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!” |