Abe Bloom's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Abe Bloom arranged white roses in a glass vase, his fingers working fast. He ran a flower cart in Vale, but that wasn't enough. He wanted his own shop, a real one with walls and shelves. From there, he could supply flowers for every festival in town. The spring carnival would need bright bouquets. The harvest fair would need autumn colors. He picked up a daisy and smiled. Soon, he thought. Very soon. He'd been saving for three years. Every coin from every bouquet went into a jar under his cart. This morning, he counted it again. Enough. Finally enough. He walked through the forest path until he found it—a small building made of white wood, empty and waiting. The sign above the door read "For Lease." Abe traced his fingers over the smooth walls. He could already picture the shelves lined with vases. Customers would come here for weddings, for apologies, for festivals. He pulled out his jar of coins and headed inside to make Bloomin' Flowers real. The landlord shook his hand an hour later. Abe signed the papers and received a silver key. He stood in the doorway of his new shop, the white wood walls bare and clean. Sunlight streamed through the windows. He set down his flower cart—the same white stall that had carried him this far. It would stay with him, ready for days when he needed to bring flowers directly to customers. Abe hung a wooden sign above the door: Bloomin' Flowers. His dream had walls now. His dream had a home. Outside, he hammered a white notice post into the ground. Metal rings held a rolled parchment that read "flowers $1." Vines already grew around the base, making it look like it belonged there. He studied the post and nodded. People walking by would see it. They'd know where to find him. More importantly, this was where he'd learn about the festivals—the announcements would tell him when Vale needed his flowers. Abe stepped back and looked at his shop, his cart, his sign. Everything was ready. The flower extraordinaire of Vale was open for business.