My Pied Piper

My eyes were just starting to close when the familiar shop bell clanged. Reluctantly, I sat upright, rubbed the sleep from eyes, pushed my glasses up my nose, and tactfully shoved the paper I’d been drooling on underneath the growing pile on my desk. Behind the tall rows of books I could hear the customer step and pause, step and pause. I smiled to myself, knowing the person was definitely an adamant reader. Another couple steps and a pause. From the creak in the floor I could tell they were just at the end of the shelf. One more step and I’d be able to see what they looked like.

I always liked to play a game with myself about what the customer looks like, based on the way they walked, and knowing what genres of books they paused at. We had our best sellers and our rarities right near the entrance to draw customers in, unconcerned about theft in our small, book-loving community. Mine was just one of 8 new and used bookshops in our town.

The first step would have brought them to our top books of 2019. Hmm, interested in what others were reading, I thought. Not very conclusive about looks however, as most people stopped there. The second step, light and delicate. It would have brought them to the classics. The pause was long. Probably a younger female. The last couple steps. Mysteries were at the end of the shelf. Definitely a younger female.

I pictured a shortie with a cute short skirt and turtleneck, round glasses, large and beautiful green eyes, wavy chestnut hair just past her chin, and lots of perfect freckles. It’s what I hoped for at least. Piper was a regular here and seeing her made my heart skip without fail. We’d become fast friends due to our similar taste in books.

They stayed in the mystery section for quite a while. I returned to the pile on my desk. After a few minutes I heard impatient toe tapping. I looked up and caught a glimpse of short hair flicking back around the bookshelf. A loud giggle. Piper. I straightened up again, pushed my long hair behind my ears, and tried to look decently presentable.

“Well come on Addie!” she called from behind the shelf, “What do I look like today?”

My cheeks reddened. Piper had caught me playing my customer game once and hadn’t let it go since. Beautiful, I thought. But I couldn’t tell her what I actually thought, no way.

“Uhh… Well it’s decently cold outside are you wearing a turtleneck?” I tentatively replied.

“What about the bottom?” she called, still behind the shelf.

“Jeans?” I asked instead of the short skirt I wanted to see.

“NOPE!” she jumped out from behind the shelf, adorned in a ridiculous Christmas onesie.

My jaw dropped. She still looked beautiful, but she was brave to wear that out in public. Elves doing every Christmas trope covered the onesie; kissing under mistletoe, decking the halls, baking, building a snowman, making toys, filling Santa’s sleigh, even sitting on Santa’s lap. I paused for a moment, taking it all in, then looking back at her face. We both burst into laughter.

“I have a matching one right here Addie,” Piper held up a bag.

“Ohhh no,” I shook my head, “There is no way…” She approached me slowly with the bag, a coy smile on her lips. “No!” I replied, more sternly, “Piper I swear if you take one more step toward me...”

“Addie.” She said with full sincerity, “If you do not wear this I am going to be looking like this by myself… Besides, I need your help with some Christmas shopping for someone. You’re not going to make me walk around next to you in your normal clothes, are you?” She was giving me puppy dog eyes, very convincing puppy dog eyes. I sighed, and Piper knew she’d won. She tossed the bag at me.

“You owe me,” I said, slowly pulling the ugly onesie out of the bag, “Watch the store for 2 minutes.” Piper fist-pumped the air then gave me a salute.

“You have my word.” I smiled and went into the back room to change.

When I came out, Piper was sitting on my desk, hand deep into my can of chips. I shook my head. Piper had always made herself right at home here.

“How do I look?” I asked her, striking a disco pose. Piper’s eyes shone.

“The best!!!” She cried.

“Let me close the store and then we can be off… What are we looking for anyways?”

“I’m not sure,” she replied thoughtfully, “But I’ll know it when I see it!”

Walking down main street in our matching onesies gained us some looks, but I didn’t care. I was too giddy. I was out with Piper. Out Christmas shopping to boot.

“Where are we going first Piper?” I asked.

“Let’s go to old man Benjamin’s classics shop! We’re right here anyways!” Before I could respond Piper jerked me sideways into the shop. His shop bell dinged, and I saw Benjamin’s balding head pop over a row of books.

“Addie, Piper, it’s been a while,” he smiled at us, wiping his glasses on his apron. No comment on our onesies, he was kind for that. I knew Benjamin well as a fellow bookstore owner. He was always friendly, and his prices were fair. He was the first person I went to when looking for classics.

“Hello Benjamin!” I took in his gloves and messed apron. He was restoring another old one. He laughed at my eyes widening in excitement. While Piper went off into the stacks in search of her present he beckoned me over to his work station. The book was nearly complete. Benjamin, as usual, had done an excellent job restoring it. The spine had been painstakingly mended, the strings sewed perfectly back into place. The cover had been smoothed and re-glued using the same methods they used back then. It still had the protective paper he used on it. I was dying to know the title. Benjamin gave me a sly look and peeled back the paper just a little bit, which was all I needed.

I gasped. Seeing the gold and red was all I needed to know it was an early collection of Grimm’s fairy tales. I instinctively reached for the book and Benjamin playfully slapped my hand away. Hearing the slap, Piper came over to see what happened.

“Now you just have to wait because she’s not done yet!”

“But I’ll be the first person you tell right?” I wanted it. Badly. Not even to sell, for my personal collection. I have the full set of tales but not an early, professionally restored, original collection. My eyes shone. Benjamin only smiled and winked at me.

“What is it Addie?” Piper asked.

“It’s an original collection of Grimm’s fairy tales! My mom used to read them to me as a child, dark as they are. The cover is still in such good condition, and with Benjamin’s restoration it’s going to be so beautiful Piper I-“

“Come on Addie,” she interrupted me laughing, “We should get you out of here before you steal it out from poor Benjamin’s nose!”

Reluctantly I allowed her to take me away from the book. We said our goodbyes to Benjamin, who told me to call him tomorrow, and we headed out.

“Addie what would you get a special someone?” Piper asked me. My heart sank a little hearing her mention a special someone. But I was Piper’s friend, I’d do my best to help her.

“I don’t know Piper,” I thought for a moment, “What does he like?”

“They’re a big fan of books, they’re kind of a dork, and they get excited over silly things. I actually think you’d quite like them!” I could see the affection on Piper’s face as she said those things and my heart sank a little more.

“Well, in that case,” I said, trying to hide my sadness, “You should get them a book from MY store!” Piper laughed and pushed me into the snowbank.

“Oh you are SO gonna get it,” I yelled at her as she took off down the sidewalk. I brushed the snow off the onesie, gathered some snowball ammunition and chased her down the street, both of us laughing and squealing as we fired snowballs back and forth.

Thoroughly snowy, and thoroughly pooped from our shenanigans, we decided to stop at one of the cafés for hot chocolates. As we warmed up, I noticed a look of quiet determination on Piper’s face.

“What’s up?” I asked her. Piper was usually very chatty, I was almost worried for her.

“I just want to make sure I get them the perfect gift, ya know?” She made a fist. “They have a lot of things, and I know they care for me a lot. It just NEEDS to be perfect.”

I put a hand over her fist, “It’s obvious you care for him too, Piper. Just get him something that speaks from the heart, it doesn’t have to be anything expensive or fancy.” I watched an idea dawn on Piper’s face.

“I’ve got it! Addie down your hot chocolate, let’s go next door to the art store!”

I swallowed my last mouthful and off we went. Piper headed right to the artsy paper section. She quietly debated between a couple different pages before buying all 3. A tassel, a shiny marker, and some carding completed her haul. She didn’t ask me questions, but I was content to watch her in action.

After she paid Piper walked with me slowly back to my shop.

“Hey Addie?” she asked before she left.

“Yeah Piper.”

“Thanks for coming with me today.”

“Of course. I think your boyfriend will love whatever you’re making for him.” Confusion passed briefly across her face.

“Yeah for sure. I think he will. I’ll see him tomorrow.” She wrapped me in a big hug then half skipped away down the street, her little bag swinging back and forth. I smiled and thought her boyfriend is a lucky man.

I called on Benjamin first thing the next day, since he said the book would be done.

“You SOLD it? Benjamin!” I scolded him. I understood, being a bookseller myself, but that didn’t soften the blow.

“Sorry little lady,” and he did look sorry, “Someone came in even before you did, bought it for double what I was selling it. Really wanted it too. Next one I’ll save for you.” Except nobody not even Benjamin knew when the next one would come along.

This started my day in a way I didn’t like. I was already not in a very good mood because I was thinking about Piper and her boyfriend. I wonder if he appreciated the gift she made him. I would have.

I was stacking books on the shelf when my door clanged again, too busy thinking about Piper to play my guessing game.

“Addie!” a familiar voice called. Piper.

“Piper!” My heart leapt as it always does when I hear her voice, “On your way to see your boyfriend?” I climbed down off the ladder.

“You’re so wonderfully stupid, Addie.”

“Excuse me??” I replied, irritated. I turned around to face her. She had a bright smile, one that touched her eyes. She had her hands behind her back.

“You make all these assumptions by yourself, I didn’t even have to try hiding it from you.”

“Hide what?” She had on a turtleneck and jeans today, the same outfit I guessed wrong yesterday.

“You are my special someone, Addie.” she said nervously, using one hand to tuck her hair behind her ear.

“I- what??” I must be hearing things, I thought.

“Close your eyes and hold out your hands.” I did as she told me. She dropped something heavy in my hands. “Open them.” The Grimm book sat in my hands. Perfectly finished. It was so beautiful I felt tears well up. I squeezed my eyes shut to push them back. A familiar tassel hung out of the book, and when I opened the book I found a beautiful handmade bookmark. Written on it, in Piper’s messy scrawl, was one of favourite Grimm quotes, “You are mine, and I am thine, and no power on earth shall make it otherwise.”

Realization dawned on me all at once. The onesies, the arm looping, how she really did never say he until I did. Oh Addie, she’s right, I thought, you are an idiot. I said nothing. Piper’s smile faltered a little.

“I hope I didn’t read things wrong, I was so sure, I… Do you like it?” she asked nervously. I looked at her. She looked down at the floor. She had one hand back in her hair, twirling it around a finger. She was so beautiful. I put the book down and grabbed her chin to make her look up at me. Her green eyes were wide and searching mine.

“I love it,” I said, and mustering every ounce of courage in my body, bent my head down and kissed her.