Small Ambitions

Overture - 1

'Plain half length candles - 7 boxes' She wrote in the store's inventory book. She moved towards the next shelf. 'Tea bricks - 3' She wrote. She moved on towards the last shelf she had to do. 'Inkwells - 12' She snapped the book shut, walking over towards the small wooden desk sat in the corner of the supply room. It was simple, made of rough wood without any decorations. She put the store's inventory book on the desk, and the piece of graphite she used to write with on top of it. Using graphite to write was generally looked down upon, as it was associated with labourers. She didn't much mind though, they were much more practical and easier to carry than the complicated fountain pens most people used. Furthermore there was no need to dip it into ink every other sentence, making it her preferred writing tool.

She walked over towards the small mirror that hung on the wall next to the door to the storefront. This too, was entirely practical. She'd peer into it, checking whether her hair was still set properly. Elisabeth Ferlette was 20, with shiny black hair put up into a neat pompadour hairstyle. Like her grandmother, she had lively hazel eyes. She was quite pale, the effect of her spending most of her time inside, either at home or at the store she worked at. She was wearing a gray puffy-sleeved blouse, tucked into a black ankle-length skirt. She opened the door, walking into the storefront.

Behind the large counter stood Mr. Darcy, the owner of the general store and her employer. He was dressed in a simple black cotton business suit, with a high stiffened collar. He had short gray hair, parted towards the side. He was helping a middle aged lady. She put a few coins on the table, and put her coin purse back into her flowered hand bag. Mr. Darcy bowed lightly, opening the elaborate cash register with a 'ding!' and putting the money in. "Thank you for your business, Mrs. Brown, and have a pleasant afternoon!" She smiled at him. "All the same Mr. Darcy, all the same." She turned around and walked out of the front door. Elisabeth walked over towards Mr. Darcy. He turned around to look at her. "Are you all done Elisabeth?" He asked. "Yes Mr. Darcy." She responded. "Can I go home now?" He nodded. "Indeed! Thank you for your good efforts." She smiled, heading towards the front door, turning around and waving. "See you tomorrow Mr. Darcy!" He waved. "Get home safely!" She left the store, closing it.

It was becoming dark, with threatening dark gray clouds looming over her. She trotted along the wooden boardwalk, towards her house. Due to their small village, the streets weren't cobbled, and so when it rained the entire road became extremely muddy. As a counter-measure the village had installed wooden boardwalks along the houses. She lived quite close to the general store, and after passing a few wooden houses with peeling paint she stopped in front of her house, a small wooden cottage. It was painted over with now peeling white paint, like most other houses in Sustborough. Sustborough was a small village, located right next to a forest. It was a village in decline, shown by its use of wood, rather than bricks or stone, and its peeling paint. Sustborough had little more than 500 people living in it, and was quite far removed from any other villages or towns. Most of the town's supplies came from the general store where Elisabeth worked. Mr. Darcy imported items from other towns, which were brought over every Saturday. 

She opened the door of her grandparents cottage, yelling: "I'm home!". She closed the door behind her, and entered the small living room of the house. There, her grandfather sat on one of the three chairs, smoking a wooden pipe. He was wearing a simple white blouse tucked into brown tweed pants. He was completely bald, and adorned a bushy white moustache. He waved cheerfully. Her grandmother came in, carrying a large metal dish. "Welcome back dear!" She said, putting the dish on the table. "How was work?" She asked as she took a seat. Her grandmother had her hair up in a bun, a bit of an older hairstyle. She was wearing a simple gray dress, which dragged over the floor. Elisabeth took a seat as well. "Oh, it was fine. Ordinary, really. We're selling more tea than usual though." Her grandmother smiled. "Well it is becoming colder after all. Are you layering properly? I can't have you catching a cold."  Elisabeth sighed lightly. "It's a three-minute walk and Mr. Darcy's store is always properly heated." Her grandmother simply hummed, before opening the dish to reveal several boiled potatoes and steak. Next to the dish stood a loaf of bread cut into slightly uneven pieces. Elisabeth grabbed the large serving spoon and served each of them. She sat down again, grabbing her cutlery.