History/Story
Within the Pisas’ employment at this time was a plain, young maid who went by the name of Amelia Gay. She was a feverous woman, dedicated to her job in all manners; in fact, her angelic beauty seemed to be the only thing that outmatched her work ethic, which is likely why it didn’t come up as much of a surprise for Liscio’s citizens when she announced her pregnancy. With no father in sight, however, Amelia appeared to be at a loss in figuring out how she was to care for her soon-to-be newborn. Francois Pisa, in all his generosity, provided a light to her tunnel by offering her asylum within the mansion. This sparked a rather nasty vendetta in the rest of the Pisas as it was an unwritten rule that the employees did not live in the mansion. Nonetheless, Amelia gratefully accepted her master’s offer.
Nine months after the fact, a sickly infant was born in one of the guest rooms of the Pisa mansion. The newborn girl was so sickly, in fact, that she was not expected to live long – three days at the most. Once again, Francois would not have such a tragedy befall one of his servants. In spite of the Pisas’ protest, he called upon the family’s personal (and costly) doctor to come to the infant’s aid. The doctor, faithful to Francois, spared no expense to ensure the good health of the infant. He even used his most expensive drug – a 75,000 jewel potion concocted from the extract of enola plants. Once the doctor finished administering his wonder drug, it was up to father time to determine the girl’s fate. One day. Two days. Three days… four days! Five days! Once a week had passed and it was clear the babe would live, Amelia finally bestowed a name to her child: Enola Gay, in special recognition of the plant that saved the girl’s life.
As a little girl, Enola was put into a very peculiar situation. She was the daughter of a maid, yet she lived in the Pisa mansion. She socialized and played with the Pisa children, yet they did not accept her as one of their own. The adults of the Pisa family despised her, yet Francois treated her as if she were a member of the family. It was all so confusing for the poor soul. Did she belong amongst the Pisa or the common folk of Liscio? Regardless of what the answer was, she tried not to contemplate it much. After all, when you’re a small child, you only have time to concern yourself with the finer things in life, like candy. Each and every day, Francois would slip her a hard piece of candy when no one was looking. It was their little secret, presumably because it would just give the Pisas something else grumble about if it were known.
Francois’ wife, Miriam, was less accepting of Enola and her mother; in fact, she loathed the two more than any other Pisa. If anything went wrong around the estate, Miriam usually found some way to blame Enola and/or Amelia, no matter how absurd the logic. Actually, nothing even had to go wrong for them to receive chastisement from the hateful matriarch. One day, Enola was caught playing in the dirt with Francois and Miriam’s eldest son Alexi (roughly six months younger than Enola). Miriam. Flipped. Out. She accused little Enola of trying to turn her son into a dirt-eating peasant and then dragged the little girl to Amelia to scold the two at the same time. She went on screaming for thirty minutes straight, seemingly surpassing the limits of a regular voice box. As was often the case, Amelia appeased the hateful woman by agreeing to punish Enola in her own time, though she rarely kept her promise.
At eight years of age, Enola took up the maid’s uniform (because Fiore doesn’t have child labor laws apparently) and shadowed her mother. That probably sounds like a simple task to most people. After all, it shouldn’t be all that difficult to learn the trade of a maid, especially from another maid. Unfortunately, Amelia took her job very seriously and, in turn, took her daughter’s job very seriously. Enola once spent five hours straight just practicing her dust strokes until her mother was convinced she’d gotten it right. Sometimes, it almost seemed like a training regiment, such as when Amelia would time Enola to see how fast she could clean an entire room (with her record being six minutes and sixteen seconds). The perk was that Miriam seemed much nicer when Enola bore her maid uniform, as if the little girl was conforming to her place in society. Granted, the matriarch wasn’t a complete saint at those times, just more tolerable.
Amelia, as Enola would come to find out in shadowing her mother, was more of Francois’ private maid than a maid of the general mansion. She spent much of her time right behind her master, often carrying a tray of glasses filled with tea prepared “just the way Francois likes it.” Even when Francois was required to leave Liscio, Amelia would faithfully accompany him. Enola never complained since time with Francois always meant more candy or some other treat. In fact, he would sometimes give her candy just to leave him and her mother alone by themselves; although Enola never understood why, she had trouble turning down candy coupled with a few hours of freedom from her duty as a maid-in-training. Besides, Francois and her mother always looked so much happier after they’d spent several hours alone together.
It is tradition within the Pisa family that a child begins to study magic when he or she turns ten. Typically, the child will leave Liscio and take a boat to Hargeon Town, where he or she will spend seven months at a time studying under a private instructor. Of course, when Alexi turned ten, there was no question he would go on to study magic. The problem was Enola: Francois had, for reasons Enola wouldn’t understand for years, decided the would-be-maid should join Alexi in his studies. After all, she was practically a member of the family! The other Pisas did not see it that way. They viewed letting a peasant join the prime heir to the Pisa family in his magical studies as one of the most deplorable things Francois could do. Even Amelia was taken aback by this courtesy/gift to her daughter. Nonetheless, Francois was the patriarch of the family and his wishes were always respected, albeit grudgingly.
When the month came, Enola, Alexi, and the older Pisa children took a boat (property of the Pisa Fishing Company) out of Liscio Cove to Hargeon Town. The trip, although only two days longs, gave Enola plenty of time to contemplate her situation: it was bleak. She was heading to a strange town she’d never visited before to spend seven months learning the difficult art of magic while surrounded by other kids who absolutely hated her, especially Alexi, who’d become so influenced by Miriam’s personal vendetta against Enola. On the bright side, Francois bought the little girl fanciful clothes before the trip so she wouldn’t stand out amongst the Pisa so much. Even better, she wouldn’t have to do any maid work for the next seven months… not that it was a vacation or anything.
Upon arriving in Hargeon Town, the Pisa children (and Enola) were escorted to a private school known simply as the Epistle School of Magic. It was private in the sense that only the absolute rich could afford it, mostly because each student was given a private instructor and each instructor had to be paid for his or her fee directly. Francois, of course, paid for each Pisa child’s tuition in advance. The tuition also included a private room, though it wasn’t quite as nice as the rooms in the Pisa mansion.
Enola’s instructor was a rough, middle-aged woman who went by the name of Miss Kieva. Ms. Kieva had a nasty reputation for being the most brutal of instructors within the school, which was probably why she was rumored to have been a member of a dark guild at some point in her life, though these rumors were likely just the gossip of over imaginative students. Having Ms. Kieva as a personal instructor, Enola got to see firsthand how the woman got such a reputation. The entire first school year under Ms. Kieva was dedicated to book work alone, with an extensive essay being assigned every week. If Enola’s penmanship was found lacking, she had to rewrite her essay. Her information also had to be cited from a reputable source and it had to be cited correctly. Needless to say she wanted to leave after just the first two weeks. Her mother Amelia, fortunately, wrote a letter to Enola every week, usually with words of encouragement… and some candy hidden in the envelope. Those letters at least quelled Enola’s frustrations.
As weeks went on, Ms. Kieva began to soften up to Enola. It subtly came to her knowledge that Enola, while closely associated with the Pisa family, was not an actual Pisa and thus, not the spoiled brat that characterized most Pisa children. When Ms. Kieva found out Enola’s mother was a maid, she even began to empathize with the little girl as she herself was also from a working-class background – apparently she worked under a miller when she was younger. For once, Ms. Kieva was teaching a student that didn’t live in an entirely different world than her. While this didn’t lead Ms. Kieva to lighten the work load, it did bring the teacher and student closer together, making the school year significantly less lonely for Enola. She’d even considered sharing her candy with Ms. Kieva one day (of course she’d never actually do something that drastic!).
Once the school year ended, Enola and the Pisa children took a boat back to Liscio Cove to enjoy their vacation…well, most of them. Amelia saw to it that Enola was back in her maid uniform. Even so, Enola was glad to be home and even spent her first week back talking her head off about her year. Francois continued giving her candy, Miriam was her same hateful self, and all seemed normal, almost boringly so; although, Enola’s eleventh birthday quickly came up. The big gift that year turned out was a sibling. Amelia announced she was once again pregnant and, like with Enola, the father was nowhere to be found – most of the Pisa simply gave their grumblings about having another peasant living in their mansion. It wasn’t exactly the kind of gift Enola was expecting, but Francois made up for it with his own gift: a gigantic, pink cake!
In no time, Enola was back in Hargeon Town, studying under Ms. Kieva again. This year, however, Enola was not just writing essays; she also got to dabble in magic. Enola was somewhat embarrassed at first since it took her weeks just to tap into her magic power. That embarrassment was quick to subside. The headmaster of the school relayed to the two that Enola was the only second-year student to tap into her magic power within the first month, putting the Pisa children to shame – especially Alexi – and showing that Ms. Kieva’s strictness was beginning to pay off. Enola was given even better news several months later when she learned through a letter that her baby brother had finally been born and had been christened Tibbet Gay.
When the second school year ended, Enola traveled home as fast as the boat would allow, anxious to see her baby brother for the first time. Granted, she didn’t get to see him as much as she’d like as it was made clear Enola was going to have to pick up the slack around the mansion since her mother would be too busy caring for the little infant. There was also the frightening realization that Enola was going to have to share her mother’s attention from then on, but it didn’t bother her too much. When she could, Enola would sneak off whilst on duty to practice her magic. She didn’t make much progress without Ms. Kieva’s supervision, if any. Still, the feeling of magic rushing through her fingertips always tickled the little girl and that was incentive enough for her to keep practicing.
The cycle continued: Enola turned twelve and went back to Hargeon Town for her third school year. Then, back to Liscio, turned thirteen, and back to Hargeon Town for a fourth year. This time, however, something more interesting occurred. After wrapping up her fourth year and taking a boat back to Liscio, Enola privately received a surprise on her fourteenth birthday. An hour before midnight, Amelia awoke her daughter, apparently anxious to get something off her chest. Amelia whispered her secret, though too quietly for Enola to understand her. She whispered a second time, a little louder but not quite loud enough. When it was clear Amelia was just too worried to say it any louder, Enola convincer her to write her message on a piece of paper. The message was short but powerful:
“Francois is your father. Tibbet’s too.”
After interrogating her mother for what seemed like hours, Enola learned of Francois and Amelia’s affair (without going into detail thankfully), which had been going on for at least fifteen years up to that point. Suddenly, Francois’ kindness made sense. He treated Enola as if she were a member of the family because she literally was a member of the family! In fact, she was his daughter! Even better, she was slightly older than Alexi, effectively meaning she was the prime heir to the Pisa fortune! Enola found only reasons to be joyous but Amelia not so much. Amelia claimed Francois was hesitant to leave Enola his fortune, believing the revelation that he had a bastard child would bring him great shame. As it was, Francois’ will left everything to Alexi. Enola almost stormed into Francois’ room upon hearing this but was stopped by Amelia, who begged her daughter to just be silent about it for a little longer. After a thirty minute discussion, Enola reluctantly agreed; after all, Francois wasn’t that old or sickly and wasn’t likely to die soon. The problem could wait.
The next school year – the fifth – came and went as usual. Enola didn’t dare share her new secret with the Pisa children at that time out of respect for her mother’s wishes. As Amelia explained, most of the Pisa adults already knew of the affair, Miriam included (which explained a lot for Enola). Thus, the school year was uneventful for the most part, which might have been why Enola was so quick to get back home. Sadly, home too was uneventful since Amelia was still uneasy about confronting Francois about his will. Tibbet, on the other hand, was proving to be a source of entertainment with his newfound vocabulary. He had come to call his big sister “Sissy” and took up the hobby of sticking chewed up candy in “Sissy’s” hair. The candy, as one might guess, was provided by Francois, who spent hours in laughter at the sight of Enola walking around the mansion with candy dangling from her hair – while she was in her maid uniform no less.
The sixth school year inevitably came but with less dreadful boringness than the last. Near the end of the school year, Enola received a most remarkable letter – from her mother – which explained that Amelia had convinced Francois to list Enola as the sole heir to the Pisa fortune and that he was to adjust his last will and testament accordingly in the near future. One can imagine the joy exploding within Enola upon receiving this message. It proved to be short lived joy. A week later, Enola received a rather ominous letter from her mother. In Amelia’s distinct handwriting, it simply read:
“Francois has perished.”
The Pisa children attending the school received similar letters from their own parents. Francois had evidently died from a severe case of food poisoning. Enola was immediately suspicious, but kept her level-headedness. She along with the other Pisa children dropped all their academic work – with permission from their instructors of course – and took the next boat to Liscio, eager to pay their respects to the deceased patriarch.
The funeral was attended by all of Liscio – the entire Pisa family and the peasants. Many of the peasants wept bitter tears at seeing the body (it was an open casket service) of their benevolent leader and employer, especially Amelia. The Pisas, more specifically those aware of his affair with Amelia, were more eager to view Francois’ will than his corpse, no doubt anxious to see if Enola or Alexi inherited everything. Once the funeral was over, the Pisas along with Amelia and her two children were brought into a large, private room where Francois lawyer presented the last will and testament – it was a bitter event for Enola. Francois had apparently died before he was able to change his will; thus, Alexi was named the sole heir. Amelia was left nothing; Tibbet, nothing; and Enola, nothing.
Enola was quite suspicious of Francois’ sudden death before, but after hearing his will, she outright accused the Pisa family of murdering him. The Pisa family’s response was a prompt eviction of the Gay family from the mansion as well as the layoff of Amelia. Enola, Amelia, and Tibbet suddenly found themselves homeless – not before Miriam finally faced Amelia in a bitter, ten minute confrontation about the affair of course.
With nothing left for them in Liscio, the Gay family went to Hargeon Town where Enola was convinced they could find some sort of refuge. After a grueling, three-day walk, the Gays arrived at their destination, where they immediately sought after Ms. Kieva. After having the situation explained to her, Ms. Kieva agreed to give the three asylums within her own home, though she was painfully resentful that she wouldn’t be able to teach Enola for a seventh and final year since the Pisa family would obviously not be payer her tuition anymore.
Enola vowed she would one day avenge her father but for the time being, she was forced to look for a job. She and her mother eventually, after a recommendation from Ms. Kieva, secured positions as maids for a wealthy aristocrat by the name of Spirago Clarke. Spirago was nasty man, a devil of sorts who always seemed to find cause for scrutinizing his staff. No surprise that there was high turnover rate for those who worked under him. Amelia bored through it though, not that she had much of a choice. Enola, on the other hand, was much more nasty with her employer. She would constantly give him lip to which he would usually reply with a demeaning punishment, typically latrine duty. The whole thing only made Enola more bitter. And why not? Had Alexi and Miriam not stolen the wealth that should have been hers, she would not have been the practical slave for a grumpy old man.
Enola worked for Spirago until she quit at the age of eighteen, when she finally decided she’d had enough of his abuse. This decision did not sit well with her mother, leading to an argument between the two that inevitably evolved into a two hour screaming match. Ultimately, Enola moved out and left Hargeon Town all together, not caring where she went as long as it was away from her mother.
Several days of traveling across the coast eventually brought Enola into the path of a pack of highwaymen. They did as highwaymen often did and attempted to rob the young woman of anything she possessed. Unfortunately for them, Enola was not the generic damsel in distress. Making use of her magic training, she subdued the highwaymen as if she were a mother handling unruly toddlers. It was almost comical to her, especially after the six men began balling their eyes out. Apparently, the men had come under some rather bad luck and had been resorting to mugging people just to get by. Being beat by a lone woman was the final straw that killed their pride. Empathizing with their poverty, Enola offered them what few jewels she possessed. It might have only damaged their pride more, but the highwaymen weren’t about to turn down money; so, they accepted, even letting Enola join them in getting lunch as a sign of gratitude.
The group ended up eating lunch at an antiquated village named Norshire. Sitting at the coast, the village couldn’t really offer up anything more than fish, but you’d hear no quarrels from the group’s hungry stomach. After exchanging stories – more like autobiographies – the highwaymen offered Enola a place in their group, clearly enamored by the usefulness a wizard (albeit an amateur) could pose. Enola, seeing herself at the bottom of life, accepted. Her life of crime had begun.
A year passed. A year of mugging lone travelers. A year of raiding caravans. A year of stealing anything that could fit in a pocket. Enola never really used her magic when committing a crime though, less she attract the attention of the Rune Knights. Nonetheless, she practiced in her spare time. She even tried teaching her companions to use magic; although, none of them really had the discipline for it – probably a good thing. One of them managed to make a spark once… and almost burned down a tree in the process. As an unwritten rule, the group had made Norshire their home base, a fact the inhabitants didn’t really complain about; after all, Enola and her group were rather benevolent compared to previous crime groups that had taken shelter in the innocent village. Furthermore, the group usually spent everything they stole, giving a much need boost to the village’s economy.
Over the course of several years, Enola began shifting the morality of her band of misfits. Rather than robbing orphans and old people (cliché much?), they started turning their attention to the wealthy and well-off. Norshire’s countryside was surrounded by an abundance of wealthy manors like water buffalo in the gaze of an alligator. Enola’s group naturally started plundering these mansions and often took whatever wasn’t nailed to the floor. Afterwards, they’d dispense the spoils amongst themselves and whatever was left amongst Norshire’s townsfolk. The once unruly highwaymen were beginning to look like a troupe of Robin Hoods, and their growth was evident of the fact. Those in destitution began flocking to Norshire, hoping to join the group which had, at this point, christened itself Inopia (Latin for poverty and want). By the time Enola was twenty-four, Inopia was fourty-people-strong.
Around this time, Norshire’s tiny ports started expanding and taking in larger shipments. This attracted a myriad of fishing companies, the Pisa Fishing Company in particular. Evidently, whoever ran the business portion of the Pisa family was unaware of Enola’s influential presence in Norshire because a PFC warehouse reared its ugly head on the outskirts of the village (by this point, it was more like a town). When word of this reached Enola… she freaked. She took every member of Inopia available and burned the warehouse to the ground right before beating the warehouse workers beaten. Sure enough, Inopia was waiting at the docks as a PFC ship – expecting to see a warehouse no doubt – sailed into port. Inopia raided the ship, beat the ship workers, and even found a special prize: Mica Pisa.
Mica, one of Francois many cousins, was the member of the Pisa family who often oversaw PFC transactions firsthand. He was also one of the few Pisas who didn’t spend all his time being pampered in the mansion in Liscio, which is why it wasn’t all that surprising that he put up such a tremendous fight with Inopia. He proved to be a competent wizard, well beyond Enola’s knowledge of magic. He managed to outmatch fifteen Inopian goons until numbers finally won out and he was subdued. Always an opportunist, Enola ended up making Mica into a hostage with the idea that she could get a ransom for him in mind. Of course, she did take the time to vent her frustrations on Mica in the form of severe beatings before sending a ransom letter to Liscio.
Shortly after receiving the ransom note, the Pisas reluctantly agreed to meet with Inopian representatives at the Pisa mansion to work out a deal; however, Enola had a change of heart. She felt justice demanded more than a few jewels to make up for the Pisa family’s wrong-doings. Rather than show up as a few preventatives, all the Inopians showed up and attempted to sack the mansion and take everything the Pisas owned. The fighting was fierce to say the least. What the Pisas lacked in numbers, they made up for with an expertise in magic… to the point that they burned down have of Liscio during the brawl. The fighting became so bad that Enola, who masked herself at this time (not that the Pisas would recognize anyway), broke her own promise and resorted to using magic in this particular crime. Oh, the faces of the Pisas when they saw some common bandit using magic!
Sometime during this brawl, which papers would later romantically dub as “The Inopian Raid of Liscio,” Enola ran into Alexi and a duel between the two was ensured. Much like Enola, Alexi was still considered an amateur in comparison with most wizards; but the difference lied in the fact that he had not been as hardened as his half-sister. Enola – who refrained from entering a verbal argument with Alexi in hopes of concealing her identity – inevitably won, albeit with some severe burns on the right side of her body. Several Pisas, coming to the aid of their young patriarch, ran the injured Enola off before she could do any fatal damage to him though.
Inopia ultimately lost, with almost all of its members being hauled away to jail in the end. A few managed to slip away though none dared go back to Norshire since the Pisas would inevitably be there to collect Mica. Enola was one of the lucky few to get away, although she practically had to limp away… while weeping bitter tears of course. After all, the Pisas had once again taken everything she owned. They had taken her father, her fortune, and her crime posse. Indeed, things were definitely bleak for the poor lass.
With nowhere else to turn, Enola crawled herself to Hargeon Town, this time in an even bigger pit of despair than the last time she made the journey. Several hours of searching and sulking in the town brought her to Ms. Kieva’s old house where Enola hoped her mother and brother still lived. Unexpectedly, an old hag greeted Enola at the door – time had not been well to Ms. Kieva apparently. The former teacher was of course more than delighted to take in her old pupil, even offering to nurse Enola’s wounds. Ms. Kieva spent hours talking that day, especially since Enola was really the only visitor she’d had in quite a long time. Before midnight, though, Enola finally addressed the elephant in the room and inquired about where her mother and brother had gone. Ms. Kieva admitted she did not truthfully know where they went to, only knowing they left Hargeon Town years ago in search of better work.
Before leaving Ms. Kieva’s company, Enola was given Amelia’s old maid uniform – the only thing she left behind; considering Enola’s clothes were torn up at the time, the maid uniform was also the only thing she had to wear (oh, the irony). Enola’s life may have been going in a downward spiral again, but she still needed to eat. Thus, she was job hunting once again. Given her uniform and job history, the only thing she qualified for was maid service, which was at least in high demand. It only took a week of searching until she found employment under Ivory Avarice, an older gentleman who made his living as a doctor. Ivory was a gentle person with renown patience; and patience was something Enola needed. Having spent the last several years in the company of thieves, Enola had turned into somewhat of a rough, country bumpkin.
Indeed, Enola had trouble adjusting back to an etiquette-demanding lifestyle. She would casually toss out a swear word here and a tell a dirty joke there, but she eventually did conform, even writing a couple columns on proper tableside manners for the local newspaper one week. Through it all though, Enola still secretly harbored her hatred for the Pisas, intent on distributing justice and avenging her father someday. For the time being, however, she was content with being a simple housemaid.
Four years into her job as a maid, at the age of twenty-eight, Enola received a letter from the mailman. This was rather surprising since Enola rarely ever received mail for herself. The letter revealed disturbing news:
“Sissy,
While I truthfully don’t remember you too well, I feel inclined to inform you of Mother’s passing. She took ill some time ago and it seems to have caught up to her. You may have been absent from her life for the past decade, I hope you’ll at least attend her funeral. If you do choose to attend, please come visit me at the lumber mill in Magnolia Town and we’ll discuss the burial service.
With love, Tibbet Gay.”
Enola was devastated. Not only had she been absent from her mother’s final hours, but the last conversation she had with her mother was an argument. She informed Ivory of the situation and left for Magnolia Town. She searched high and low until she finally found the town’s lumber mill. It was here that she was finally united with her little brother…who was not quite so little anymore. Despite being a teenager, Tibbet was a giant of a man with a rough pair of hands. Apparently, he was an apprentice for the foreman of the lumber mill. Even so, he was still the same little kid at heart. Evident of this was his burly bear hug and the fact that he still referred to Enola as “Sissy.”
Once Tibbet’s shift was over, the siblings discussed the funeral arrangements for their late mother. It wasn’t nearly as depressing as it sounds. Most of their conversation was about what the other had been up to in the last decade. Enola omitted the whole Inopia incident of course. When they did talk about their mother, it was about the circumstances of her death rather than the actual funeral. The disease that attacked Amelia was not all that uncommon in Fiore. The problem lied in the fact that neither Tibbet nor Amelia could afford a doctor at the time. This horrified Enola – the thought of her brother being forced to watch their mother slowly wither away and unable to do anything about it. The only reason Tibbet could even have a funeral was because the town’s undertaker owed him a favor.
Two weeks after Enola arrived in Magnolia, Amelia’s funeral was held in a depressing little graveyard. It was open casket, meaning Enola was finally able to see her mother after years apart. There was something about seeing her mother’s lifeless corpse that reignited Enola’s hatred for the Pisas. Had her fortune not been stolen from the Pisa family, she wouldn’t have to be a maid… Tibbet wouldn’t have to labor endlessly in a lumber mill… and a doctor could have been hired for Amelia. Enola not only renewed her vow to avenge her father but also her mother. This time, though, she refused to fail.
When the funeral had ended, Enola said her goodbyes to Tibbet and took a train back to Hargeon Town. By chance, someone had left a copy of Sorcerer’s Magazine next to Enola’s seat. It was a peculiar read, but what caught Enola’s attention about it was the mention of a wizard’s guild in Hargeon Town. “Lamia Scale – where knowledge breeds greatness and greatness breeds heroes.” To Enola, fate was calling.
Once she was back in Hargeon Town, she informed Ivory that she needed to extend her leave whilst she inquired about a certain guild…
Enola's Supermarket Adventure || RP Sample
“Ten jewels for a tomato?” Enola shuddered at the utter madness and placed the red vegetable back on its shelf. She grumbled under her breath and ventured off to another aisle, shopping basket in hand.
The next aisle, aisle four, was the medical section apparently. It was filled with mostly snake oils claiming to cure all ailments and, for some reason, jars of vitamin D tablets. Enola’s nostrils flared – it smelled like the doctor’s office. Keen to leaving the aisle as quickly as possible, her eyes slid lazily back and forth for the item she was searching for; and there it was: an innocuous tube of cream hidden between the burn ointment and adhesives. Enola glanced left, then right, and back to her left. Confident no one was looking, she casually tossed the tube into her basket, hopeful it could take of that – ahem – embarrassing rash. Grinning like an idiot, she made her way to the next aisle.
Oh no. It seemed a tragedy had occurred in the next aisle: someone spilled a gallon of milk onto the floor. A “wet floor” sign stood testament to the incident as an apathetic teenager, obviously an employee, attempted to mop up the mess. Shivers went up Enola’s spine as she studied the boy’s mop strokes – they were terrible.
“Here, let me help you with that,” she kindly ordered as she snatched the mop from the boy’s hand.
“Erm… okay.” The boy was more than willing to let someone else do the work.
“You should mop clockwise, slow but not too slow, and make sure to keep your shoulders erect…” Enola went on with her mop lessons for several minutes until she realized the boy had left her alone.
Oh well. More fun for me. She continued mopping with a hum and a grin until she was finally satisfied with her reflection in the tile floor and then resumed her shopping.
An argument was taking place in one of the aisles. An old couple, both looking to be in their seventies, was debating on what kind of bread to buy. The man wanted white bread while the woman wanted whole-wheat. It was somewhat comical for the first ten minutes but then it just started getting sad. Suddenly, an epiphany struck Enola.
“Excuse me,” she uttered, stepping between the two and grabbing a bag of white bread as well as a bag of whole-wheat.
She removed half of the white bread from its bag and half of the whole-wheat from its bag and switched the two lumps up.
“Now you two can buy both in one bag!” she innocently chuckled, unaware that what she did was technically illegal. The old couple gave her a “what the hell” look but accepted the resolution to their bickering.
When Enola had finally obtained all the items on her shopping list, she proceeded to checkout. One by one, the items in her shopping basket were neatly placed before the store clerk. In fact, on closer inspection, it seemed she had alphabetized the items. The clerk squirmed a little as the woman’s dedication to organization but registered her items nonetheless.
“That’ll be one hundred fifty jewels, mam.”
With a flippant nod, Enola searched her pockets for her wallet. Uh oh.
“Um, mam? Are you okay?”
Apparently not. Her breath grew heavier; her skin, paler; and her eyes filled with dread as she felt the emptiness in her pockets. The rash cream would have to wait another day it would seem.
