A Duck In Her Pond » Shimmer

Shimmer 33

Blond Duck — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 09:00:16 +0000

Bewildered, Magnolia stared at the jewels in Bridget’s palms, glittering between her fingertips. ”I don’t understand. I thought Magelena stole them.” She glanced at Amaryllis’s evil sister, clutching the side of the punch table, her long pale arms quivering.

“She did.” Bridget grinned. ”But she underestimated us.”

“Huh?” Magnolia blinked as Cici waved from the crowd, passing out shimmering cupcakes along the the microphone. Feeble voices filled the air, tears and laughter flowing as stories of Amaryllis buzzed through the cluster of families and friends. The twinkling haze thickened, Bridget’s twinkling eyes barely visible even three feet away.

“Check it out.” Bridget’s left eye sparkled. Magnolia laughed, reaching for the jeweler’s loop she held. ”Did you get this from my uncle?”

“Bingo!” Bridget reached into her bag, dropping some of the recovered pieces into Magnolia’s hands. Necklaces, earrings and bracelets spilled into her clasped fingers, a glimmering pile of goodness. ”Just like Amaryllis’ shimmer leaves a trail, so does Magelana’s hatred. She’s not any better at hiding than you are. These were all in the dumpster behind Amaryllis’ shop.” Her eyes widened and she yanked Magnolia forward. ”Watch out!”

Magnolia’s grin faded as a thin arm reached over her shoulder, skeletal fingers snatched for the jewels. Jerking away, Magnolia clutched the jewels to the bodice of her gown, her fairy wings swinging behind her. ”Back off, Magelena.”

“Stealing isn’t nice,” Magnelna hissed, her pale face dour in the shadows of a black hood. ”Nor is all this.” She waved her hand at the crowd, a trembling old woman staring, clutching the microphone in her hand. ”We had a bargain.”

“A bargain you broke and forfeited.” Magnolia’s fingers tightened. ”You lost. Get over it.”

“I didn’t lose anything.” Magelna leered, fluttering her eyelashes. ”You think you’ve won? That this is some fairy tale where everything will be all right because of a few precious stories?” She snapped her fingers, the cloud of glitter around them dropping to the ground in clumps of ash. “You should have known I don’t play by the rules.” Reaching forward, her fingers darted towards Magnolia’s ribbon and flower circlet nestled on her golden curls.

“Magnolia!” Bridget screamed.

As Magnolia reared back, the calico cat leaped from the ground, entwining around Magelena’s face. She fell to the ground with a scream, the jewels from Magnolia and Bridget’s flailing hands raining down around her. A brilliant flash of light burst into the sky, blinding them all.

Blinking in the fading light, Magnolia coughed, waving away a cloud of silver. She grabbed Bridget’s arm, her eyes slowly drinking in the colors around her. ”Where’s Magelena?”

“Dead, I hope.” Bridget wiped her eyes, smearing her eye make up and coughing. ”Do you see her?”

Magnolia glanced around, her shoulders slumping. ”No.” She scooped up the calico, smiling as a black streaked paw caught her chin. ”I owe you one!”

“Look!” Cici cried, dropping a tray of iced cookies. ”Look!” She pointed to the stage as a glimmering light rose from a pile of ashes. Entranced, the crowd watched as a shimmering tiara, gleaming like the first rays of dawn, rested upon Magnolia’s head. Clutching the cat, Magnolia froze, unable to tear her own eyes away from the light bursting from her forehead.

“The jewels came together just like your uncle said they would!” Bridget whispered, stepping back and nearly tripping over the edge of the stage. She glanced down at the pile of eyes and blanched. ”That means…”

“You won.” Amaryllis smiled, next to them as if she had always been there. Taking Magnolia’s fingers, she kissed them. ”You did it, dear. You got rid of her for good.”

“But…I didn’t do anything!” Magnolia protested, holding up a loudly protesting cat. ”She did!”

“She helped,” Amaryllis allowed with a smile. “But without you creating a air of shimmer and finding the jewels, it wouldn’t have been enough. See, before you, all the people held the shimmer in their hearts. The stories in their hearts. But thanks to you, they let it out. And it was strong enough to wipe away Magelena’s shadows for good.”

“So she won’t come back?” Bridget demanded.

“No.” Amaryllis smiled. ”She’s gone. And now it’s time for me to go, I’m afraid.”

“What?” Cici staggered forward. ”Who will help me with the bakery?”

“Who will help me to shimmer?” Magnolia asked.

“Who will prove to me there is shimmer?” Bridget crossed her arms. Amaryllis laughed, helping Cici onto the stage. She flung out her arms and cried, “You will!”

“Huh?” Bridget raised an eyebrow.

“You three have been spreading shimmer all along. You just didn’t know it. Cici, with her joyful cupcakes. Bridget, with her beautiful bouquets. And Magnolia…” Amaryllis’ dimples deepened. ”She’s just a natural.”

“But I don’t know anything!” Magnolia cried, desperately clutching the now yowling cat to her bodice. His claws caught at the faint pastel, sequins shimmering between his paws. ”You said you would teach me…”

“Sometimes, the best way of learning is by doing.” Amaryllis extracted a key from one of her deep kimono sleeves, extending it towards Magnolia. ”It’s not like I’ll be needing it anymore.”

Magnolia sucked in her breath. ”The key to your store?”

“You knew this was going to happen all along, didn’t you?” Bridget scowled, digging her arms into her elbows. ”That’s why you never ordered any inventory.”

Amaryllis simply closed Magnolia’s trembling fingers around the key. ”Take care of the town for me, won’t you? It’s in your blood, you know.”

“But where are you going?” Magnolia stuttered.

Lifting her arms to the sky, Amaryllis smiled. ”Home.” Digging into her pockets, she tossed two handfuls of silver dust into the air. White flashed around them as silver rained down, like a firework inches from their noses. As the smoke cleared, Magnolia’s gaze stayed fixed on a star twinkling in the sky, brighter than all the others.

“Shimmer,” she whispered. ”Shimmer well.”

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! A delicious Autumn brunch tomorrow! Stay tuned!

Shimmer 32

Blond Duck — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:00:44 +0000

Happy Birthday, Dad.

For previous editions of Shimmer, go here!

Her skirts fluttering around her, Magnolia elbowed her way through the crowd. ”Excuse me! Excuse me!”

“Magnolia!” Her aunt’s face crumbled in relief. She reached forward, pulling her niece onto the stage. ”There you are! Just in time!” She shoved her towards the microphone, wringing her hands as a calico blur streaked across the stage, winding around her nieces’ silver heels. ”Oh, that cat!”

As the calico’s purrs vibrated the microphone stand, Magnolia stepped forward. Amaryllis stood on one edge of the crowd, her beaming face drinking in the people dressed as fairies and forrest creatures. On the opposite edge, Magelena’s glowering scowl was scaring even the smallest of children away from the food table.

Magnolia cleared her throat, jumping back as the volume of her own voice spooked her. ”I want to thank you all for donating your time and money to the reconstruction of my aunt’s bookstore, The Nook, as well as the other shops damaged by the fire.” Her aunt smiled and waved, pink lipstick smeared on her teeth. ”But most of all, I want to thank you for supporting someone who has done a lot for this town. Many of you know that I’ve been visiting your homes, and you’ve shared precious gifts with me. Precious gifts that were stolen.” Magnolia didn’t need to look Magelena’s direction as the crowd gasped. ”But even though the gifts that Amaryllis gave you are gone, the thief can’t take the one thing she gave all of us.” Magnolia’s face lit up, her hand reaching out towards Amaryllis.

“Joy. Wonder. Delight.” Stepping down from the stage, she extended the microphone towards a frail older woman, her hands trembling like a bird in her handbag. ”Remember the jeweled pendant Amaryllis gave you?”

The woman pressed her thin lips together, drawing them up into a shy bow of a smile. ”It was in the 40s, when I didn’t ever know if I’d see my sweetheart again. I came in looking for work, and she gave me the job and the pendant. ’Wear it and think of him,’ she said. ’He’ll come home safe.’” The older woman looked up at the wrinkled man beside her, his watery eyes fixed on his wife. ”Without her, I don’t know if my Harry would have made it to our 50th anniversary.”

“Amaryllis gave me a watch.” Another woman stepped forward, taking the microphone. ”I was running late, but she said I wasn’t late, I was early. When I showed up to the restaurant, my blind date had left–but my husband was sitting in his place. I wore that watch every day for 25 years, when the clasp finally broke.”

“Amaryllis gave me my daughter back.” A man stepped forward, sniffling in to the microphone. ”She was mad at me and I couldn’t blame her–no one had the right to drink as much as I did. I lost her mom and I almost lost her. But Amaryllis helped me pick out the perfect bracelet and she called me crying–it was the same bracelet she’d had in a dream.” He wiped his eyes. ”Now she and my grandchildren spend two weeks with me every summer.”

Magnolia stepped back, watching as the stories poured from the lips of the grateful town. From her perch on the stage, sparkling light zinged through the crowd, a cloud of shimmering dust descending upon them.

And the brighter it got, the more Magelena crumbled into a ball of desolate darkness.

Footsteps clattered on the side steps and Magnolia whirled around. Holding out a velvet bag, Bridget gasped for breath, staggering up to the stage.

“Look what I found!”

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! A delectable recipe tomorrow!

Shimmer 31

Blond Duck — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 09:00:21 +0000

Do you Shimmer?

“What do you mean, it’s gone?” The flowers fell from Bridget’s arms, the blooms scattering among the ashes ground into the singed floorboards. ”They’re all gone?”

“Every single one.” Magnolia’s trembling hands raised a soot-streaked box. ”That’s weeks of work, years of memories…gone.” Impatiently wiping away a tear that had the audacity to streak down her cheek, she climbed to her feet. Her wings brushed the bookcase, silver glitter raining down on charred wood. ”We’ve got to get them back.”

“That would be easy if we knew who took them.” Bridget bent down, whisking the flowers up just before Magnolia’s heel pounded into the basement floor. ”Wait! Where are you going?”

Pausing on the bottom stair, Magnolia’s green eyes glowed in the shadows. Unable to stop herself, Bridget took a step back.

“I’m going to get our jewels back.” Tossing her golden curls, Magnolia stormed up the stairs, flying through the shop’s door. Hurrying down the sidewalk, a pale arm grabbed her wrist.

“Magnolia! Where do you think you’re going?” Even in her fairy costume, her aunt looked anything but sweet.’

“I have something to take care of.” Magnolia shook off her hand, starting towards Amaryllis’ store.

“But the festival will start any minute! And the silent auction to raise money for the new store has already started! And I need to you to make a speech and collect donations…” Her aunt trailed off as Magnolia’s murderous eyes swept over her.

“I have something to take care of,” Magnolia repeated, her voice steel wrapped in velvet. ”I’ll be back in thirty minutes.”

“But the festival will have already started!” her aunt wailed, staring after her as Magnolia stormed towards Amyarllis’ shop. ”Magnolia! Magnolia!”

Magnolia jerked the door open as her aunt’s words flooded after her. ”This is coming out of your rent!”

“Don’t do it.”

The door slammed behind her, locking with a cold click. Magnolia whirled around, searching the shadows. ”Where are you?”

“Don’t do it.” Silver shimmered in the dark corners, a tiny burst of light. ”If she sees you like this, you’ll lose everything.”

“She took the jewels, Amaryllis.” Magnolia replied flatly. Her wings drooped as she sighed. ”She took the jewels. Now I’ve got to go out there and explain to those people where their dreams and memories went. And if I don’t find some way to stop her, this entire town will crumble into darkness and despair. There won’t be a trace of shimmer left.”

“There won’t be a trace of your shimmer left!” In a burst of silver, Amaryllis blinked into view. In a silver gown, her now-white hair tumbled down in curls pinned up by jewels as her silver-blue eyes gleamed. ”Why do you think I chose you, Magnolia? Someone has to take care of this town when I’m gone.”

“What do you mean, when you’re gone?” Magnolia stuttered, shielding her eyes from the light.

“Everything has an end, Magnolia. Those who shimmer are like stars.”

Magnolia shook her head, her throat tight. ”No. No. You can’t leave. You can’t just–crumble into nothing. A star shines forever.”

“Even stars die.” A cool white hand cupped her chin, white streaks of shine across her skin. ”All light must go dark eventually. But it is your task to carry on. And if she has your shimmer…” Amaryllis winced. ”I won’t lose the store. I’ll lose everything.”

“All light goes dark…” Magnolia reached into her handbag, closing her fist around something dark and cold. The only jewel she had left, her uncle’s jewel. ”Come on, Amyarllis! We’ve only got a few minutes until the party starts!”

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! We have a new recipe and Friday five!

Shimmer 29

Blond Duck — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:00:42 +0000

Ready to Shimmer?

Magnolia swallowed hard. ”Deal.” Magelena’s fingers wrapped around hers, icy skin singing her fingertips as a scream rang out behind her.

“No!”

The door burst open, Amaryllis flying in like a forlorn butterfly, her apron hampering her blue silk robes from fluttering around her like wings. ”What did you do?” Her glitter and flour stained hands grasped at her wild hair. ”Tell me. Tell me she didn’t agree.”

“She did.” Magelena smirked, her inky fingers tracing down Magnolia’s arm. She jerked away, shivering as she brushed dark soot off her arm. ”You can’t control everyone, dear sister.”

“You’re the one that wants to control them, not me.” Amaryllis shot back. She sighed, dropping her hands. ”I knew I shouldn’t have gotten distracted by that dance party.”

“It’s ok,” Magnolia reassured her. ”I know what I’m doing.”

Amaryllis glanced at her sister and shook her head. ”No. You don’t.” Glaring at Magelena, she pulled the door open and gestured for Magnolia to follow her. ”All I can do is pray that Midsummer’s Night works.”

“It’ll work. I promise.” But Magnolia’s words sounded hollow to her own ears, the hope stripped from her voice.

But nothing could match the worry in Amaryllis’ eyes.

For the next week, Magnolia and Bridget spent every night dashing around the city, collecting as many jewels as they could. But it seemed for every jewel they collected, another robbery took place, with more jewels missing. Every night Magnolia would stare out her window, the gem pressed to her eye. The glittering city was now a city of shadows, with strife and bitterness running through the streets. People’s smiles had turned into frowns, their laughter into hostile stares and shouts. Even her uncle snarled at his secretary–something he hadn’t done in 40 years of business.

And finally, Midsummer’s Night came.

Hours before the party, Magnolia crept from her room, already dressed in costume. Her pale blue dress skimmed over the sidewalk as her beloved calico crept after her, pounding on her train every few steps. Magnolia strolled down main street, smiling and waving at the people who passed, carrying dishes and desserts for the giant festival. Children dressed as fairies and trolls skipped by and musicians set up near the stage, where a production of Midsummer’s Night Dream was to take place. As she passed the floral shop, Bridget poked her head out, a floral crown propped on her scarlett locks.

“You ready?”

“As always.” With a bouquet of flowers draped in the crook of her arm, Bridget slid out, locking the door of her shop. Stifling a yawn, she followed Magnolia into the burned bookstore. ”I’ve been up since four,” she griped, carefully making her way down the smoldered steps in towering heels. ”You would not believe how many flowers the mayor ordered. If I hadn’t made so much money off of…” She broke off, staring at Magnolia. ”What?”

“The jewels!” Magnolia whirled around, her eyes wide with horror. ”They’re gone! They’re all gone!”

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! We have a new recipe and Mama Kats tomorrow!

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