The Paper Girl and the Stilt-Walker

Chocolate for Shadows

The days that followed Mina's meeting with Mr. Richelieu were long and busy. The aristocratic gentleman had hired a team of shadow people to clean and decorate the old chocolate shop, dusting and sweeping and washing the curtains. Soon, the windows sparkled and the floors were glossy and coffee brown. Outside, Mina teetered on a tall stepladder as she painted the old sign, so that the words "Boutique du Chocolat" were once again fresh. Inside, the new striped wallpaper was put up and the matching boxes and ribbons were stacked neatly on the shelf behind the counter.

At the end of the day, so much work had already been done and the old shop sparkled just as it had so many years ago. Mina was satisfied as the sun went down, the haze obscuring the lamps, and her shop stood out like a piece of her old memories. "It's beautiful," she told Monk and Marie-Élise as they sat down to eat that night. The ghost woman had attempted to make a stew of some kind again, and this time managed more than simply boiled water at least. Mina helped her discreetly, chopping onions and carrots when she knew Marie-Élise had forgotten. "The wallpaper is black and white striped, and the ribbons are different colors, and the floor looks brand new!"

"That's lovely," said Marie-Élise, daintily sipping from her spoon.

"All I have to do is make all the chocolates," said Mina, growing more excited as she spoke. "I might have to find assistants, though, because I'll be making lots of chocolate. And I'll have to wake up early every morning to make them."

"My husband could never stand chocolate," Marie-Élise said dismally. "Of course, it doesn't matter much now." She threw Monk a look.

Mina looked at Monk, too. "You've been really quiet," she speculated, tearing a bite of bread. "What's the matter?"

"You said Richelieu is funding this shop?" he asked in an unreadable voice.

"Yeah. Why? What's wrong with him?"

Monk hesitated. "He collects things," he said at last.

"That's what Art said. But I'll be careful. I'm letting him fund my shop, but that's it."

Everyone at the table was silent, and Mina ate a little more and then got up. "I have to start prepping," she said, thanking Marie-Élise and running down the stairs.

Monk and Marie-Élise were left alone. The ghost woman was looking down at the tabletop, and Monk was motionless. "You really shouldn't let her around Richelieu," Marie-Élise said under her breath.

"Well," Monk said, with a shrug, "she's been around me."

"You have a point." The ghost woman sighed, looking dismal. Then she looked up, a strange look in her eyes. "You really shouldn't have let her do that, either."

Monk's eyes were hidden, but his voice hinted at something strange, too. "Your moments of clarity come and go so rapidly, my dear Marie-Élise," he said, "that sometimes I wonder if you ever remember anything."

*

The next day, Mina's shop was open. She loved every inch of it, from the shiny new wallpaper to the brightly-colored ribbons. Outside, the dreary blanched lantern light permeated the ever-present haze, swirling mist obscuring the windows. But Mina's shop was lit with candles and well-stocked with chocolates that glistened in the burnished firelight. She had spent hours perfecting the pralines, filling the truffles, and decorating the dark chocolates. There were salted caramels lined up neatly beside chocolate-and-nut-covered toffees, which sat next to the chocolate roses displayed proudly in the front. Now, as she was dusting in the half-light of the afternoon, she awaited her first customer with anticipation.