Miss Fae and Sunberry Buns

 It’s a nice blacksmith. I’ve never seen one before, so I wouldn’t know, but it’s open to the street, so I can see the glowing furnace and the gleaming tools hanging on racks. The heat coming from it seems to make the air shimmer, baking my skin, but Fawn doesn’t seem bothered. It’s a little dim inside, lit only by the glow of the forge, and loud clanging comes from the back room, followed by a hiss and a puff of steam. Jewelry is displayed on shelves on the outside, winking in the sun.

“I don’t like je-”

“Earrings! They’re so pretty! They’re the same color as your eyes!” She holds up a pair of earrings with a greenish-brown color that looks sort of like dirt.

“Uh, why would anyone want earrings that colo-”

“Ooh! These ones match my eyes! We should get them!” she yells, holding a pair of earrings with tiny, sparkling blue gemstones set into them.

“Okay how come you get the pretty ones and I get the poop-colored on-”

“Oh wait, we need to try Miss Fae’s buns! Come on!” she drags me away again.

“Uh, Fawn, I think-”

“Huhhh? What’s that awful smell?” Fawn yells as we pass the apothecary’s cottage. She lets go and I practically fly to the other side of the world from the momentum.

It’s a cottage straight from the picture books. A garden blossoming with plants is surrounding it, with a very thin, winding path going through it, so thin I can hardly see it through the giant leaves and colorful flowers and- is that a giant carnivorous flower bud? Holy cow.

Fawn runs over to the doorstep, easily flying over the winding path that looks like a literal balance beam. It looks like someone just placed stones to make a path after planting the garden and not before. Holy cow- the flower just twitched. I’m staying here.

“Helloooo? Miss Apothecary?” She knocks loudly.

The door opens immediately and the stench grows about ten thousand times worse. “What do you want, child?” the black-robed person asks. “Which child are you again?”

“My name is Fawn, Miss Apothecary,” Fawn says brightly. “This time you’ll remember, right?”

“Right. What do you want, child?”

“What’s that smell?”

“Apothecary business.” The door shuts.

Fawn pouts. “I didn’t have a chance to ask her name.” She turns to me. “Miss Apothecary is new in town too!” she exclaims. “She got here about a year ago.”

“And she planted that atrocity in the garden?” I ask, rather horrified.

“Let’s go- uhh what was I doing again?” She pauses. “RIGHT. We need to eat buns. BUNS GALORE!” She grabs my hand again. One-trick pony. But it works so I guess I can’t be criticizing her.

But I find myself running along with her and not letting myself drag like a sled. One reason is because it really hurts, especially when she stops, but I also don’t feel as shocked. This is a fantasy world, where cats are dragons. It may be two am in the real world, but I’m here in Summer Falls. Or I’m dead and I got isekai-ed to another world. But I’m an optimist. (Maybe.)

“Behold! Miss Fae’s bakery!” She flings the door of the pastel-colored cottage open, letting golden light and scrumptious smells stream out into the street.

My jaw hits the floor. It smells like springtime here, and it's warm but not uncomfortably so. It’s basically the vibe of all the fluffiest shows out there mashed together in this bakery. The faint ding of an oven greets us. The walls are a faint butter yellow, the kitchen and the cafe separated by a counter, baked goods displayed behind a glass partition. A little gate with a bread design is the only way through.

“Fawn! Good afternoon,” a voice emits from behind the counter. I’m not kidding, it sounds like an all-powerful being resides behind the cupcakes. Then a middle aged, round-cheeked woman with flour dusted all over her apron emerges from under the counter. “I’m trying to find the sunberries, but I think I’ve run out,” she says with a sheepish laugh.

“No sunberries!” Fawn yells. “Ah, the tragedy!”

“It really is a shame, isn’t it,” Miss Fae sighs. “Who’s your friend?”

“I’m Sophia,” I say quickly before Fawn starts shooting her mouth off again.

“Oh, hello, Sophia,” Miss Fae smiles. “You must be new in town.”

“Miss Fae, the oven dinged!” Fawn yells.

“Oh dear!” she rushes into the kitchen. Immediately a wave of heat sweeps out of the doorway, and I can hear an oven slamming closed. Miss Fae rushes out with a tray stacked with reddish buns steaming an insane amount. The bakery immediately fills up with steam.

“Uh, is that supposed to happen?” I ask while trying not to choke on the smell of freshly baked goods.

“These are sunberry buns,” Miss Fae proclaims, sounding like the all-powerful cupcake being again. “The only problem is they need a topping of freshly cut sunberries and I used the rest on the last batch.” She smiles at Fawn mischievously. (Hey, what about me?) “Would you two like to try and retrieve some before the buns cool? Just be careful in the woods.”

“Wooahh isn’t that way too little time?” I yelp.

“No way!” Fawn declares. “Sunberry buns stay warm for SO long!”

“Uhh, okay-”

“You’re okay with it? Yaaay!” Fawn grabs me and drags me out, running without giving me a chance to recover my footing.