To Tell a Tale

Monday morning brought all the children dragging themselves back to school and a collective sigh of relief from the shopkeepers in the town. Trade would begin to increase in the run-up to Christmas but for now there was the briefest of lulls to be enjoyed. Harold, in typical fashion, took the day off and left Julie to cope with the shop on her own with just permission to call him in if any of his 'special customers' called.*

This gave me the perfect opportunity to discuss yesterday's jaunt with him and to sweeten the pill, as it were, I took him breakfast on a tray.

"Where's Devious?" he said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes with his fists like they only ever do in cartoons. "I haven't seen him since yesterday morning."

"Oh.." I gave him a clenched-tooth grin. "I send him on an errand. he'll be back in a day or two."

"A day or two?" Harold frowned. "What takes an imp a day or two? They're the most efficient little workers I've ever seen."

"Shh! I pressed two fingers against his lips. "Don't say things like that! You never know who's listening."

"Who would be?"

"Another imp!"

"Oh." Harold took a sip of Darjeeling and brightened. "So where were you yesterday?"

"Ah," I said. "Let me tell you a little tale..."


*generally this refers to angels, demons and other denizens selling books and any order that required a book from the stacks to be reproduced.**

**i.e. forged