#ssrpu

The sleepy town was starting to rumble with activity as sunlight streamed into the crowded bookstore. A simple plaque hanging above named the store “Yggdrasil Book Shop” as a golden imprint of a tree had been burned into the metal. The vast display window had an assortment of books stacked haphazardly without any favoritism for genre or author, even a vast dictionary was currently the favored ‘spot’ of a large, but drowsy looking black cat as golden eyes blinked lazily as the sun filtered in. Despite the non-rigid book structure, there was a simple note that said items were to be sold at 50% off with no warrenty that cat hair lingered between some pages. The books were mainly for display, but owner did get the occasional buyer that said the slight wear on the books added to the charm. Although it was advised to consult the owner before attempting to retrieve said book..if one of Hati’s chosen spots were chosen..there would be blood.

Moving beyond the small shelves of standard ‘in-fashion’ novels of popular authors, the true treasures of the shop were kept on polished black oak sleeves in the middle and back area of the shop. The middle shelves housed everything a traveler could want; encyclopedias of flora and fauna, books on foreign languages, small guide books for the busy tourist, camping cookbooks, full color picture books of every imagined landscape from around the world. While in the back, it wasn’t your typical shelf as it was akin to a series of displays as sunlight passed over a set-up projector. Minute by minute a new map of some kind would flash against the solid drawers each marked with a card with information on their contents. Even specialty orders could be made for a surveyor to provide a fresh map with their own flourish..or connections to original maps hundreds of years old.

While the main registry of the shop could be found in front of a vast stacks of seemingly random objects against the far right of the shop. The only window of the store couldn’t do it’s job properly as too many books, loose papers and other things were blocking the streaming light. The collection seemed to change periodically as an observer could catch the few words of a letter, a marked up encyclopedia, simple origami paper toys to please a child. This was Sigyn’s precious clutter and her single rule of the shop, that no one move or even touch any of it. It had been her deceased father’s and acted a memory of him for her..as she could be seen flickering over pages of some book in quieter hours of the shop. Her quiet space until reality came knocking again..

At least she had company in the quieter hours as Hati kept watch from his book ‘post’ and Skol, his snowy but equally furry brother kept watch from a simple overstuffed pillow located at the end of the counter space next to the brass register. Perfect for ear scratches as his purr was a low rumble as Sigyn stroked a fuzzy ear as she paused in her drink of morning coffee. A simple brew, but rich in its’ bitter taste. This was her morning routine..open up the shop, drink coffee, appease her cats temperamental moods and attempt to browse a book or two..

The chiming of the door’s tinkling bell and the greeting meow of Hati broke the silence as Sigyn smiled at her customer “Hello. Welcome to  Yggdrasil, where the world is at your fingertips. How can I help you?”. Her tone was not too chipper as in truth she had never been much of morning person, but her caffeine was just starting to kick in.