A tinny bell rang as Clive pushed open the purple door. The scent of old books and crackling fire welcomed him as he stepped inside. Dust motes danced in the shafts of afternoon sunlight that streamed through the shop's windows. He inhaled deeply, comforted by the familiar perfume of leather, parchment, and beeswax polish that clung to the overflowing bookshelves. A sweet trace of cinnamon and apples made his nose twitch, and his stomach growl. He had meant to stop for lunch, but lost complete track of time, and most likely forgot. He’d probably skipped eating altogether today. He tried to remember, but wasn’t sure of that. As he turned to push the purple door closed, Clive expected to turn back to, at the very least, a greeting from his host. Instead, he was left standing at the front of the store staring toward a mass of people gathered around the real guests of honor of the day, Colin Scott and his new wife Gloria. He watched as friends buzzed around the pair, asking questions, giving them gifts, hugs and advice. His voyeurism lived in solitude but a moment. Broken by the clearing of a throat, Clive turned his head to meet a bright eyed, beautiful witch.
She cleared her throat again and held out her hand. “Dr. Wimpleton? Hello. I’m Lily McBride. So nice to meet you.”
Clive gathered her small fingers in his own. The scent of apples and cinnamon brewed stronger in his nostrils. This witch was the sweet smell that had hit him at the door. He took a deep breath and allowed himself to relax. “Very pleasant to make your acquaintance. Please call me Clive.”
“Oh, thank you, Clive. I’ve read all your work. I’m especially interested in your research about the ancient crafts.” Lily’s clear blue eyes burned with the light of a curious mind. The fact that she had read any of his research set Clive’s heart aflame.
“Have you now. You must be a very well read and educated witch indeed. That paper is an obscure study.” Clive drew in a breath that puffed out his chest, as he had always done at the beginning of one of his lectures. He was thrilled. His work was something that had never left his frontal lobe. He didn’t struggle with remembering the past, just the present. Before he could launch into the intricacies and meaning of each ancient craft buried deep in his subconscious, another voice interrupted him.
“Clive Archibald Wimpleton.” Colin’s greeting rang out from across the room, as he jumped to his feet, closed the distance between them, and wrapped his arms around Clive’s shoulders, pinning his arms to his side. “My old friend, you haven’t changed a bit.”
The grin plastered on Colin’s face was real. So real in fact, it was annoying, and reminded Clive of when there were at University and Colin would race into their room with some hairbrained scheme of the antics that he and the other boys were planning. Clive never took part in antics. Even at a young age, shenanigans felt beneath him. He was always a serious warlock. Dedicated to his work and devoted to no one.
“Neither have you. You look remarkably the same.” That was not a lie. Colin had not aged, though warlocks don’t really age, most bear some signs of wear and tear. But not Colin. His dark hair was the same, his grey eyes just as deep, and his body just as fit.
“I want you to meet my, Gloria,” Colin pulled him toward the fireplace. “She’s amazing.”
Clive looked back over his shoulder to see the enchanting witch he was being dragged away from, smiling at him, still. When thrust toward the fireplace, Clive was equally amazed by how striking Colin’s new wife was. Her mass of red hair was wild and unruly and matched her flowing bohemian vibe. She was beautiful, her fresh face without makeup, and her smile exuded warmth. Not that he didn’t think Colin was deserving. He was a handsome enough warlock. He just never understood how the most beautiful witches seemed to find themselves with the most uninteresting warlocks. Sure, Colin was stable, and mildly successfully. But what had he really achieved in his life? Nothing. Normalcy. Average everything. While Clive, on the other hand, had been to the pinnacle of his profession. He was professor emeritus, author of works that would be studied forever. His books were on the very shelves that lined this shop. That was success. Clive was successful. He glanced at the door to make sure his bewitching witch was still there. She was.
“We are so glad you’re here. And I want to be the first to thank you, from the bottom of my heart,” Gloria laid her hand over her chest. “You are the reason we are making our dream of traveling the world come true.” She rose to the tips of her toes and kissed Clive’s cheek. Gloria smelled like wildflowers, evergreens, and water, and that reminded him of something. He just couldn’t place it.
“Thank you. It’s my pleasure. I’m here for as long as you need.” Clive’s heart clinched with the words, like it did when he said retirement.
“Well, it won’t be forever. Gloria and I are planning on making our way around the world in twelve months. So, we can return next October. We can’t miss Cauldron Falls in October.” Colin wrapped his arm around Gloria. “Right, sweetheart?”
“Never.” Gloria agreed.
“Any who, we are not here to talk about our trip. We’ve been boring everyone in town with our plans since you agreed to come and take care of the bookshop. Today is all about introducing you to our friends and Cauldron Falls, your new home away from home. We’re hoping you love it as much as we do, and that maybe you’ll decide to stick around, even after we return.” Colin boasted to the crowd of their friends still gathered around the fireplace.
“Ah, I appreciate the thought, and while I’m sure I’m already in love with Cauldron Falls, I must return to the University, next year. You know I’m still so involved. In fact, on this sabbatical, I hope to pursue some research, perhaps one of my projects that has been waiting in the wings for some time. So, consider yourselves on notice. This humble old professor will probably call upon many of you to take part, if you’re willing, of course.” Clive paused for a reaction from his captive crowd of onlookers. He hadn’t intended on doing any research while he was here. His time in Cauldron Falls was meant to be a break from the stress and strain of work. The only project he had in mind was figuring out why the present always seemed to slip from his grasp. But standing before this collective, his professorial tendencies shoved reason out of the way, and had gotten the better of him. Now, here he was boasting about doing a research project. He wasn’t even sure what he could research in such a small closed off place. The idea just popped into his head, then out of his mouth. And like a firecracker, once it went off, it had everyone’s attention.
“How exciting?” Gloria professed. “I’m so sad I won’t be here.”
Colin chuckled. “We could stay.”
“What?” The room took a collective gasp, including Clive, until Gloria giggled and poked Colin with her elbow.
“Just joshing, Clive. After dinner at The Conjure House and drinks at the Boozy Cauldron, we’ll sneak into the night headed toward Assjacket.” Colin kissed the top of Gloria’s head. “Our first stop will be dropping of lovey’s miracle Pinocchio spell with the Baba Yaga. Since poor Sally Swanton discovered it skunks up the place when anyone besides Gloria tries to cast it. We’re pretty certain we don’t want it falling into the wrong hands and stinking up the town. We’re getting all her research and the spell itself locked up. It will be safe and sound and won’t ever fall into the wrong hands in Assjacket.” The pride that oozed out of Colin about Gloria and her evil, sussing spell. Clive had read about the spell. Such magical knowledge seemed to stick with him, and he was doubly happy that the famous hyena-laugh inducing spell would not be cast in his direction. He wasn’t evil, just a little jealous and bitter at the moment.
“What is your research about, Dr. Wimpleton?” Lily McBride spoke up.
A flush stirred under Clive’s collar. The question was bound to happen. He was only hoping he’d have more time to formulate his answer. And it was from her. He looked into the witch’s inquisitive crystal blue eyes. She was the witch who liked his ancient crafts research. How did he remember that? He didn’t remember her name, but he’d never forget her face, and the fact she knew him, and his research.
“The ancient crafts research, I think.” Clive was quick on his feet. He felt the anticipation of his audience, hanging on his every word like a new batch of freshmen. That’s the feeling he thrived on. The wheels in his brain turned quicker as he took a breath and filled his nostrils once again with the sweet apple cinnamon scent that greeted him at the purple door. “I think I might find Cauldron Falls a very suitable place to research the best of our traditional craft’s creators.” Clive paused for effect, but also knew that was enough. He couldn’t give them any more than what he’d conjured out of thin air, which was pure speculation. Though he’s just served this quaint, innocent little town a lie, it suddenly felt real for him. He would do this research, instead of languishing away in the dusty old bookshop, alone and useless. Clive would find out everything he could about this town and the craftmakers in it. Cauldron Falls would be in his new project.
“What about apples?” Lily mumbled. “You should come out to the orchard and start with my apple trees. The orchard supplies many of the townsfolk with apples for their craft work.”
“Yes. You must go see Lily.” Gloria turned to Colin. “Tell him about Lily’s place.”
“Yes, Clive, you must see. Lily’s our local orchardist. She lives out past the edge of town toward the waterfall. It’s a beautiful place. She grows all kinds of fruits.As a matter of fact, the pie there on the counter is for you. But the apple trees are the real jewel of her property. They are said to be the oldest apple trees in the magical world.” Colin said.
“Lily’s orchard,” her name rolled off his tongue, and he met her gaze again. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. I’d love to see your orchard Lily. Do you know the history of the place?” Clive rubbed his chin.
“Of course she does. Her family’s famous around these parts.” Gloria stated, then blushed. “For the apples, of course. Oh, and pears.”
Colin chuckled, “along with a few other things. The important thing is your work, Clive. And it sounds like you are in the right place, at the right time. It’s fall harvest time and Lily McBride, our darling of the apple business, has the best and rarest apple trees in the world. That orchard has a long and rich history of supplying raw materials to our crafters. It’s right up your alley. Right here in Cauldron Falls. Lily’s place is the very orchard where Murphy O’Reilly, the Boozy Cauldron owner, gets his apples from. And Murphy has the best ale around.” Colin smiled. “Is everyone ready for a pint?”
The crowd of friends answered with a collective “huzzah,” and began gathering their things and heading toward the door.
