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“I have some paperwork from Mr. Harrison,” Olivia said that evening in Gordon’s office.
“Thanks. You must have worked hard today.” He took the papers and flipped through them, signed the top sheet, and set them aside before looking at Olivia with a grin. “Now that’s the face of someone having fun.”
“Yes, I am! Thanks to you.”
She nodded enthusiastically, and he nodded in satisfaction. “That’s good. Seems it was the right choice, having Harrison look after you. What did you find the most interesting?”
Olivia thought about it. She’d learned so much today. It was interesting talking about magic heaters and next-gen ovens and stoves. But the most interesting thing was probably when they talked about current research into technique.
“It was interesting talking about crimson flame stones,” she relayed.
Crimson flame stone was a new type of magic stone discovered about a year ago. It had unique characteristics, such as melting under powerful mana, apparently allowing it to be molded like metal.
Gordon nodded like he understood her interest. “That surprised me too. No one expected to be able to form what we thought were tiny stones into large magic ones.”
While he was talking, Olivia thought about how glad she was to work in this shop.
That’s when the clock chimed. Olivia looked up and saw it was five o’clock—closing time.
Gordon grinned. “You finished with work?”
“Uh, yes. Mr. Harrison said I was done once I delivered the paperwork.”
“Good! Shall we go?”
“Uh, what?”
He smiled and stood. “Today’s your welcome party!”
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“IT gets dark here at night.”
It was the night of her first day at Gordon’s Magic Appliances. She was walking up the fire escape on the outside of the closed shop, relying entirely on the streetlights to see. She went slowly, heading toward the top fifth floor where her dorm room was. Once there, she took her key from her bag and felt for the lock.
CREEEEAK.
The un-oiled hinge squealed as she opened the door. She searched for the switch for the magic lamp hung on the wall using the faint light coming in from outside and turned it on, filling the hallway with a gentle orange glow.
Oh, good. Found it.
With a sigh of relief, she made sure to lock the door, then picked up the lamp and walked down the hall. The shadow she cast on the walls rippled. She reached her room at the opposite end of the hall, unlocked it, stepped inside, and sighed.
I made it home. It’s a little scary here at night.
She set her things on the table before switching on the larger lamp in the corner of her room and collapsing into bed.
Phew. That was fun.
Gordon and Rose had thrown Olivia a welcome party. Every employee at the shop today came out to the restaurant they’d booked, one of Gordon’s favorites. Olivia was nervous at first, but everyone was so friendly as they spoke to her that it ended up being an enjoyable time. She giggled as she remembered her and one of the salesmen comparing their knowledge of magic item facts. She hadn’t laughed that much in a long time as she watched her coworkers test each other’s knowledge or talk about the latest weird magic item they’d found.
I surprised them with how much I ate, too, but that was part of the fun.
After a moment, she pulled herself up with a groan. Tomorrow was an early start again. She went to shower and get ready for bed. Once finished, she wrapped her shawl around her shoulders over her pajamas, then opened the window and looked down.
The city is impressive. It’s still awake even at this time of night.
People were happily strolling below her window along the streetlamp-lit cobblestone road. Many of the shops were still open, and a soft light came from their windows.
She felt the nighttime spring breeze on her cheek as she gazed at the glow and thought through the day’s events. From dawn to dusk, it had been filled with new experiences. She’d been so busy, but it was very fulfilling.
“I think I’ll remember this day for the rest of my life…” she murmured, and then she closed the curtains.
She turned off the lamp, crawled into bed, and murmured, “I’ll work hard tomorrow too,” as she drifted off into a deep sleep.