Keeper of Wonderment
Note: A "Mister Magorium's Wonder Emporium fan-fiction. Young Molly Mahoney is the new owner of the Emporium her surrogate father left her. More miracles occur, not only does Henry believe in magic, but he becomes Eric's new father. And the Emporium…Will there be an heir to keep it running ? Nothing is impossible.
"There it is ! Your potential ! Seize it !"—Mr. Magorium to Molly, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
Chapter 1—Anastasia Magorium
As you might know, I am the current keeper of my father's incredible magical toy store known solely as Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. It is by far, the most extraordinary place I have ever been to. I have seen many rooms which lead to many more I haven't had the chance of discovering, but in time, I hope to do so in order to let my possible heir (or heirs know) what to look for and the infinity of possibilities this place has to offer. Many of you probably wonder why Edward's wife wasn't mentioned earlier on. Sadly the sad thing about my surrogate mother, she didn't live nearly so long as he did. Anastasia was a stupendous person. She taught me how to play the piano properly, with my whole being rather than just with my eyes and mind engaged. Like her, I am constantly composing. Music is all around me. It sounds in my mind and sometimes comes out in songs when I sing when tidying up the store. My mother was much the same. But you're probably wondering how my father, Edward met her to begin with, and that is where I will start.
Edward had known romance on various occasions, but he had never had a serious relationship, that is, until he traveled to Russia. He was around 40 or 50 at this time, and looking like a teenager. He had searched the world over for rare and unusual toys and Russia was the place to find such delightful elements that the modern world had forgotten. Russia was simple but it was also complex. He thrived in the cold temperatures, saw all of the sights, basked in the history, spoke the language fluently and tried to digest the "Russian spirit" as much as he could. Being American, though, it was still quite a difficult concept to grasp.
As Edward traveled across the runic land of Russia, he found a quaint toyshop that was owned by a woman by the name of Anastasia Yalanev. She was a ravishing beauty, a red-head no less, with sparkling blue eyes and a laugh that could cure the sickest heart and cause the grumpiest curmudgeon to grin. It was, as the fairy tales say, love at first sight. They began talking to one another, and almost instantly knew they were meant to be together. Anastasia had to leave the store with an apprentice since she wanted to travel with Edward, but the store-keepers understood. Before long, Edward married Anastasia, but never had any children. Despite that, once I came into the picture, she immediately warmed up to me.
My introduction to the new toyshop that Anastasia and Edward had built as a cooperative effort was nothing short of astonishment and pure euphoria. I could feel the magic coming from the store, bursting from every shelf, coming from everywhere.
The store hadn't even opened, but I knew it bore infinitesimal possibilities.
Chapter 2—Anastasia's Legacy
Long before Anastasia ever died, she left me many treasures from Russia as well as many books filled with wisdom, wit and enlightenment. Natural causes took her, and inasmuch as she wanted to return to the Emporium the next day, death was a bit trickier and cleverer than she ever wanted to admit to. I'll never forget the final day she was with us. She had on her best dress, and her hair was down, flowing freely. She was lying on the bed, surrounded by flowers and 'Get Well Soon' cards, my father's gentle face and my constant support.
"Promise me you'll both look after the Emporium when I ascend to meet the Master of Wonderment ?", my surrogate mother, in her final dying hours asked, pleasantly. Even in the midst of dying, she showed no fear and her face was as shimmering and radiant. I was being selfish though, by wanting her to stay longer. Edward, on the other hand, was happy she would be going to see the Inventor of Everything. Even though for us it was a departure, for her, it was a reunion.
Chapter 3—A Most Unexpected Turn of Events
Presently the store and I are getting along tremendously. I seem to have taken upon the new role rapidly and the store loves me as its caretaker and more importantly, its friend. Now, my common visitor to the magical realm was Eric Applebaum, who had befriended our counting mutant, Henry. Henry and Eric were the best of friends now, and Eric often complemented his friend on how well Eric could play checkers and chess. I always knew the hat fanatic was special but never this special. I didn't know what I would hear from him next, but what came out of his mouth that blessed Saturday I will never forget.
"Mahoney, you'll never believe what's happened with my mom and Henry.", Eric said to me, barely able to keep his breathing stable.
"Try me, anything is possible.", I said, quite logically.
"My mom asked Henry to marry her. I didn't think that was possible. I mean, I was ok with her being my mom so she and I could be a duo alone, but…", Eric began, having trouble expressing what he truly felt. He was a whirlwind of emotion, and I could understand why. He had never known his father. As I recall, his birth father left him, unable to understand him or want to try to connect with him on a personal level. I don't think Eric was missing anything with a deadbeat like that.
"Seriously ? I can believe it…", I said, but I was still bowled over. You could've breathed on me and I would've toppled in plain sight. It was sensational news, the best I had heard in my entire life since Magorium's reopened.
"Congratulations ! I think this is excellent !", I said, hugging my young friend close. Still Eric found it challenging to speak his mind, but somewhere deep down in his heart; I think that he had found the meaning of true happiness.
Chapter 4—My Meeting with Destiny
Christmas was the busiest time of the year for the store and I was running my backside off and happy to see Eric so happy with having a friend and father in his life. What I didn't know was the love of my life was about to capture my heart in the most unusual way. My Chinese friend, Ping, had come into the store to buy some presents for his younger sister when snap friendship bracelets began snapping themselves onto his arm. I couldn't help but laugh, because he would never approve of something so silly, nor had he ever believed me that the store was definitely magical. Now he would have to consider what I said as fact. But in his logical brain, he was weighing the probable and improbable, and the conceivable with the inconceivable. At last, he came to a conclusion. It was smoke and mirrors, nothing more than a trick. I told him, the store is magical. It goes beyond that, but believing in its magic that keeps it vibrant. Ping looked at me like I had lost my marbles, but I pointed out to him, humorously, marbles were all around the store. I wasn't in danger of losing them.
"Very well then, Molly. When you are done with work today, I want to play a game of CSI against you. Whoever wins takes the other out for dinner.", Ping said, with a slight sly arch in his eyebrow.
"I can take you up on that offer, Mr. Hyung.", I said, chuckling. And, I didn't know it then, but I had fallen in love with Ping, even though I realized I had loved him all along. It was the spirit of play, the childlike wonder that had given me courage to come outside of myself and reach out to another human being. Silently, I thanked the store for steering me in the right direction, but thus far, it had never led me in any wrong ones.
Chapter 5—A Glorious Wedding
I never expected there to be a wedding in my life. I would've been perfectly content just to remain with my friends Eric and Henry but out of nowhere one wintry day 2 years after that Christmas season when we became serious about a relationship, he proposed to me after work over a game of Uno. I wasn't considering Uno romantic until that very moment, but Ping was sincere about his proposition. After knowing him for 2 years and realizing there wouldn't be any other man like him, I couldn't say no, and in a whirlwind, I found myself swept away in a fairytale that would never have been possible if it weren't for my line of work and my success in my composing.
I had just written my own wedding song and had it sung by my best friend Annette, whom I hadn't reconnected with since my college days and my pursuit of a Doctorate in Music. Of course, I found myself delighted that "Annie" was in my life again and she was just as happy to be in mine. I only hoped that we could catch up as soon as the reception began and catch up with her and reminisce. Whatever happened, I knew Annie and I would rekindle our friendship and come closer as we recollected our past.
Every last detail, even beyond my highest expectations had been perfect and nothing had gone wrong. Even I didn't bauble in saying my vows and I was surprised since my tongue felt swelled and I was too nervous to think straight. Somewhere in Heaven, I could sense my mother and father's presence and I could hear their voices. Anastasia said,
"I couldn't be more proud of my dazzling bride, congratulations to you !"
My father, Edward, said,
"I pray this union lasts beyond the edge of forever, my dear, and I couldn't be happier in the way you are handling the store in my absence." These words brought a slight tear to my eye, but I managed to keep my composure and remain euphoric throughout the entire ceremony.
At last, I received my first kiss from Ping as a newlywed bride and found myself being carried down the aisle by a nimbler-than-I-imagined newlywed husband, practically prancing in jubilation. Ping didn't set me down until we made it to the car and were driven to the reception hall. I still couldn't overcome my feelings of joviality and the sense that my life was about to change in ways I never would've predicted. Again, I knew I had the store to thank for that and somehow the store knew I was grateful for the many blessings it had given me past and presently.
Epilogue
I had hoped that I would become a mother in passing on my legacy to my child or children, and much to my delight, I had given birth to a baby girl that we named Felicity. We thought the name suited her well since she was born with a huge grin that delighted anyone that came into contact with it. She hardly ever cried, except when she was hungry and I couldn't wait until she was older so she could start playing with the toys at father's store rather than just looking at them, but from her expression of wonderment, I knew that Felicity would do an exceptional job in the future looking after the Emporium, but for the present moment, Ping and I adored little Felicity. She was perfect in every way, even though we knew she was our child but being parents we saw her with a biased eye. Every day, as she grows, we have so much hope and see potential within her, eager to see each new morning she awakes with us to explore and gently escorting her to Morpheus' lair as she sleeps.
The End