Like A Fairytale

Chapter 30

Flo

"Flo?" Minnie's voice woke him up. Flo had fallen asleep at the counter. Curled up with a silver paw, lying next to his head. He had been tidying up for hours. Garbage piled up in front of the store. And it wasn't just his own.

"What?" Flo raised his head and blinked.

"There is good news. Please open my box! It's DARK in here!" demanded the AI, awkwardly trying to joke. Her monotonous voice came from the Minnie box, which he had placed on the counter.

Tired, Flo opened the box. Still too tired to notice that Minnie was talking to him, EVEN though her jewelry box was closed. This had never happened before and Flo thought it was impossible. The box usually activated as soon as it was OPENED.

A bright, greenish light appeared, and then the figure of the little fairy was projected in front of him. "Flo. Pack your things. Everything you want to take with you. You will start your new job tomorrow. You are expected there today. For an introduction to your new tasks and to move into your new room." Minnie threw confetti.

Of course, it wasn't real confetti, but just like her, just a picture. And while Minnie had thrown confetti and a small firework appeared around her, her facial expression and also her voice remained monotone and boring. Unchanged. Extremely un-euphoric. Expressionless. Flo suppressed his laughter. The AI just wasn't very convincing.

"Oh? Now?" he asked instead, yawning with a blink. "Now?" Next to him, Silverpaw stretched and licked his front paws.

"Now!" Minnie confirmed.

"And... If I don't want to? We have already had this discussion." Sighing, he nudged the hologram. His finger slid through Minnie. Nevertheless, the fairy protested and tried to push his finger away. At the same time, Silverpaw sniffed the fairy and then tried... To eat her.

"Rude!" grumbled Minnie, just as tonelessly as before. "Don't do that. Bad Fluffball!"

Silverpaw looked irritated from the fairy to Flo and then back to the fairy. "Meow?"

"You can't eat Minnie. She's not real." Flo got the animal child from the counter and sat it on his lap instead. "Minnie? What about my store, huh? What am I supposed to do there? Surely they don't need a scrap dealer there!"

"Dishwasher." Minnie shrugged her shoulders. "You start there as a kitchen boy."

"Dishwasher?" Flo shook his head.

"Come on! Hop, hop!" urged the fairy. "Fluffball can accompany you. No one will ask questions. Pack your things. There, you'll earn enough to renovate your shop once Burgstad is repaired. According to my calculations, this takes between half a year and a year. If you want to go ba..." She stopped briefly, hesitated, then nodded. "Go. In half an hour you will be expected on Level 5. At the elevator. I'll show you the way, so take me with you!"

"As Her Highness wishes. Come Silverpaw! We're leaving..." Flo lifted the wolf cat up and frowned. "Minnie? How did you..." But Minnie had already disappeared.

How did you manage to get me to take Silverpaw with me? And how will you lead me? Can the Minnie Box do more than I realized? But... I took it apart...

Half an hour later, Flo found himself in the elevator on the way to Level 5. Minnie's voice came softly from the jewelry box from time to time and from his simple suitcase. The box was located in it. At the top. "Take this elevator," she said, for example, until they reached Level 5 without any problems. Nobody stopped him, he didn't meet anyone who could.

Level 5. He had never been there before. Silverpaw looked curiously out of the bag that Flo had placed on his old suitcase.

The suitcase was damp, but fortunately not completely soaked or broken. His few clothes, shoes, and belongings, which had also survived the water, were inside. As well as the battery, which Flo was still planning to sell.