Wonderland was a ramshackled little shop in a picturesque town that stood at the end of a narrow lane. All sorts of oddities peered out from within it’s tiny little tudor windows – old Victorian wooden toys, puppets, more modern aeroplanes. It was quaint and it was cozy, and it was perhaps two floors tall with an attic to the top. Today, outside on the pavement, sat a folding sign – “Behold the Magical and Mysterious Clockwork Extravaganza” .

Today was a sunny spring Saturday afternoon, and distant chatter from the coffee shops deeper in the town drifted through this quiet street. The bell chimed as someone crossed the threshold into Eldin’s workshop and abode.


He was seated on a stool behind the counter, chiselling away at a little wooden toy holding a drum.

“Welcome!” he called without looking up, blowing off the sawdust and sweeping it over his side of the desk.

Then he stood, wiping his hands clean with a couple of booming claps, causing little clouds of dust to drift in the air. He waved his hand briefly by his face and coughed, before a beaming smile crossed his face.

Eldin was an eccentric man with equally eccentric ancient clothing choices, but all one could really note – as swished by the counter and into the narrow area in front of his desk – was how giant he seemed in this tiny little room. And yet he seemed to belong here, in this world of cramped shelves and clutter and whizzing and ticking, when elsewhere he would of seemed strange and otherworldly.

“You’re early for the show!” he cried with a peppy spring in his voice that was nothing short of infectious. His eyes twinkled with glee and that beaming smile had not left his face.

"Fucking.. kids.." muttered a small woman as she trudged down the sidewalk, doing her best to wipe smears of whipped cream off of her apron with her hands. It really wasn't of much use to do that though, so she just slipped it over her head, balled it up, and shoved it into the bottom of her bag with a huffy sigh. The new guy at work had somehow managed to screw up the whipped cream canister and when she had tried to use it, it practically exploded all over her. Well, at least it had been the end of her shift.

Anna hadn't lived in this town too terribly long, and had lucked out by finding a job at a café that was only a fifteen minute walk from her house. The trek helped take away the stress of the day, and she was always finding new little streets to explore that held boutiques or restaurants. This town was very small and quaint, reminiscent of one of those little Christmas village setups that have a train running through them. It was probably due to that that the town had so many tourists. Even though she lived here, Anna herself often felt like she fell into the tourist traps and spent hours perusing niche bookstores and the many specialty shops that were scattered around. And it seemed that today would be no different, for as she rounded a new corner she was immediately drawn to a little sidewalk sign that invited passerbys to view a Clockwork Extravaganza!

The auburn-headed woman couldn't help but stop in her tracks, already mesmerized by what she saw in the windows. It was like looking into the past at all of the intricately detailed dolls, wood worked knickknacks, and puppets that looked like they might get up and start dancing by themselves at any moment. Before she even knew what she was doing, Anna pushed open the door and crossed the threshold, triggering a little bell to go off that announced her presence. A voice welcomed her, and it took her a moment to be able to discern the shop owner from the rest of his shop before he stood up, ridding himself of the dust of his work. "Oh, hello!" she said, watching him move out from behind his desk. The shop was the perfect example of 'organized chaos', as it seemed that the space was simply overflowing with antiques and clutter, but there was still thin and discernible pathways through the room.

The man who had greeted her moved smoothly towards her; he seemed to just ooze charisma and pep. Oddly enough, it was incredibly infectious, and even Anna felt herself smiling. It was like she'd crossed over into another realm; all together the shop and it's owner were bizarre, but it didn't seem strange at all being within the doors, whereas out on the street she would have thought he looked like an absolute madman. Come to think of it, she was the one who was out of place with her plain appearance and modern clothes.

"Show?" she repeated, feeling a little dumbfound and overwhelmed by both the shop and the man in front of her. He towered over her quite easily, though oddly enough she didn't feel threatened by this. Perhaps it was because, in some weird way, she'd entered his world when she'd entered the shop. "I didn't know there was a show, I'd love to see it though. Your shop is.. amazing." she said with a vague gesture of her hand, a grin still on her face.