A Wintery Customer

     There were only a couple of days left before the Day of Giving. The sun, dipping just beyond the snow-capped summit of Terror Mountain, cast a golden glow over the town. Stana had just finished clearing the last of the crumbs from the tables, ready to lock the café for the night, when she heard the gentle tinkling sound that accompanied the door opening. She looked up to see a figure at the entrance, wrapped in a warm cloak and appearing to shimmer against the gold-kissed snow.

     “Good evening, Stana,” said Taelia, the Snow Faerie of Terror Mountain. Her voice felt like soft chimes, blown by the cold air on a winter's evening. “I hope you don’t mind my intrusion.”

     “Not at all! It’s always a pleasure to have you here,” Stana said, a smile spreading across her face. The Snow Faerie was a beloved, if infrequent, visitor to the café.

     “Is there anything I can do to help?” Stana continued, “I’m afraid that we were just about to close, but I am sure we can put something together for you.”

     “Well, I’ve actually come to ask a favour,” the Snow Faerie said, with a sparkle in her tone, “Would you and Leice be willing to host a special event tomorrow evening, the last before the Day of Giving? I am putting together a special event for the Happy Valley community, and there is no better place to host than right here.”

     “I would be delighted to help,” replied Stana, “Although I would have to double-check with Leice to be sure.”

     “Wuz that I hear up there?” barked a voice from the kitchen. “Someone talking abou’ me?”

     Stana chuckled slightly at this and went to the back with the Snow Faerie to speak with the Kacheek himself. He continued scrubbing a silver-coloured pot, almost as big as himself, as Stana relayed the message.

     “Well, of course. We’d be more than willing to help ou’, though we’ll have to get working righ’ away. What exactly is the occasion?”

     “Oh, just a friendly gathering of community-minded folks to celebrate the holidays,” said Taelia, as airily as a flurry of snow. “There won’t be more than, say, twenty altogether, so please don’t feel there is a need to overtax yourself. Just your usual winter fare will do perfectly well.”

     “If you say so,” replied Leice. Stana could hear the tone of doubt in his voice and patted his arm sympathetically.

     “I’m sure that we can make something a little special, after all— it’s nearly the Day of Giving.” The Snow Faerie laughed.

     “Well, all right,” said Taelia. “But I will not be expecting anything outrageous. Now, I must dash, as there are still some important quests that I must give out before we lose the light completely.”

     She bade her farewells and left, Stana accompanying her to the door and locking it behind her. She could hear Leice muttering to himself, as he often did when coming up with something that was definitely not the usual café fare. She finished tidying up the rest of the café, placing the red-painted chairs upside down upon the tables. She would clean the floor first thing in the morning. In the meantime, perhaps she should think about adding some more festive decorations to the already resplendent walls. Perhaps there were some more string lights in a dusty corner that could be squeezed in somewhere…

     —-

     The next day, the café buzzed with energy as Stana prepared for the evening, and Leice handled the day-to-day work. Stana decorated the café with even more garlands of pine and twinkling fairy lights, whilst the sweet scent of Leice’s baking filled the air.

     Shortly after lunchtime, whilst she was putting the finishing touches to a particularly intricate paper snowflake, Stana heard a loud crash from the kitchen, followed swiftly by a muffled yelp. She rushed to the back to find Leice on the floor, clutching his leg with a pale face.

     “Leice! What happened?” Stana exclaimed, kneeling beside him.

     “I was tryna’ reach for those cloves up there on the high shelf,” he winced, “I slipped. I think maybe I twisted my ankle.”

     Leice struggled to his feet, batting off any offers of assistance from Stana and gingerly tried to put some weight on it. He grimaced and shook his head.

     “No good,” he said, “It’ll have to rest for a bit. Mrs. Truffles’ roulade will have to wait. I don’ think I’ll be able to make anything else for tonight either.”

     Stana felt her heart beating a little faster at this thought. “There must be something we can do. This seems so important to Taelia, and I don’t want to disappoint her.”

     Leice sighed, his expression a mixture of frustration and dismay as he continued to test out his foot. “I don’ want to let anyone down either, but I can’t even hop right now. We migh’ have to call it off.”

     Stana thought for a moment. “What if I go speak to Taelia? Maybe she has an idea or knows someone who could help us.”

     Leice’s mouth pursed slightly with skepticism, but he eventually nodded. “If you think it’ll work, give it a shot. Take care out there; it’s cold and slippery.”

     Stana set Leice up comfortably in the deep cushioned chair that occupied the office, placing a large snow pack on Leice's ankle, despite his surly claims that he “didn’ need no help”. She bundled herself in her warmest cloak and ventured into the snow-lined streets of Happy Valley, making her way towards the base of Terror Mountain. She followed the well-lit path to Taelia’s shimmering home, leaving footprints in the freshly fallen snow as she went.

     Stana knocked gently on the door, which opened to reveal the warm glow of flickering candles inside. Taelia greeted her with a welcoming smile, lighting up the room.

     “Stana! What brings you here on such a chilly evening?” Taelia asked, her eyes sparkling with concern., “Is everything well?”

     “It’s Leice,” Stana said, her voice tinged with urgency. “He hurt his ankle, and he’s unable to cook. I’m afraid we might have to cancel.”

     Taelia’s expression shifted from worried to thoughtful contemplation. “Oh dear! That won’t do at all. Everyone was so excited for this gathering.”

     “I was hoping you might have an idea,” Stana continued. “Is there anyone who could help us in a pinch?”

     Taelia’s face lit up with inspiration. “You can leave it with me. You head on back to the Snowdrift and get everything squared up for a celebration. Make sure Leice doesn’t move, we don’t want to risk further injury…” she tailed off to a murmur, Stana straining to hear.

     “Okay,” said Stana, somewhat suspiciously, “I will see you later on then”. The Snow Faerie nodded her head slowly in response, biting her lip contemplatively. Stana made her way carefully back to the café, following her already filling footsteps in the glistening snow. As she reentered through the kitchen door, kicking the snow off her boots, she found him much the same as before. He was still nursing his ankle but he looked much more relaxed. Stana relayed Taelia’s words to the Kacheek.

     “I’m not sure I’d be trusting a Snow Faerie to be cookin’ up any food,” he said doubtfully, “‘specially not with some of her, let’s say strange, food requests. Still, I s’pose she must have some sorta plan in mind.”

     “Don’t you worry about that now,” Stana assured him. “I need to go and finish decorating and setting up. You just focus on resting your ankle.”

     As the afternoon turned to evening, the café continued its transformation into a festive wonderland. Stana somehow found more room to hang even more garlands and prepared candlelit centrepieces for the now well-scrubbed tables.

     As the sunlight faded, the bell at the door rang out once again. Stana looked up with some surprise to see Tuni, their Grundo neighbour, pushing her way in with her arms piled high with a pile of precariously stacked pots. There was a haze of purple and green spiralling from the topmost one. Stana rushed over to offer a hand.

     “Thanks, Stana,” said Tuni, “We can just lay these out on the counter for people to pick and choose. They’re my best homage to Gargarox that I can muster. Always tricky to track down any Grobleen this far north, though.”

     Stana’s mouth opened slightly with surprise. What was Tuni doing with any food, let alone so much food?

     “Don’t worry! They’re perfectly safe,” Tuni laughed, catching Stana's expression, but seemingly mistaking its meaning. “I wouldn’t bring anything that could cause a ruckus at our little tribute tonight. Just a little bit of festive fun for everyone to enjoy! I mean, Happy Valley is all about community, right? I wouldn’t want anyone to miss out.”

     Tuni finished setting up her colourful pots along the counter, ignoring any further protests from Stana, weak though they may be. Stana couldn’t help but smile as she caught sight of Leice peeking from the back rooms, curiosity glinting in his eyes. He was supposed to still be resting his ankle, but she didn’t have the heart to scold his curiosity.

     As the clock ticked by, guests began to arrive. Neighbours, friends, and happy smiling faces poured in, their eyes dancing in the twinkling lights that filled the café with a flickering flow. Stana welcomed each one in turn, her heart swelling with happiness as she saw familiar faces light up with joy.

     It wasn’t long before the café was buzzing with conversations, laughter, and the clinking of mugs. Stana moved among the tables, handing out a mug of Borovan here, a mince pie there. Leice managed to hobble out to the café, and ensconced himself in the dimmest corner amidst a pile of cushions. Just as Stana began to settle into the rhythm of the evening, Taelia entered. She surveyed the room with a satisfied smile, then approached Stana.

     “Everything looks wonderful! You’ve done an incredible job, Stana,” Taelia said, her eyes twinkling with delight.

     “Thank you, Taelia! But I must admit, I’m still nervous about Leice,” Stana replied softly, glancing toward the corner where her friend was trying to keep a scowl on his face.

     Taelia placed a reassuring hand on Stana’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. Leice will be just fine. He’s in good hands tonight.”

     Moments later, the door swung open again, and a further small group of cheerful Neopets entered. Each carried a small package in their hands, and Stana recognised many of them as café regulars.

     “Surprise!” they called out in unison, together with the rest of the room. Stana’s eyes widened in astonishment.

     “Wait, what’s all this?”

     “I know that my scones won’t live up to Leice’s, but we thought we’d do our best all chip in to celebrate Leice and his wonderful cooking,” said a cheerful Gelert. “Happy Valley wouldn’t be the same without him.”

     “Indeed,” Taelia interjected with a knowing smile. “This is a celebration of community and togetherness, and Leice embodies that spirit so well. You both have given so much to Happy Valley, and tonight, we want to honour that.”

     Slowly, the pieces began to fit together. The gathering was not just about the Day of Giving. Stana felt a slight moistening to her eyes.

     As the evening unfolded, the café filled with laughter at the many stories about Leice and his cooking. Stana had heard almost all of the tales before, but the story of the hungriest Candychan was new even to her - bringing tears to her eyes. She even caught Leice cracking a crafty smile every so often.

     Finally, as the clock struck nine, Stana gathered everyone’s attention. “Thank you all for coming tonight. You don’t know how much it means to me to be able to celebrate my closest and dearest friend, and with all of you who bring such happiness to us both every day. On behalf of him and myself, I wish you all a joyous Day of Giving! May your hearts, and stomachs, be as full as mine this night.”

     The café erupted in cheers. In that moment, surrounded by friends and the spirit of giving, she knew that there were some forms of magic that even Faeries couldn’t conjure.

     The End.