Beauty of Blue Hills [SAMPLE]

Violin

The ‘Buy or Bye’ shopping mall was the smallest mall Anna had ever seen. It had only three levels, and each level was about the size of two football fields put together in at a ninety degrees angle. There was no way anyone could get lost in there. Anna was surprised it was even considered to be a mall. Perhaps a mini-mall would be more appropriate.

The sisters took her to at least nine different shops, staying for no more than fifteen minutes in each. Before they went in, they had ordered her not to utter a single word of complaint as they picked out clothes for her.

“I know you’ll want to hang us after this, but trust me, you need this,” Sophie told her.

“Yeah,” Christina said more lightly. “Take it in silence now, and you’ll thank us some day in the future. You’ll see.”

Anna wasn’t very bothered, but she played along; it made the game more fun and she needed the distraction. Her mind was always elsewhere, though she tried her best not to let it show, and to let loose.

In every shop they went into, Anna was ordered to sit down and wait while they each picked out one ensemble for her. Then she had to try them, and the sister whose pick was ruled not good by the other two would choose another.When it came to paying, Anna immediately told them she would take the bill. They protested, saying they were the ones who were inviting her, but Anna wouldn’t have any of it.

“You’re arguing with me over thirty dollars a piece?” she laughed sarcastically. “The shoes I'm wearing now cost me way more than all of these together. I’m paying.”

By the time they came out of the ninth store, they were carrying twelve shopping bags, and Anna had paid little over 1500$ in total. Last time she spent this much money, she’d come out with just a coat and matching shoes and purse. It was amazing how she never imagined in her wildest dreams that one day she would be getting fifty six items with so little money.

Well, little for her. Perhaps her parents were right, and she really didn’t know how normal people lived. Anna said a silent prayer of thank you for having met the sisters; she owed a lot to them, and she had only known them for four days.

“Almost seven thirty,” Emily said once they were out, looking at her watch. “This has got to be the longest shopping trip we’ve ever done.”

Her sisters mumbled their agreements. They must have been really tired since they were unusually quiet. They looked exhausted, too. Anna hesitated to ask what she'd been waiting for during this trip, biting her lip.

“Do we have time for one more stop?” she dared to ask. “I would totally understand if you’re tired, but there’s something I really want to see.”

They exchanged nods. “Sure,” Christina was the one to agree. “What do you want to see?”

“Where’s the closest music store?” Anna asked.

She frowned. “That would be Harvey’s place, on the first floor. Why?”

“I want to check out violins,” she admitted.

“Oh, sure, no problem,” Sophie agreed.

Harvey was a very smiling man in his fifties, and his shop, specializing in instruments made out of wood, was the most interesting thing Anna had ever seen. She could just smell the wood walking in.

He had a few items on display in the window; a couple different models of guitars, about six flutes, a banjo, three ukuleles, and a violin.

Harvey greeted them the second the door opened. “Hello, hello there,” he chanted jovially. And then he looked at Anna. “You must be interested in violins.”