Chapter 1

There was very little that could be said for that shop on the corner, the one with the entrance that hid away in the armpit of the bend. It was a diminutive shop, hidden away from the daily travels of most people, and even the local residents would give a questioning "What?" if you were ever to enquire after the establishment. You wouldn't even be able to tell what it was from the outside if it weren't for the small, ancient-looking sign which read "Dreamweaver's" carved in an elegant script. In fact, you probably would never think to enter if you hadn't heard about it from someone else, someone who had already visited and discovered what lay within for themselves.

Matthew Williams was one such person to learn of the shop, standing a little apprehensively before the small wooden door which had been promised to him to hide the answer to all his prayers. He wondered if he had been tricked, or that he'd come to the wrong place; the way his 'informant' had made it sound, he was expecting something a lot more… impressive. But the name was correct, and he followed the directions to the location perfectly – he had double checked twice! There was nothing for it but to proceed onwards, so despite the crippling anxiety that twisted in his gut, he reached out to the ornate door handle and opened the door. A small bell chimed to announce his arrival, and he flinched at the unexpected and unwelcome sound.

Reluctantly creeping forward, Matthew peered in wonder at the sight he beheld beyond the threshold; he had not been expecting to see the interior of a Florist's, and a barrage of colours and aromas was his first greeting in the tiny shop, made even more cramped by the sheer volume of flowers and other plant-life crammed into the already limited space. Unexpectedly, the ceiling was almost entirely replaced with skylights, which explained the lack of windows visible from the outside, and the light shining in from above was given an earthy, green tint as it passed through the foliage of what seemed to be hundreds of hanging plants in baskets. Matthew thought he could hear the trickle of a stream for a moment, before noticing the running tap which seemed to be supplying a complex irrigation system that brought water to the dense thicket of potted plants and bouquets of flowers in vases. It all gave the impression of walking into a miniature rainforest.

Matthew shook himself out of his awed reverie and continued to walk into the shop. As he rounded the mountain of shrubbery arranged in the middle of the room, a long, dark wood counter came into view which clearly was home to the till and other implements necessary for running the shop, but Matthew's attention was immediately captured by the man standing behind said desk.

The man was no taller than Matthew, but he seemed to carry himself in a way that exuded an intimidatingly powerful aura, and he moved with a decisiveness that the timid Matthew lacked. He dressed in oddly formal clothes, especially for a florist, with a green waistcoat and tie, white shirt with rolled up sleeves, and black trousers. The only part that did not look neat and professional was his shaggy, sand coloured hair which seemed to go in all directions at once, and his thick eyebrows which seemed permanently set low over his eyes. Eyes which were fixed directly on Matthew.

Matthew had trouble with eye contact as it was, but meeting that gaze was practically impossible; the bright green eyes which seemed to be made of the jade light which filled the room, held a piercing intent which seemed to see into the very core of Matthew's being. That and his already intimidating visage almost made Matthew rethink his entire day and just u-turn right out of the shop and go home. Instead he just swallowed and tried to think of what to say as the brief second that this encounter had taken place in elongated into millennia for the poor visitor.

Time restarted suddenly, however, as the man at the counter smiled, transforming his unwelcoming features into a surprisingly kind expression.

"Welcome to Dreamweaver's Florist's. I assume you're looking for Arthur Kirkland – well, that would be me. What can I help you with?"

Matthew swallowed his rising unease, unused to people paying him enough attention to talk to him, and forced himself to look up at the man he now knew to be Arthur.

"You're… Mr. Kirkland?" Matthew said in his quiet voice barely louder than the ambient trickle of water in the air. Arthur smiled,

"The very same, though just Arthur will do."

"R-right… sorry…"

"No need for apologies, lad. So, can I help at all? Or are you just browsing? I must say I doubt it, but there's sometimes the odd one or two that come in…" Arthur mused with a smirk.

"Um, well… I heard… are you..?" Matthew swallowed again, flushing in embarrassment and cursing his scattered thoughts and lack of confidence. Arthur just waited, a reassuring smile on his face, as his flustered customer calmed down and started again.

"I was told that you can do… spells for people. Are you really a wizard?" Arthur's smile spread into a full grin and he chuckled,

"Ah, you are a Special Customer! Marvellous, I haven't anyone come in aside from the regulars for years!" he rounded the end of the counter to approach Matthew, who instinctively took a step backwards. Sensing the man's discomfort, Arthur stopped a generous distance away, causing Matthew to exhale in relief, and settled for bouncing once or twice on the balls of his feet in happiness.

"You are correct, I do cast spells and the like for my customers, but I am not a wizard - not a full one, anyway! All my magic deals with sleep and the art of dreams, so the more accurate term that I prefer to go by is a Lullamancer." Arthur said, his eyes shining with enthusiasm.

Matthew's own face lit up as his fears were banished: it wasn't a wild goose chase – he'd been told the truth after all!

"But that's perfect! You're exactly what I need." Matthew said, happily, surprising Arthur with his sudden uplift in mood.

"Well I'm very glad to hear it! I do what I can. So, first things first, lad – what would your name be?"

"I'm Matthew! Uh, Matthew Williams." He said, finally proffering his hand for the Lullamancer to shake, which he promptly did with an added bow of the head.

"A fine name, I'd say! 'Tis a pleasure, Matthew. And you already know who I am – Arthur Kirkland, Lullamancer and Florist, at your service."