On Beatrix Hill: Part One (special preview)

Once upon a time there was a little girl, and the time was not good. War had been everywhere, and even though it was over, it was still there. The little girl, named Josie, was alone in the world. She lived in the larder of the shop she worked. Josie couldn’t remember a time before the war, this was all she knew. She knew to sweep, to clean, to run errands, deliver orders, and the best streets to traverse when delivering. It was along one of these streets, nestled away on its own, was a shop with a high glass window and painted all dark blue. The shop had a simple wooden sign which read, ‘Robin’s’. The window was often beautifully decorated, featuring all sorts of lovely things.

Josie never had to deliver things to the shop, but she always made it a point to travel in such a way she had to pass by the window. She loved to look at the beautiful things and imagine the people who bought them. How wonderful it must be, she thought, to own such beautiful things. She had never owned anything of her own aside from the clothes on her back, and the doll she cobbled together from leftover scraps she found.

One day, in the early morning, Josie was running a delivery when she passed by Robin’s. Inside the window, she saw something that captured her eye. She stood still on the street, steam puffing from her mouth. In the window was a figure that was quite tall and slim. It looked like a fancy man, wearing a pink coat with tails and purple trim, a fluffy lacy shirt, and blue slacks. But he had the head of a rabbit. He looked so charming, so sweet with his pink smile and golden eyes. Josie had never seen such a thing and became instantly enamored with the figure. More than ever, she made it a point to visit Robin’s window each day, just to look at the figure, even when it was terribly cold.

In Josie’s mind, the rabbit man was a prince who was handsome and daring. He outwitted his foes with his wit and exceptional speed. For some reason, this lone figure had captured Josie’s heart and imagination. For the first time in her young life, Josie truly felt like a little girl.

Having grown up working most of her life, Josie was both brave yet shy. She could easily wander any street she wanted, no matter what was happening. But she often found she was unable to stand up for herself. Hence why she always took the delivery jobs for the shop. The only hindrance to her deliveries was not the people she expertly avoided, but a cat.

This massive black cat had stalked about the town for who knows how long. Even during the war it somehow lingered and persisted even when the roughest of times hit. This black cat didn’t take kindly to Josie running around his territory and the two crossed each other often. He would jump out upon her, chase her, rumble menacingly from the shadows. Josie had gotten used to her formidable enemy, but he still surprised her often.

It was a chilly Sunday afternoon; most were on their way to church, so the streets were empty. Josie was, once again, outside Robin’s, staring at her rabbit prince. The black cat was sitting at the corner, watching her, eyes narrowed, tongue licking his chops. He started to come towards her while Josie wasn’t paying attention. The door opened, awakening the bells on the knob and hitting the black cat in the head. The cat yowled, alerting Josie’s attention more than the bells. A tall man stepped out, his hair as dark as midnight. He was dressed in a dark blue similar to the paint on the building.

“Was it that damn cat again?” He huffed. “He’s been trying to get in here for weeks now.” He then turned and looked down at Josie.

Josie stepped away from the window, nearly slipping on a patch of ice.

“Careful now, young lady, it’s awful chilly out this morning and ice can be anywhere,” the man stepped aside from the door. “Would you like to come in?”

Josie had never been inside before, in fact, she was far too scared to.

“I just set out some tea and pastries for the morning crowd,” he said.

Josie shook her head. “I don’t have any money, sir.”

There were already a few people in the shop meandering around, holding pastries wrapped in paper. “They’re free,” he says to Josie. “And you are my most loyal window shopper.” He stepped aside, keeping the door open for Josie.

She stared in, having never dared to dream to set foot in such a lovely shop. Her shoes were filthy, covered in frozen mud. Her hair was unkempt and dirty, as were her hands and nails. She knew she didn’t deserve to be in such a shop, but if she could, she knew she would never want to leave.