Anna: A Life

Onward and Upward

I cautiously stepped into the door. The door shuts swiftly and hit me, knocking me into the center of the shop. I glared around, shivering.

"Yoo-hoo."

I turned around. "Hmm?" I saw a man standing behind a counter, tapping his finger tips together. I think this was Oaken. Obviously he was the owner.

"Big summer blow out," He said. "Half off swimming suits, clogs, and a sun balm of my own invention, yah?" 

I glared at him, confused. "Oh. Great. For now, um, how about boots? Winter boots and dresses?"

"That would be in our winter department." He pointed at it. It was almost empty, only with one outfit, a pair of boots, and a pick ax. Snowshoes slipped off of the wall and landed on the floor.

"Oh," I said, slightly dissapointed. "Um, I was just wondering. Has another young woman... The queen, perhaps, I don't know, passed through her?" I brought the clothes and boots over to the counter.

"The only one crazy enough to be out in this storm is you, dear."

The front door suddenly swings open. Another man walks in, covered in ice.

"You and this fellow," Oaken countinued. "Hoo hoo. Big summer blow out."

The man walked up to me. I began humming nonchalantly as he approached me. He mumbled something at me.

"Huh?" I was bewildered.

The man leaned closer to me. I leaned back, whistling nonchalantly.

"Behind you," He said.

I glared back. "Oh. Right. Excuse me." I stepped out of his way. He grabbed a bunch of carrots, tossed them on the counter, and then walked around the shop, gathering more items.

"Oh," Oaken said to the man. "A real howler in July, yes? Wherever could it be coming from?"

"The North Mountain," The man replied, grabbing the pick ax.

"North Mountain," I said to myself. Elsa could be there.

The man placed his items on the counter.

"That will be fourty," Oaken said.

"Fourty?" The man was angry. "No, ten."

"Oh, dear, that's no good. See, this is from our winter stock, where a supply and demand have a big problem."

I nodded in agreement.

"You want to talk about a supply and demand problem?" The man said. "I sell ice for a living."

I glared out the window and saw blocks of ice on his sled.

"Ooh," I said. "That's a rough business to be in right now. I mean, that is really..." I hesitated and cleared my throat. "That's unfourtunate."

"Still fourty," Oaken said. "But I will throw in a visit to Oaken's sauna. Yoo-hoo. Hi, family."

I turned to see a family waving through the window of the steaming sauna.

"Yoo-hoo!" They all said.

I waved back.

"Ten is all I got," The man said. "Help me out."

"Ten would get you this and no more," Oaken said, isolating the carrots.

"Okay," I said to the man. "Just tell me one thing. What was happening on the North Mountain? Did it seem magical?"