[Character, Plan]

  Salome had a few portal muffins with her when she entered the tower well before dawn. While all the residents of the tower slept, except for her co-conspirator Ruby. The flagstones were cold and quiet. Ruby led the way, she’d picked the room farthest from Rose and Lu’s room. They’d try and remain silent as the grave but something like this was bound to make some noise.

  Salome whispered. “Open portal to Madd Maggies ten foot from the front door, duration 1 hour.”

  Meanwhile Ruby whispered. “Room: Round Oak Table seats four with four chairs”

  The furniture popped into existence. Now for the moment of truth, would a magically created chair in the tower, remain a chair in the magical field of the bakery. Salome picked up a chair, traversed the portal and stood at the bakery door chair in hand. She swiftly moved away from the portal to the far end of the field, by then Ruby was walking through the portal with another chair in hand.

  Soon all four chairs were stacked and it was time to move the oak table. Ruby thought one person on each side should be sufficient strength to move the table; they couldn’t lift it at all. They decide to lift with all their might and drag at the same time.

  “SKREAK…..skreak…skreak.”

  They froze, they hoped they were far enough away from the sleepers rooms, that they hadn’t woken anyone.

  “What if we tip it and roll it through, we’ll never get it through the portal without waking the entire tower.” Ruby hissed.

  They almost had the table on its side when Lu in bare feet, boxers, a sweatshirt and tophat, walked through the door.

  “What are you girls up to?”

  “Shhh, Shh we don’t want to wake anyone.” Ruby breathed.

  “Well too late, you woke me. What’s with the portal and the table?”

  “Lu. We’re testing if magical furniture created in the tower can exist in the bakery.”

  “OK, I have the tables, you girls create more tables and chairs, one of you carry the chairs.”

  “Are you sure we were only going to move one set until we had permission? We thought it’d be better to test first then ask permission.”

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “You have permission, come let’s get going I’d like to go back to bed. I don’t have as much energy as I did when I was your age, and Rose kept me up late last night.”

  “Did she want you to wear the hat too?” Salome asked.

  Lu blushed. “Never you mind, Salome, don’t you have furniture to pilfer?”

  “No, because you gave us permission.”

  “I am going back to bed.”

  “No Lu, please help, I was only teasing.”

  “I know Salome, so was I, grab a chair and let's get started.”

  Lu picked up the table and strode through the portal. She saw where Salome had stacked the chairs and put the table next to the four chairs. Salome had a chair in place when Lu came through with the next table.

  “Salome, carry one of the chairs outside the bakeries magical field.”

  Salome did as she was told, as soon as the chair left the field it promptly vanished into thin air leaving nothing but a slight glow on Salome’s hands. Which quickly faded away.

  “At least we know for sure, but I thought that would happen.”

  “Why Lu?”

  “Just think if you could make something in a magical field and just carry it outside the field and it was still real it’d ruin the economy. Rose can do that, she could unwittingly ruin an economy because she can go into a world and author things and then bring them out. Like Paula’s ten million dollars.”

  “Wow, I never thought of it like that Lu.”

  “Yeah, Salome, magic is some scary stuff. That’s everything I think, but you better make a couple of extra chairs just in case. What else do you have to do before you open for the first time?”

  “Ruby and I have to dig a trench in the back yard and bury some rocks so Lily knows exactly how far back the magical field extends.”

  “Do you want me to dig the trench for you?”

  “No thank you, we promised Sparky that Ruby and I would do it. I think he’s teaching us a lesson about hard work. I know that he was tired out, moving that magical field. He wasn’t his usual snarky self. I guess if he can work that hard for us we can work that hard for him.”

  Ruby came through the portal carrying the last chair.

  “Well I’m going back to bed for half an hour, but I'm proud of you girls. Coming up with a plan and executing it.”

  It took them the rest of the day to dig a trench and bury the stones flush, but in the end they had a perfect arc and a demarcation line no one would trip over. During the day more than once Salome wished they could have had Lu’s help. But when she crawled into bed that night before falling asleep she was proud of all they had accomplished in two short days. Tomorrow is the grand opening of the tea shop. She dreamed that night that it was a huge success.

  I guess we’ll find out tomorrow if she was right..