okay, I get it! No more two year vacations or you're going to soil yourself with dust while I'm gone. I understand!" she coughed and hacked for a good five minutes more before she managed to throw open the three large round windows on each side of the store, plus the two either side of the door.
As the fresh air and sunshine wafted into the store Helia grimaced. There was a four inch layer of dust over everything. She sighed, "Why must you be soo finickey, Heww?" she questioned the store. "Okay, okay. Time for a makeover, how does that sound?" The light fixtures glowed a little brighter. "That's what I thought. I think it's time for something a little classier, what do you think? No more crate chairs, barstools, or barrel tables?" In response, all the furniture in the room crashed to the floor. "Settle down, settle down. How about you clean yourself up, and I'll go get the new furniture, huh?" The cleaning closet door swung open and all the feather dusters, brooms, mops, buckets, and window sponges went to work. Halo smiled and walked back outside to the train.
Upon her return, the store was spotless. "That a good store. Thanks you, Heww." She leaned outside the double doors and called out, "Bring it in, boys!" A fleet of young men in Hogwarts robes came ambling through the doorway, piled up with furniture of all kinds. Three glass tables with gold stands, seven high-backed cherry-wood stools, nine matching cherry wood shelves to line the walls, and a glass display case to replace the old oak island at the back of the storefront. "Thanks much, boys. A sickle for each of you for all your hard work," she dropped a silver piece into each boy's hand as he walked out again.
"Now it's your turn, Heww. Do what you do." An electric hum began to fill the room. The lights began to flicker, then everything went black. When the room was illuminated once more the store was transformed. The walls were now draped with crushed blue velvet, the old shoddy light fixtures were replaced with golden wall sconces, with a gigantic golden chandelier hanging from the ceiling, accented with pearls. Where once a tapestry of Wendle the Weird hung to seperate the store front from the storage room in back, now there was a matching blue velvet curtain. The floor was shiny black ebony, and, just to top it all off, a cobalt blue, silk chaise loung chair planted itself in the middle of the room. "Aww, Heww," Helia cooed, "You really do good work. You know that?" The lights wiggled merrily.
A mere four hours later, Helia had finished stocking the shelves, arranging the tables, setting the chairs up, and putting her rolling ladder back up against the shelves. She looked around, "We do good work Heww, but we're still missing something..." as she turned to head into the storage room, she found just what she was looking for, floating in mid air towards her. She smiled, "The purple cushion," she gingerly accepted the faded pillow from the specter of her store. She walked around to the glass display case, opened it up and set the cushion inside. She pulled a wand from a nearby shelf and set it on the pillow, then closed the case. Standing up and walking over to the chaise lounge she grinned, "We're open again!"
In the round cobblestone cottage, two stores down from Madam Puddifoot's, just across from Scrivenshaft's, a young lady danced up the steps to "Helia's Wanderful World". She through open the windowed, wooden doors, the brass bell overhead jingling merrily, and promptly began coughing from all the dust.
"Okay, okay, I get it! No more two year vacations or you're going to soil yourself with dust while I'm gone. I understand!" she coughed and hacked for a good five minutes more before she managed to throw open the three large round windows on each side of the store, plus the two either side of the door.
As the fresh air and sunshine wafted into the store Helia grimaced. There was a four inch layer of dust over everything. She sighed, "Why must you be soo finickey, Heww?" she questioned the store. "Okay, okay. Time for a makeover, how does that sound?" The light fixtures glowed a little brighter. "That's what I thought. I think it's time for something a little classier, what do you think? No more crate chairs, barstools, or barrel tables?" In response, all the furniture in the room crashed to the floor. "Settle down, settle down. How about you clean yourself up, and I'll go get the new furniture, huh?" The cleaning closet door swung open and all the feather dusters, brooms, mops, buckets, and window sponges went to work. Halo smiled and walked back outside to the train.
Upon her return, the store was spotless. "That a good store. Thanks you, Heww." She leaned outside the double doors and called out, "Bring it in, boys!" A fleet of young men in Hogwarts robes came ambling through the doorway, piled up with furniture of all kinds. Three glass tables with gold stands, seven high-backed cherry-wood stools, nine matching cherry wood shelves to line the walls, and a glass display case to replace the old oak island at the back of the storefront. "Thanks much, boys. A sickle for each of you for all your hard work," she dropped a silver piece into each boy's hand as he walked out again.
"Now it's your turn, Heww. Do what you do." An electric hum began to fill the room. The lights began to flicker, then everything went black. When the room was illuminated once more the store was transformed. The walls were now draped with crushed blue velvet, the old shoddy light fixtures were replaced with golden wall sconces, with a gigantic golden chandelier hanging from the ceiling, accented with pearls. Where once a tapestry of Wendle the Weird hung to seperate the store front from the storage room in back, now there was a matching blue velvet curtain. The floor was shiny black ebony, and, just to top it all off, a cobalt blue, silk chaise loung chair planted itself in the middle of the room. "Aww, Heww," Helia cooed, "You really do good work. You know that?" The lights wiggled merrily.
A mere four hours later, Helia had finished stocking the shelves, arranging the tables, setting the chairs up, and putting her rolling ladder back up against the shelves. She looked around, "We do good work Heww, but we're still missing something..." as she turned to head into the storage room, she found just what she was looking for, floating in mid air towards her. She smiled, "The purple cushion," she gingerly accepted the faded pillow from the specter of her store. She walked around to the glass display case, opened it up and set the cushion inside. She pulled a wand from a nearby shelf and set it on the pillow, then closed the case. Standing up and walking over to the chaise lounge she grinned, "We're open again!"