Evening at the Toy Shop

The last rays of the sun had already sunk beyond the horizon, and a soft, velvety darkness was settling behind the town’s windows. All the shops were shutting down until the next morning. The last customers had also left the toy shop. Now closed for the day, stillness had begun to take hold. Only the peaceful sounds from the wind chime could be heard inside.

Mrs Maggie's toy shop was snugly nestled on the ground floor of one of the tall old houses on the square. Yet it was no ordinary toy shop. Mrs Maggie had given life to the ancient, rare toys inside the shop. All day long, she would crouch behind the counter and repair the wooden trains, sew dresses for the dolls, and paint faces for the ducks. Her hands could magically transform any toy into something beautiful. Her window would display dolls in dresses with ruffles, a train, or teddy bears she had repaired, all proudly waiting for a child to choose them.

“Well, we're done for today,” said Mrs Maggie, closing the shop door.

Then she started tidying up the shop so it would be spotlessly clean again the next morning and ready for her first customers. All that was left for her to do was turn off the lights.

She gently stroked a few toys and whispered, “Good night, my sweet treasures.”

Then came the sound of a key rattling in the lock, and the toys were now left alone.

Every evening, after Mrs Maggie had left the toy shop for the night, the time came for the toys to rest. They had already spent many hours standing at attention to let the eyes of so many curious children stare at them and their hands feel them. Dozens of…