The woman checked the view outside the front window. Not only was the rain coming down harder, the sound of it could be heard inside the shop. “You were lucky. You missed the worst of it.” Turning back to Sophie, the woman smiled again. “By the way, my name’s Agatha. My husband and I own and run this shop.”

            “I’m Sophie. Nice to meet you.”

            “Delighted to meet you, too, Sophie.” Agatha waved at her again. “Let’s go back to my work area. That’s where I have my electric pot heating up the water.”

            She followed the woman through a pair of swinging doors that looked exactly like the kind used by saloons in those old westerns. To the left was a small table and stool. A large glass jar sat where the woman must have been working. To the right was another table, this one bearing two more of those jars, except they contained tiny plants and buildings, making them appear to be scenes right out of fairy tales.

            “Those are beautiful!” she breathed as she bent over slightly to examine them more closely. The movement proved to be a mistake, and Sophie found herself fighting a bout of dizziness.

            “Whoa, whoa, whoa there.” Agatha took her by the arm and helped her over to a stool. “Sit down. My, oh, my. It’s a good thing you showed up here when you did. Where were you headed?”

            “To the medical clinic.”

            Agatha made a circle around her face with a finger. “For this?”

            It took Sophie all of two seconds to make a decision. “Yes.”

            The older woman nodded. “Were you checking yourself in?”

            “I work over at the factory. Our doctor at the infirmary told me to go get X-rays.”

            “And you were walking over there? Alone?”

            “It’s not that far.”

            The woman reared her head back, her lips pressed together. “You don’t have a car.” It was a flat statement, not a question, but Sophie took it as an inquiry.

            “No, I don’t.”

            The thinned lips became a big smile. “Well, it looks like providence brought you here!”