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“Carol!” The head maid was calling Amethyst. “The workers will be going to the loading dock. So, once they leave, clean their place.”
“Will do, ma’am.” Amethyst could sense that the head maid was getting used to her. Amethyst probably wasn’t as quick as Pauline, but she didn’t fool around and worked hard. Amethyst was certain the head maid was figuring out some way that she could keep her employed, even after Pauline returned. The gift of strawberry jam that advertised her cafĂ© on the label also helped Amethyst get into the head maid’s good books.
Amethyst headed off to the house where the workers were lodged. The workers had left for the day, and the house was completely empty. Amethyst began to clean the premises. She had hoped the ashen-haired man might still be here, recovering, but it seemed that he went off with the other workers. She wondered how he was. She had even brought some medicinal items with her, just in case. Thinking about the mysterious man, she finished her work.
***
After resting for the few days, Pauline had recovered enough to return to work. Amethyst was no longer required to go to the mansion on her behalf, so she sat around her empty café wondering what to do now.
She would periodically open and close the front door to make sure it wasn’t broken. The bells chimed merrily, indicating everything worked perfectly. So why did she not have any customers? It had been another several days, and still no one had come, except Pauline and Erina, who made it their duty to come daily. Her stomach roiled with a mix of fear and disappointment.
She had heard that not everyone was suited to go into business themselves, and it appeared she was one of them. Was she ruined? She should have just used the money she had been given to live comfortably and not worry that she had wasted her time with a failed business.
She thought of the cooking shows she once liked to watch and the things that made those restaurants successful. She decided to go over the menu first.
The fruit teas had been her specialty. However, the ingredients were all things that could easily be purchased, and the recipe was not hard to produce, so people could make the same thing at home. So why would they want to buy it here? She needed something unique on her menu. Something you couldn’t get anywhere else. Amethyst’s mind was drawing a blank, until she remembered something she had seen.
Behind the Veolense mansion, just off of the property, there was a grove of fruit trees. They produced a small orange fruit that she had not seen at any of the markets. She needed to see if the fruit was edible and how it tasted.
As she was thinking about the strange fruits and the possibilities they might produce, Pauline and Erina walked into the café for their daily dinner visit.
“Auntie!” Erina cried, running over to give Amethyst a big hug.
“Erina! Did you have a good day today?” Amethyst asked.
“Yeah!” she said happily, taking a seat at a table.
“How about today?” Pauline asked.
Amethyst shook her head and shrugged.
“It’ll get better,” Pauline consoled her. “I told a lot of people about the cafĂ© at work.”
“Thanks! You’re the only one who looks out for me,” Amethyst said.
“Me too, Auntie!! Me too!!” Erina insisted.
“Yes, yes! Erina, you are the best!” Amethyst patted Erina’s head. “Pauline, are the forests below the mountain at the back of the mansion the landlord’s property?”
Pauline thought about it and said, “Probably not. If it was his, then the workers wouldn’t be able to enter them at their leisure. Everyone goes into the forest to pick wild plants and mushrooms. Why do you ask?”
“I was just curious.”
“Carol, if you decide to go into the forests, just make sure you don’t go in too deep. There are stories of people who don’t return if they get too close to the mountain.”
“What do you mean people haven’t returned?” This news made Amethyst nervous.
“No one knows. Maybe they got lost. All I know is that everyone is scared to go deep into the forest.”
Amethyst had thoughts of the worst scenarios for the rest of the dinner. She would have to be careful when she went. After dinner was completed and cleaned up, Pauline and Erina headed for home. There were still a few hours before dark, so Amethyst changed into clothes and shoes that were suitable for hiking. Filling a backpack with water and snacks, she locked up the café and headed for the grove.
The Veolense mansion wasn’t far, but since she couldn’t trespass across the property, she needed to take the long way around to get to the grove. The sun wasn’t overly high in the sky and there was a cool breeze, so the hike was quite pleasant.
Thinking about Pauline’s warning she wanted to make sure that she didn’t get lost. She tied red ribbons to the branches of the trees as she headed into the forest, leaving a trail she could follow to get back out.