Chapter 3
‘The next day we attended church, as we always did on Sundays. As soon as we settled into our regular pew, the second row right up front, I started scanning the crowd behind us hoping to see Chris or his brother, Nicholas. After several unsuccessful attempts to spot them, I leaned back, trying to get a better view and accidently slammed my head into Mr. Abernathy, an elderly man who was kneeling in the row directly behind me. Fortunately, my mother hadn’t seen the head-butting incident, but she gave me a curious look and told me rather sternly to “stop fidgeting and keep my eyes in front.” As I turned around I noticed Mr. Abernathy silently rubbing the red bump beginning to swell on his forehead. I pretended not to notice the sour-faced glare he was giving me.’
‘We hurried home after the service was over so my mother could prepare Sunday Dinner. She had invited the pastor and his wife, so she wanted as much time as possible to make sure everything was perfect. They arrived about an hour after we got home. Dinner, which in my opinion, should be called lunch since we eat it around two in the afternoon, was delicious as usual. One of my mother’s many talents is her ability to turn a simple meal into a mouthwatering feast. As soon as I was done eating I excused myself from the table. I used the old stand-by excuse about needing to complete a homework assignment that was due the next day. However, my actual plan included reading another few chapters in the latest Sherlock Holmes novel – The Five Orange Pips - and possibly a nap. I should point out that when I say “latest” novel, I don’t necessarily mean the novel that was published last. The Five Orange Pips was actually published several years ago in London - 1891, I believe - but it had just recently finished its long, slow journey across the Atlantic and then, at a snail’s pace, down the Eastern shore, eventually making its way through the sleepy southern states and then, after many months, into the great state of Texas and eventually into our little town of Kings Village. I am constantly asking Mr. Abernathy, who owns the Trading Post, to order new books for me, but I seldom get more than one or two a year and after the head injury I inflicted on him today, without an apology I might add, I’m not expecting another book anytime soon.’
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‘Every morning that week I left for school earlier than usual and was in the school yard a little after 7:00 - almost a full hour before school started at 8 a.m. I was hoping to see my new friends, but I was disappointed each day. Since I had put off so many of my chores recently, I was forced to go straight home and continue on the list of to-do items my mother had given me with very clear instruction to complete everything on the list before I took any time to play. There were bed sheets to air out, windows to scrub, walkways to sweep, fences to paint and various other duties that kept me busy, or as my mother put it, “out of trouble”. What “trouble” she was talking about though, I had no idea.’
‘When I woke that morning, a little later than usual since it was Saturday, I realized my list was complete and I was free to spend the day as I pleased. I leapt out of bed, quickly put on my “Saturday” clothes - the ones my mother said were either too old or too small (I was in the middle of a growth spurt), the ones she didn’t mind me getting dirty - and bolted for the door.’
“Hey, what about breakfast,” I heard my father shout after me.
‘“I’m not hungry,” I yelled back. I slowed down and glanced behind me to make sure he’d heard me. I could tell by his smile and his wave he had, so I resumed my top speed dash into town.’
‘When I reached Chris’s house, a bit winded from my run, I stopped suddenly and stared in shock. Was this the same building I was at a week ago? Could it be? It was totally transformed.’
‘I noticed Mr. Frost and Chris (or possibly Nicholas) on the roof lowering a sign over the edge. Mrs. Frost was below giving directions.’
‘“It needs to go a little to the left, a little higher on the right, no-no, too high, Nicholas, lower it a little on your end. OK, there. Hold it right there. That’s perfect.”’
‘Mr. Frost took one of the nails he held between his lips and started to secure the sign.’
‘I was stunned - the sign read: Toy Store and Chocolates on the Park
‘They were opening a toy store? A store that sells only toys? Well, apparently chocolates too. I had never heard of such a thing.’
‘“Hello, Walter. It’s nice to see you again,” Mrs. Frost said when she noticed me standing next to her. The same bright smile was on her face that I remembered from my last visit.’
‘“Hello, Mrs. Frost. I was wondering if Chris was home.”’
‘“Yes, he’s inside. Go on in. I’m sure he’ll be delighted to see you again.”’
‘“Thank you,” I said, but I couldn’t stop staring at the building. It was so completely changed I couldn’t quite believe it was the same place. The paint was fresh and perfectly white. Not just white, but a pure white, a whiter-white than I’d ever seen. The boards were all perfect. They looked brand new. What amazed me the most was the chimney and porch; they were both crumbling and on the verge of collapse last week, but now they were so straight it almost seemed like an illusion.’
‘“I can’t believe how different it is,” I said before I could stop myself.’
‘“Well, we’ve been working hard this week,” she said. “Go on in and see Chris now.” She gave me another flash of smile and a wink.’
‘When I walked up the front steps a few seconds later, I was completely unprepared for the shock I was about to get.’
‘The sun was reflecting off the windows, so I didn’t see inside until I stepped through the front door, but when I did I literally could not believe my eyes.’
‘The room was transformed into a wonderland. I looked around in total confusion. Everything was shiny and new. The floor, what little of it I could see, was so polished it looked almost like glass. The dusty glass display cases that were carelessly pushed into corners and up against walls last week were now crystal clear and perfectly straight. They were overflowing with more chocolate than I could image the entire town eating in a year. At the same moment I noticed the chocolates, I was overcome with the deep, mouthwatering smell of sugary goodness. The smell was indescribable. The only way I could put it would be to say it smelled like my mother’s chocolate cake times a hundred and that still wouldn’t smell good enough. The air was so thick and rich with aromas I swear I could taste the chocolate with every breath. There wasn’t even the slightest trace of the musty old smell I’d noticed the week before.’
‘As I glanced around the room, I looked up the aisle next to me. It seemed to go on forever. It was crammed full of stuffed bears, dogs, horses, cats and some animals I had only seen in books, like giraffes and zebras. Stuffed monkeys and colorful stuffed parrots hung from life-size fake trees every few feet down the row. There was a stuffed Gorilla that was almost as big I was. The next row was just as amazing. It was packed with hundreds of items. Some looked familiar, some I had never seen before. Every shelf of every row was filled with toys. Somehow the room looked bigger than I remembered it. I could see the walls, but they seemed so far away. Was it an illusion? The room I was standing in appeared to be larger than the house itself. As I took a few steps forward, my legs felt weak and shaky. Every ounce of my body’s energy was being used to absorb the things around me. I could see inside the glass cases that ran down the left side of the store. The display cases were filled with, not only chocolates, but every imaginable hard candy, chewy gumdrop or sugary creation I could imagine. I stopped every few steps to look up each aisle as I passed. One aisle had puzzles, games, blocks and countless other things that were stacked so high I thought it would be impossible for anyone to reach the top.’
‘I jumped in fright when something moved past my foot. I looked down and saw a train rolling along railroad tracks that circled around the front of the aisle. It tooted as it passed me, almost as if it was saying hello. I couldn’t tell where the tracks led. They seemed to be woven throughout the entire vastness of the room.’
‘My senses were so overwhelmed I couldn’t grasp the incredibleness of it all. I felt a wave of dizziness as I stood looking at the amazing objects around me. I inhaled deeply, savoring the mouthwatering aromas of the candy and chocolate. Slowly another one of my senses began to react. Instead of the hollow echo I remembered from last week, the room was filled with the sounds of a Jungle. I heard the squawks of exotic birds over a chorus of chirping crickets, the steady plunk of invisible raindrops falling on thick, non-existent leaves. I froze for a moment when I heard the roar of a lion followed by the screech of what I thought was a cheetah. The sounds were both familiar yet unfamiliar. I had never heard these sounds, but I had read about them and somehow I was able to associate the sounds with what my mind pictured them to be. I felt another wave of dizziness. I closed my eyes and steadied myself on one of the glass cases next to me. When the dizziness passed I opened my eyes to see Chris standing in front of me.’
‘“Hello,” he said excitedly. “I’m so glad to see you again.”’
‘“Hey, Chris,” I said, and only then realized I had been worried that Chris wouldn’t want to see me again, that maybe he didn’t want or need a best friend. That thought vanished instantly when I heard the genuine excitement in his voice, and a sense of relief passed through me.’
‘“I can’t believe how much you have done in only a week. The store looks absolutely amazing. How did you do it?” I asked still looking around the store.’
‘Chris’s presence comforted me and I slowly began to gain control of my senses. But just when my heart rate began to return to its normal pace, a jack-in-the box popped up by my side. I screamed like a little girl before I could stop myself.’
‘“Hello, Walter” the jack-in-the-box said as its head bobbed back and forth on the extended spring. I shook my head in amazement.’
‘“How did it do that?” I asked Chris, unsure if I would ever recover from the shock of hearing that toy say my name.’
‘“Do what?” Chris asked, but I could tell he was not surprised at what just happened.’
‘“Things in this store sometimes have a life of their own,” Chris said with a big grin.’
‘I was still in shock, but I eventually convinced myself I hadn’t heard what I’d heard. I knew jack-in-the boxes couldn’t talk and they definitely couldn’t say hello to me.’
‘“What are you doing?” I asked as calmly as I could. I didn’t want to say anything that would make Chris think I was crazy and risk losing my new friend.’
‘“I’m making toys in the workshop in back,” Chris said. He must have seen something in my expression because he added, “That’s what I do. I make toys. We’ve made all of these,” he said, sweeping his arm to indicate the entire store.’
‘I wondered briefly who he meant by “we” but the thought passed before I could verbalize it. When I thought about it later, I assumed he was talking about his family.’
‘“You’re making them?” I asked with genuine surprise. I looked around the room at the various items around me. They were incredible. They looked absolutely perfect. How could Chris have made them? How could anyone have made them?’
‘“You’re kidding me, right?” I asked. I felt another wave of dizziness, but I forced it away. “How could you make these?”’
‘“It’s easy. Come on in back and I’ll show you,” Chris said, as he turned around and headed back through the door in the back of the room. The same door his father had come through the last time I was there.’
‘My heart was racing. I was sweating and still slightly dizzy from all the wondrous things I’d seen when I walked through the front door, but that was nothing compared to the shock I got when I followed Chris into the back room.’
‘The room was huge - as big, if not bigger than the front room - but this room was separated into two sections. The space to the left was a vast kitchen with trays and trays of chocolates in various stages of preparation. Everything was covered with a thick layer of white, including the young girl who was standing over the stove stirring a pot the size of a small bathtub. She looked up when we walked through the door. She appeared to be about our age, but it was hard to tell because her hair, shoulders and face were completely covered with the white powder. When she smiled I could tell immediately that she was Chris’s sister. She had the same warm, welcoming smile as her mother. When I looked closer I realized she resembled her mother in every way. She was short and plump and pretty.’
‘“Noel, this is my friend Walter,” Chris said, as I stood looking around the room.’
‘“Hello,” I said after our brief introduction.’
‘Noel nodded and gave me a little wave. Her cheeks seem to redden beneath the layer of white.’
‘“I don’t mind sharing the room with Noel,” Chris said with a smile, “but she gets powdered sugar everywhere.”’
‘I returned Noel’s little wave then followed Chris deeper into his workshop on the other side of the room. I was amazed, and somewhat in awe, when I saw hundreds of toys scattered throughout the room. Chris’s workshop looked very similar to Noel’s kitchen. Like her chocolates, Chris’s toys were in various stages of completion. Almost as if whoever was working on them just stopped and walked away. I noticed one table had various stuffed animals on it. They were surrounded by piles of soft white cotton balls. Some of the animals were finished, set at the back of the table, waiting to be placed in boxes or put on display in the shop. But some of them had their little tummies wide open, bits of white fluff sticking out, waiting for the next handful of cotton to fill out their little arms and legs.’
‘Next to that table there was a row of small desks. Each desk had a tiny sewing machine on it. In front of each sewing machine was a stool. The stools were small, but extremely high, the seats were almost level with the table-top. Each machine had a pile of colored fabric next to it. I noticed in the machines there were tiny little dresses, or small little bonnets, or a pair of tiny little pants. I wondered who they were being made for, then noticed the table next to the sewing machines was covered with dolls of various sizes, sitting patiently, waiting for their new clothes.’
‘I should have wondered why there were so many items being created at once, but at the time I was too overwhelmed to think about it. As Chris led me to his desk at the back of the room we passed several more tables, each one filled with half-made toys. There was a table dedicated to wooden trains. One train had three wheels on it, the fourth wheel lying next to it waiting to be attached. I noticed a couple of the trains on the table were partially painted, a few tiny wet paint brushes lying next to them. I knew it was impossible for Chris to be working on all of them at once, but for whatever reason, that day I didn’t question it. It took us about twenty minutes to reach Chris’s desk, since I kept stopping to look at the wonderful things along the way.’
‘Chris remained silent the entire time, but I could tell he was watching me closely. My amazement must have shown clearly on my face.’
‘“What do you think?” Chris asked as he sat in the chair behind the cluttered desk. He nodded to a stool next to the desk, which I hadn’t noticed before. A stool which, I was almost sure, wasn’t there a moment ago. I sat down, searching for words to explain all the emotions running through my mind. After several long moments I finally settled on the truth. “It’s so incredible I can’t put it into words.”’
‘Chris smiled, obviously pleased by my response.’
‘We sat quietly for several minutes as I continued to look around the room. “How do you know what to make?”’
‘“I have a list,” he said. Once again, thinking about it now, I should have asked more questions, but at the time his answer seemed complete and I never wondered where this “list” came from or what it was used for.’
‘From somewhere behind me, I distinctly heard what sounded like a muffled giggle. When I turned around to see where the sound was coming from, I noticed a small wooden door. The door was only about 2 feet high and maybe a foot wide. It was barely big enough for someone to crawl through. As I stared at the door I heard it again, except this time it wasn’t a single giggle it was several giggles and the sound was definitely coming from behind that mysterious little door.’
‘Chris looked at me. His expression was curious, but his smile was still wide on his face. “Mice,” he said, “They’re everywhere. Do you want to go outside and explore? I haven’t had a chance to see the village yet.”’
‘“Yeah, that sounds great. Let’s go,” I said.’
‘As we left, I waved goodbye to Noel. When she waved back a large cloud of powdered sugar wafted into the air.’