Gems & Butterflies

A New Face

Mistel admired the yellow pearls that he had on display in the shop. The lightly sunkissed orbs were the newest possesions in his antiqued collection, and he wanted to make sure they looked imppeccable. Swiftly and carefuly, he polished each one individually with a silk cloth, taking his time. Although a soft smile could be seen on his face, inside he felt incredibly restless and dull. Cleaning his aged inventory was rather boring work, but he knew if it wasn't done then his shop wouldn't be held at the standard that he wanted it to be. His calm and polite demeanor was truthful for the most part, but he often felt annoyed and confused. On one hand, he enjoyed the quiet town that he lived in and preffered to stay inside than go out; but he also felt like he needed more in his life than just the same-old same-old. A small walk every now and then was nice and relaxing, but he soon grew bored and would head back inside. He couldn't seem to keep still. Today was a little different and he couldn't hide the small amount of curiousity building up in him. His older sister Iris had mentioned that there was a new farmer in town, but when he pressed for more information about them, she only smiled sweetly and suggested he find out on his own. Mistel scrunched up his nose recalling the exchange. His sister found it funny to push his buttons and keep things from him, but he didn't understand why she would act this way about a new resident. Are they someone really important? he thought to himself.

After he finished polishing the pearls in their small velvet boxes, he streched and walked to the bookcase behind the counter. He had been dusting the books and framed photos for a while before he heard the door click open. He stopped cleaning for a split second, debated if he should go back to the counter, but he figured that it was probably Iris or their neighbor Klaus and just continued to go about his business. He heard a couple footsteps, but for an odd reason they didn't sound up the staircase. With the realization hitting him suddenly, he set down the duster and turned around with his best greeting smile. However his smile wavered slightly when he was met with an unfamiliar face. She was a petite girl with light chestnut colored hair that fell down in soft waves around her face and past her shoulders, her head topped with a red cloth kercheif. Her soft ivory colored skin complemented her round dark green eyes, making them stand out. Mistel could tell her attire was fashioned after nineteenth-century milkmaid dresses from one of his older books on the history of attire. Exsquisite, was the first thing to come to his mind.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were busy," her cheeks were rosy from blushing and she averted her eyes from his by glancing round the room every now and then. "I just thought I'd stop by and say hello--I'm new here in town and I wanted to greet everyone today and learn my way around town." She rambled a little, but was able to compose herself before him as he approached. "I'm Annie, by the way," he smiled, looking at him again. Mistel smiled a bit more warmly, finding her honesty and enthusiasm charming. "I was beginning to wonder what name would match this beautiful face," he mused, silently relishing in her embarassed expression. Mistel wasn't often this forward with his words about girls his age, but he never found himself drawn to them like he was to her. "I'm Mistel, and this is my antique shop. You're more than welcome to puruse and purchase something. Or purchase everything, rather..." The last sentence was spoken only in a mutter, and half-sarcastically. It was true that he loved discovering the history of items and relishing in the finer things, but at his youthful age running an antique shop in a little town wasn't the most thrilling day-to-day experience.

"Oh, thank you," Annie smiled sheepishly, glancing down and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm afraid I don't have much money right now since I've just started, but I'd love to come back and find something special," she looked back up to him. Mistel grinned mischeviously, "I'm sure you will." 

She flashed a smiled and gave a giggle, looking as if she was silently saying: Yeah, sure--that's right. Keep thinking that. Mistel felt a little lighter as they exchanged farewell and he watched her leave. She seems like fun, he thought to himself, staring at the door for a few moments more before returning to his dusting work.