pleiades

“Did you know they used to carve faces on turnips?”. Belle was changing the bookstore display, the theme was the evolution of the Jack O’ Lantern, so there was a beet, a turnip and a pumpkin, all carved and illuminated with fake candles. “They’re meant to ward off unwanted visitors”.

Sarah thought about the newly-learned fact for a moment. She’d seen turnips in her kitchen earlier, and surely the faces carved on them couldn’t be as extravagant as one on a pumpkin. “Why the change to pumpkin? If you happen to have that answer.”

“I think you should, you’d be quite good at it,” The man gave her a charming nod, as if this were a little secret between them, “I know the perfect place!” Lumiere hopped out of his seat without a second thought, honored at the invitation. It may have seemed a little extravagant, but it came for a genuine place of happiness for Madame Hawkins. He held his elbow out for her to take, “Shall we?”

“We’ll see, can’t let all my secrets get out there otherwise business is ruined.” She spoke jokingly though any business owner feared being outdone by competition. While she anticipated an acceptance, Sarah wasn’t prepared for how he leapt to his feet with such enthusiasm, quicker than she ever could. Rolling and shoving the magazine into her purse, she stood with a wide smile and took his arm, waving her other hand in front of them. “Lead the way.”

                       “ MOM – IT’S… IT’S fine. “, jim sighed as he kept his emerald eyes fixed on the wound on his hand. it had been nothing but a dumb skateboarding accident – he had been on his way back home when the wheel of his board got stuck behind a small stone. but no matter how small it was, it was enough to block the board unexpected, causing the guy to tumble right off of it and on to the ground. jim was a tough guy – however when the cloth his mother held touched his wound, he hissed silently. “ you know i can do that myself. it’s just… it’s just a flesh wound. “, he brushed it off, hating that he was wasting his mother’s time with this. { @ofpleiades​ }

Elsa let a small smile cross her face at the older woman’s offer. “That’s very kind of you, but I’d hate to ask that. Especially hen it seems a little on the busy side,” she replied with a glance around the room. “But a fresh coffee would be lovely. And black is fine, I prefer it that way.”

“If you change your mind, let me know, I can clear a spot in no time. For now I’ll just grab your coffee.” She departed the table for only a few minutes, returning with the freshly brewed beverage. “Anything else I can get for you?” she asked, pouring into one of the mugs on the table. “Any appetizers to hold you over while you’re here?”

“My dear, if I ran those magazines, you’d be front page every week!” He spread his hand out, setting the picture in front of him, “I can see it now, Madame Sarah Hawkins’ Tips for Working Wiles! Miss Sarah Hawkins Shares Magnificent Recipes!” If there was one thing Lumiere was good at, it was flattery. Who said a single mother wasn’t model material for People magazine? Not he. But on a real note, he did enjoy seeing Sarah out and about, rather than tied to her job. Everyone deserved a work/life balance, “Why, I’m the same as you, aren’t I?”

Sarah waved off the imaginative headlines with a laugh. “If I could make enough money selling recipes and life tips, I’d retire.” Though she knew that wouldn’t happen, even if the opportunity came along, she couldn’t not work. The brunette nodded in understanding — being surrounded by other people day in and day out meant time off was spent in near solitude. “Getting away from the bustle downtown? I was actually going to find a place to eat that wasn’t the Inn, if you’d care to join?”

A heavy sigh escaped her as she placed her hands on the nape of her neck, letting her head droop. “I’ve only got a few days until this is due and I can’t seem to concentrate,” Elsa complained, biting her lip. Already she was dreading what a bad grade on this assignment would do to her GPA. Picking her head up, she let out another sigh and stared ahead blankly. “I think I need coffee.” / @sunnysidestarters​

“Would you like to move to another table? I can close off the back few so you’re not bothered by others’ conversations,” she offered, setting down a glass of water. “I can definitely help you out with the coffee though, have a fresh pot brewing as we speak. Will you need any creamer or sugar?”

Since the school year had started, Lumiere treasured his afternoons off spending time with the town. Though he loved teaching, talking to people his own age had it’s charm as well. Meeting people when they weren’t stuck in a classroom could also result in some very different results. With a hop in his step, Lumiere took a seat next to another townie on the boardwalk, “Mon cher ami, you look wonderful today; did you do something different with your hair?”

@sunnysidestarters

As heavy as the Inn weighed on Sarah’s shoulders, she had been forcing herself to step away from the business at least once every other week. She needed to relax and that was impossible to do whilst serving, cooking, and bussing tables. Her priorities were scattered — one day the Inn, the next her son, but never herself — all she needed was a clear mind. The cool breeze ruffled pages of her magazine, Sarah glancing up in the direction of the voice. “Lumière, salut.” She was left to the basics, not having studied French in decades. Sarah lifted the ends of her hair to inspect them for any changes, only to find traces of flour from that morning’s bread prep that she was quick to comb out. “Just a bit of flour, nothing like the new and trendy hair accessories talked about in this magazine. What are you up to on a day like this?”

“I think their main goal is to freak us out. The police already has their plate full with Winnie’s case, they don’t need nothing popping out of nowhere. I really hope the trend doesn’t start again, we also have the Joker movie coming out…“

“The Joker is a very specific clown, easily recognizable as a stunt if people began dressing up as him and taking to the streets. How about I promise you that if I ever spot a clown out in Sunnyside, I’ll make sure to have their identity known and their prank put to rest?”

“The internet went crazy, the videos were everywhere. They better not appear here, we’re already nervous after what happened, the last thing we need is random clowns appearing out of nowhere“.

“They shouldn’t be able to do any harm if they happen to show up, the police have been on high alert for a while — they may even think of it as an attempt at a diversion, to get their minds off track.”

“Whoever thought of bringing pumpkin spice season early is seriously messing with my vibe. I don’t feel like drinking a pumpkin spice when the sun is hot and I’m sweating, who thought it was a good idea?“

“Capitalize on something popular and pocket more profits. The same thing happened with Black Friday, stores usually have weeklong deals now or open their doors the night before. Not to mention the online shopping craze.”

“Yes, indeed, and this is her 7th album. Which means I was around 7 when her first album was released!” Silvie had no intention of making Ms. Sarah feel old, they just thought the life’s work of Taylor Swift was interesting considering she started at only 16, “Isn’t that amazing?”

So Taylor Swift wasn’t new, which meant Sarah really had been lagging in what was considered ‘in’. “I’m sure I’ve heard her music then.” Not that she could name any particular one, but she was certain that the music played during business hours contained a mix of classics and top hits. “What songs of hers would you recommend?”

“Am I the only one worried those weird random clowns are going to return? I think it’s enough that It 2 is out, but do we really need a documentary about one of the creepy clowns? Just let the clown obsession go…“

“I forgot about all that commotion — truly an odd time. With everything going on already, I doubt the police will let anything like that slide, even if it is a weird prank.”

☆ﾟ*·ﾟPRACTICALLY running toward the person sitting at the closest bench, Fawn tried to sit delicately on the spot next to them, but it didn’t work out very well. With a bright smile, she swayed from side to side, trying her best to look cute in some way. It didn’t work all that well because she’d probably bruised herself. But Fawn had a problem. “Okay, so, I know you’re probably busy and all, but I have a problem. I was playing catch with Shadow and Gruff and the foam frisbee got stuck in a tree,” she began to explain. “See, this is the issue. I’m not allowed to climb in trees for at least another month, ‘cause I tore some muscles, and the fire department won’t help me get things out of trees, ‘cause I’m always getting stuck up there. So they just don’t wanna help unless it’s a serious emergency. So I need your help, please!”

@sunnysidestarters

Sarah nearly leapt from the bench when Fawn suddenly appeared beside her. She set her book down on her lap as the words began spilling from the girl, doing her best to take everything in. “Okay, okay, take a breath first.” Sarah dropped the book back into her bag before standing. She wasn’t about to climb the tree herself, no, first she needed to assess the situation with her own eyes then decide who to call. “Which tree?”

             ╰ · ❀ › IT HAD BEEN quite a while since aurora had visited the benbow inn and even longer since she had seen sarah, someone who she both loved and admired. the truth was, after her split with jim she thought it would be weird to continue to have a relationship with his mother. weird for him and also for her. aurora always had been terrible at letting the past go but curiosity always got the best of her, and that was how she had ended up sitting at a table in the small in. “ hi! “ she spoke excitedly, standing to quickly hug the older woman before sitting back down. “ i’m –– i’m good. i was just in town and thought i’d come see you, i’ve missed you. how is everything? “ she asked sincerely, she knew times had been tough for the family more times than not. “ oh, you don’t have to do that! i’ll take whatever you recommend. surprise me. ”

“I haven’t listened to anything besides Taylor Swift’s Lover for the past 4 days. I think this is what they call ‘obsessed’,” Silvie attempted a joke, though the way they picked their words so carefully made them sound almost serious, “Cornelia Street is so good, but Paper Rings makes me wanna dance. What’s your favorite?”

@sunnysidestarters

New music and trends weren’t at the top of her priorities — acting cool for the sake of her son was embarrassing for both of them. Sarah was about to sound very old as she hesitated in answering. “Taylor Swift is the tall, leggy blonde, right?”