Shadow Street Chapter 2
From the Blog:
“Aliens of London,” Doctor Who, Season 1, Episode 4 (1 of 2)
Fiction Excerpt:
Shadow Street Chapter 2
Mrs. Smith worked the bread. She pounded it out on the counter. Flour went everywhere. Out the window of her little shop, she could see the city, covered in the smoke of coal, yet the sun shined down through her windows and onto her work board. She kneaded the dough, rolling it out, and then braiding it up into perfect plaits and the oven. Donuts were down, pastries doing their magic, and cookies were lined up to go.
Younger mice scurried around and ran from corner to corner, keeping up with her in a flurry of activity. Their job, if it hits the floor, get it up. They ran around behind her, sweeping stray flour, wiping up minor spills, and eating stray globs of jam that had only moments ago gone in a blintz or spread onto a bagel.
There was a definite flurry around her.
She waved to another team, who ground coffee and brew it into large kettles for customers who were already walking by up and down the cobblestone outside.
She dropped a load of donuts while another team of field mice, all in hats and scarves, arranged the morning’s goods in the front window of the shop.
The door opened with the tinkle of a bell and a mole came in with her family on the way to school.
“Mrs. Smith, any of those fine bread sticks, the ones with the chocolate swirl in them?”
“I know you love them.”
Mrs. Smith pulled a basket of them up from beneath the counter and handed them across as the woman and her three children took them.
“Can you give Mrs. Smith the money?” The lady said to her youngest. The young mole handed her three pieces of silver. They thanked each other, and shortly they were gone. Outside, Mrs. Smith saw a carriage go by, drawn by a Scottish terrier who was clearly in charge of the whole situation.
He poked his nose through the door.
“Hello there Theo,” she said. She threw him a loaf of bread that he ate in one bite.
“Good morning,” he said as she came out.
“You have anything for me?”
“Only the usual.”
“Come on then,” she called into the shop, and several of the younger mice came out to help take several packages off the back of the carriage.
“Flour,” she said as the first ones went by.
“Sugar, okay,” she said as the second big bag went into the shop.
“Should be one more. Here it is.” She picked up a small bag containing a bottle. “Vanilla, very good. See you, Theo.”
“Good day Mrs. Smith.”
He was away, padding down the lane, pulling his carriage. He turned a corner. Other carriages were out. Folks were coming out on the street as the sun continued to rise.
“Morning, Mrs. Smith,” said a passing fox.
“Good morning.”
She went back in.
“The donuts!”
She jumped across the counter and lifted them from the oil. They were perfectly golden brown. She set them aside to drain as she lowered a fresh bunch in.
The door jingled and two rats came in, dressed in sweaters and hats.
“Good morning,” said Mrs. Smith. She crushed a tuft of fur out of her eye.
“Hello there,” said one of them. “Hi,” said the other.
“What are you looking for this morning?”
“Danishes?” They said together.
“Cheese or cherry?”
“Cheese,” said one while the other said “cherry.” Then they switched.
“I'll get you one of each, then.”
They nodded their heads happily while she looked through the danishes in her display case, picking the best ones.
She handed them over in a paper bag as the two rats gave her a coin each.
As they passed through the door and back out on the street, a frog, slender and young, and a turtle on two legs, came through the door.
“What can I get for you, gentlemen?” She looked up and recognized the frog. “Oh, how are you? You've got that party later in the day, right?”
“Yes ma’am,” said the frog. “It's for the reception at the clock tower.”
“Right. I've got a box for you right over here. Hang on a second.”
They nodded to her. The frog tipped his hat with his tongue and put it back on again.
Mrs. smith left the counter. Her help was doing fine behind her. One of the mice was filling a cream-filled donut while another helped someone to coffee.
With her back turned to them, she looked over a table through several boxes already set aside for larger orders she had ready for the day. There were several birthday cakes, several boxes of assorted sweets, one box of soft pretzels, and then the box she was looking for.
“Here it is.” She opened it to confirm it had an assortment of jelly donuts in it, then she lifted it and turned to hand it to them as something green quickly slipped behind the table and out of sight.
“There you go.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Smith.”
“Oh, thank you for the order, dears.”
She patted one on the shoulder and sent them on their way.
“Now, where was I?”
“We've got it, Mrs. Smith,” said one of her helpers. One of them took her by the hand and guided her to a table in the front window and pushed a cheese danish into her hands and then brought her a cup of coffee. She sat down and just enjoyed watching her place of work. The busy morning was always her favorite. Most of the help went home after lunch, and by the time she closed, she'd be on her own, but for now, it was nice.
Outside on the street, she could see carriages trotting down the road, driven and owned by the dogs pulling them. That's when she remembered we were on the way.
Our carriage stopped in front of the bakery, and she could see us coming. She perked up, slurped down her coffee, and absently brushed at the flour on her apron.
Our carriage stopped and Mr. Curtis popped out of the door. He was more of a large bulbous head with little legs, and his skin was gray-green in the sun. He adjusted his monocle and his top hat.
“Dr. James, I believe we have arrived,” he said as he paid the corgi at the helm a hefty sum.