Indigo Elf

Ch. 12

Ch. 12

Arlen

For the first time since I arrived unceremoniously into this world, I was alone. Helen had kicked me out of the house to do some grocery shopping and Casper had gone off to visit his parents who lived in an entirely other city, so I wouldn't be seeing him for a while. With Helen and Casper by my side, this place didn't seem so scary, but by myself, I was a little intimidated by all of the people and loud noises.

"Gosh," I huffed.

I grabbed the strap of my satchel and hurried to the market place. Helen hadn't been clear on what she wanted me to buy, so I was going to have to buy what she usually had in the house, which was difficult because all I did was eat, I never paid attention to the ingredients!

The marketplace was another place that I absolutely loved. The exotic foods and scents always managed to draw me in. Hopefully Helen wouldn't mind me buying whatever smelled good. As soon as I entered the marketplace, a bright smile graced my features. I don't know if I said tis before, but I loved the marketplace. Grabbing a basket from my storage, I swiftly walked around the marketplace, following whatever good smells that stood out to me.

Although there was a lot to choose from, I still didn't know what Helen wanted. Part of me wanted to call Helen, but I didn't feel like being growled at, and I didn't want to bother Casper while he was visiting his parents. Plus, if I called him, he'd probably tell me to buy a ton of vegetables.

"Do you need help, little elf?" I heard a voice say. I gasped and turned around, coming face to face with a bear. I tried to contain my squeal of surprise, but I couldn't, I mean, there was a large bear talking to me! I reminded myself time and time again not to be surprised by the things I saw in this world, but sometimes I just couldn't help it. I stared wide eyed and open mouthed at the woman before finally stuttering out an apology.

The woman laughed and covered her muzzle with her large paw.

"It's okay," she breathed, "From that mark; I can tell that you are a reincarnated being. You wouldn't be the first person to stare at me like that. I'm used to it."

I pouted, "But I was so rude to you."

She smiled warmly down at me and rubbed my head softly, "It's alright honey, don't worry. Now, tell me what you need, maybe I can be of help."

Thanking her, I quickly explained to her my predicament about now knowing what to get and my budget. Helen had given me twenty silver coins, and made it more than clear that I'd better come back with change.

With that the woman and I, whose name I learned was Mandy, walked around the market and filled my basket with good products and low prices.

"If your friend Helen makes ramen, then she's definitely going to need everwinter seasoning," Mandy mumbled as she picked up a small container that was filled with what looked to be green sand. I picked it up and took a sniff, smiling when I recognized the smell.

"Yes!" I chirped, "I recognize this smell, she uses this alot."

She smiled and added another bottle, "Where I work, this seasoning gets used up pretty fast, so it's best to have an extra bottle."

Nodding, Mandy and I continued until my basket was bursting and I had spent a good twelve silver coins. The basket was incredibly heavy, so I stuffed it into my storage and relived my poor arms of the weight

"Oh!" Mandy suddenly gasped. I turned towards her, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She checked her wrist watch and groaned.

"I'm going to be late!" she said frantically, "I have to hurry back to the castle!"