?Blueberry?? The candy shop owner, an balding old man with a thick pair of black-framed glasses and equally thick, white eyebrows, eyed Glenn suspiciously. No adults had come into his store for a good two months now, and there was something not quite right about this guy.
?Yeah, blueberry candy. It's, uh, for a friend.?
?Uh huh. What sort of friend?? The man, who always kept a careful eye on the children who came into his store, was watching them now like a hawk. Glenn couldn't help but turn around to see what he was staring at. There was a little girl in a simple pink dress with wool leggings to keep warm, with an even younger boy in a plain pair of blue jeans and a gray sweatshirt. The two were arguing with each other over whether or not to select peppermints or gummy candies. Glenn immediately began shaking his head no furiously.
?Nothing like that. It's for a-? and he struggled to find the right word. ?a-a coworker of sorts. She's helped me out a lot in the last few weeks, and I wanted to tell her thanks.?
?Why don't you go over there? It'll impress her more.? the owner said, thumbing towards the chocolatier's that was located catty corner to his store. Glenn blushed a little bit, before he shook his head no again.
?Trust me. She'll appreciate blueberry candy more. I think. Besides-? and he mumbled the last words under his breath. ?the place across the street was too expensive.?
?The blueberry candy's over there,? the man said, pointing to a bin next to an array of butterscotch candies, bubble gum, and peanut brittle. ?How much do you need??
?Not too much, just a small bag.? The owner handed over the smallest bag he had.
?This'll hold about 10 ounces. Does that sound like enough?? Glenn nodded. ?Good. Come up here and pay when you're ready.? Glenn scurried away from the old codger towards the bin with blueberry candy. The pieces were individually wrapped in clear plastic, and looked similar to lemon drops, except for the fact that they were a particularly bright shade of blue. Glenn grabbed the red plastic scoop next to the bin, and filled his bag up quickly. When he was satisfied he had gotten all he could inside, he took it back to the counter. The owner put his bag on a scale, frowned a bit at the weight that he saw, then told Glenn the price as he put a faux gold seal on the opening of the bag. Glenn promptly pulled out the necessary silvers from his coin purse, handed them over to the man, and thanked him. Glenn heard a harrumph from behind him as he walked out of the store, removing the letter he had written earlier that day from inside his cloak.
He spent a minute walking away from the far west Marketplace neighborhood the candy store had been located in, before he was finally close enough to the center of the district, where there were more pages and couriers active. He flagged down one who didn't appear to be busy.
?I'd like you to deliver this-? he held up the bag of candy - ?and this, here.? He gave the courier the envelope, the blueberry drops, a slip of paper with Carley's address on it, and some silvers. Without a word, the young man took off at a measured jog towards the West End.
***
As always, the letter was written with blue ink on white stationary, sealed in a off-white envelope with red wax and an oak tree signet. The handwriting was still noticeably Glenn's, but some of the letters weren't as perfectly formed as he usually wrote them. And the post script appeared hastily scrawled onto the letter, as if he had decided at the last minute to add it.
Dear Carley,
I wanted to thank you yet again for the hat, gloves, and scarf that you made me. They're all very warm, and I'm glad I have them now before the winter really starts here. I didn't get the chance to properly thank you Sunday, so I sent along with this letter a little token of my thanks. I know I've said it many times before, but I am very thankful for all the things you've gotten for me. I hope you like the candy.
I look forward to seeing you while I'm working at the Stitch over the next couple of weeks.
Sincerely,
Glenn
P.S. You didn't seem to be yourself on Sunday when you dropped by Lydia's birthday party. I know that I'm probably the last person who should be saying this, but if you ever want to talk about anything or needed help with anything, let me know. I'll do everything that I can to try and help you, if you want me to. I have something that I wanted to talk to you about, but I'd rather not dump it on you unless you're feeling alright.
?Yeah, blueberry candy. It's, uh, for a friend.?
?Uh huh. What sort of friend?? The man, who always kept a careful eye on the children who came into his store, was watching them now like a hawk. Glenn couldn't help but turn around to see what he was staring at. There was a little girl in a simple pink dress with wool leggings to keep warm, with an even younger boy in a plain pair of blue jeans and a gray sweatshirt. The two were arguing with each other over whether or not to select peppermints or gummy candies. Glenn immediately began shaking his head no furiously.
?Nothing like that. It's for a-? and he struggled to find the right word. ?a-a coworker of sorts. She's helped me out a lot in the last few weeks, and I wanted to tell her thanks.?
?Why don't you go over there? It'll impress her more.? the owner said, thumbing towards the chocolatier's that was located catty corner to his store. Glenn blushed a little bit, before he shook his head no again.
?Trust me. She'll appreciate blueberry candy more. I think. Besides-? and he mumbled the last words under his breath. ?the place across the street was too expensive.?
?The blueberry candy's over there,? the man said, pointing to a bin next to an array of butterscotch candies, bubble gum, and peanut brittle. ?How much do you need??
?Not too much, just a small bag.? The owner handed over the smallest bag he had.
?This'll hold about 10 ounces. Does that sound like enough?? Glenn nodded. ?Good. Come up here and pay when you're ready.? Glenn scurried away from the old codger towards the bin with blueberry candy. The pieces were individually wrapped in clear plastic, and looked similar to lemon drops, except for the fact that they were a particularly bright shade of blue. Glenn grabbed the red plastic scoop next to the bin, and filled his bag up quickly. When he was satisfied he had gotten all he could inside, he took it back to the counter. The owner put his bag on a scale, frowned a bit at the weight that he saw, then told Glenn the price as he put a faux gold seal on the opening of the bag. Glenn promptly pulled out the necessary silvers from his coin purse, handed them over to the man, and thanked him. Glenn heard a harrumph from behind him as he walked out of the store, removing the letter he had written earlier that day from inside his cloak.
He spent a minute walking away from the far west Marketplace neighborhood the candy store had been located in, before he was finally close enough to the center of the district, where there were more pages and couriers active. He flagged down one who didn't appear to be busy.
?I'd like you to deliver this-? he held up the bag of candy - ?and this, here.? He gave the courier the envelope, the blueberry drops, a slip of paper with Carley's address on it, and some silvers. Without a word, the young man took off at a measured jog towards the West End.
***
As always, the letter was written with blue ink on white stationary, sealed in a off-white envelope with red wax and an oak tree signet. The handwriting was still noticeably Glenn's, but some of the letters weren't as perfectly formed as he usually wrote them. And the post script appeared hastily scrawled onto the letter, as if he had decided at the last minute to add it.
Dear Carley,
I wanted to thank you yet again for the hat, gloves, and scarf that you made me. They're all very warm, and I'm glad I have them now before the winter really starts here. I didn't get the chance to properly thank you Sunday, so I sent along with this letter a little token of my thanks. I know I've said it many times before, but I am very thankful for all the things you've gotten for me. I hope you like the candy.
I look forward to seeing you while I'm working at the Stitch over the next couple of weeks.
Sincerely,
Glenn
P.S. You didn't seem to be yourself on Sunday when you dropped by Lydia's birthday party. I know that I'm probably the last person who should be saying this, but if you ever want to talk about anything or needed help with anything, let me know. I'll do everything that I can to try and help you, if you want me to. I have something that I wanted to talk to you about, but I'd rather not dump it on you unless you're feeling alright.