Yesterday's Magic by Beverly Long

to the rear of the
store. Bella followed, staying exactly in her path. How her aunt
managed to get through the tight aisle without knocking anything
off a shelf was a miracle in itself.
    Aunt Freida sat the coffee pot down on the
plain wood counter. Then she took off her heavy cloak and hung it
on a hook behind the counter. Bella didn’t touch her own buttons.
She intended to keep every layer on for now.
    “I’ll get the stove going and get us a fresh
cup of coffee,” Aunt Freida said, looking amused. “Well, this is my
little store.”
    It wasn’t Bloomingdale’s but then again, it
wasn’t so little either. It was packed, literally from floor to
ceiling in most places, with merchandise. Bella was immediately
thankful for the two front windows. Without them, the place would
have seemed absolutely claustrophobic. It did pain her, however, to
see that there was no display in either window. Merchandise was
simply stacked up against the glass.
    “What do you think?” Aunt Freida asked.
    Sometimes honesty was simply not the best
policy. “It’s very nice,” she said.
    Aunt Freida nodded. “A few months ago some
young whippersnapper came into town and opened his own store. He’s
just down the street a bit. His name is Saul. He even charges a
little less for some things. But he doesn’t have what people need
or want. Not like me.”
    She could only imagine. It seemed to Bella
that Aunt Freida’s store had at least one of everything in it. And
it was all piled on top of each other.
    Aunt Freida studied her and it made Bella
suddenly nervous. Suddenly her aunt smiled. “I haven’t been in
Saul’s store for some time now. He knows me and he follows me
around like a dog tracking a bird. But you’re a strange face, one
he wouldn’t associate with me. Maybe you could go shopping later
today and report back.”
    Excellent. If there was one thing she was
good at, it was shopping. “I’ll take very good notes,” she
said.
    “Saul’s won’t be open yet but in an hour or
so, you better go. By noon, everyone will know that my niece is
visiting. Word travels fast in Mantosa.” Aunt Freida grabbed a
newspaper off the pile in the corner and twisted several of the
sheets. She opened the door of the stove, carefully laid the
newspaper inside, and added some small pieces of wood. She pulled
out a box of matches from the pocket of her skirt, struck one, and
soon heat was pouring out of the stove. Bella got as close as she
could without actually standing on top of it.
    “What can I help with now?” Bella asked.
    “You can watch the counter while I unpack the
boxes that came in earlier this week. If it don’t have a price
marked on it, then there will be one listed on this sheet.” Aunt
Freida pointed at a piece of paper next to a drawer that was filled
with coins and paper money.
    “If they tell you they have an account, make
sure you add their purchases to their card.” Her aunt opened what
looked to be a small recipe box. It had to have at least fifty
cards inside. A quick look told Bella that they weren’t in
alphabetical order.
    Oh brother. Organization was clearly not her
aunt’s strength. Perhaps jumping in and asking for work had been a
mistake.
    Bella heard the door, felt a blast of cold
air, and saw a woman, all bundled up in a heavy coat and boots,
hurry inside. The woman unwound the scarf that was wrapped around
her head and Bella saw dark hair, speckled with silver, pulled back
into a long braid. The woman looked to be about forty. She wore no
makeup but had a natural beauty that told Bella she would always be
a pretty woman, no matter what her age.
    This was a woman full of sadness. Bella
didn’t need the gift of colors to know that—she could tell by the
look in the woman’s eyes.
    Aunt Freida moved out from behind the
counter. “Oh, Elizabeth,” she said, hugging the woman. “It’s been a
long time.”
    “Too long,” the woman agreed. “But you know
how it is?”
    Aunt Freida nodded. “Hard