Four - The Hunt for Red (er, purple) Octopus
They drove to the corner of Fifth and Sixth Streets, to the toy store that was owned by the elderly Mr. Giuseppe. There were bigger toy stores in Townsville and ones that sold toys for less money, but the shop still did very well. For one reason, because of the man who owned it. Mr. Giuseppe had opened it at this location, though it had tripled its space since then, thirty years ago after coming to Townsville from his native Italy, where he had learned toy-making from his father. He still made the occasional wooden doll, and he was an expert at repairing toys that the modern stores wouldn't consider worth their time to fix. His shop had a better variety than the larger stores because it didn't have to keep a hundred of everything in stock. Two or three of most items, and more of the most popular toys. If there was something that sold out, Mr. Giuseppe ordered more immediately. If there were slow movers, he kept them anyway, kept them clean and showed the shoppers that he actually cared about what he sold. Those toys would sell eventually to the right child at the right time. Mr. Giuseppe loved children, and that was apparent the moment you walked into his store. Caring and service were what kept the people coming.
Though he had bought Octi at a department store, and many of the girls' other toys as well, Mr. Giuseppe's was now where Professor Utonium shopped exclusively. Besides the aforementioned attributes, he had another reason for coming here.
From behind the counter, the old man greeted his customers, the only ones in the shop just then. "Ah, Professor Utonium. How nice-a to see you when you awake!"
The two men chuckled. It had become a standing joke between them, but the girls' cheeks reddened in embarrassment. Even though they knew the kind old man had forgiven them long ago. That night had been a painful lesson for them, that even superheroes could go astray if they didn't watch it.
Mr. Giuseppe could see their pink faces and he waved his hand. "Just-a kidding, girls. What can I-a do for you today?" He looked up at the clock that read, '8:01'. "Or, a-tonight. Why-a you no in bed?"
Buttercup floated up to the counter. "I broke Bubbles' favorite doll and I wanna get her a new one."
To him she seemed sincere and not like she'd been forced into it. That impressed the old man. "That's-a nice-a you. But maybe I-a can fix?" The three girls shook their heads as one. "Oh. That's-a too bad. What kind-a doll?" The man turned toward the rows upon rows of dolls of all descriptions.
Bubbles said, "An octopus, Mr. Giuseppe. A cute little purple one with big eyes and a hat on his head."
Blossom had already been eyeing the shelves and hadn't seen one, but the shopkeeper beat her to it. "Did you-a say octopus?"
"Uh huh." Bubbles sensed a problem. So did Buttercup, who watched nervously.
Mr. Giuseppe scratched his white moustache. "You-a like the tenth-a person today that wanna octopus."
"You don't have any?" Buttercup asked fearfully.
"I-a no got octopus for many-a week." He turned and pointed to his computer on the desk behind him. "Each-a day I get call on-a the email, maybe six or eight, all-a want octopus. Nobody around here got-a them."
Bubbles seemed less concerned than Buttercup did. "That's OK, Mr. Giuseppe. I don't need it tonight. You can order me one, can't you?" If Mr. Giuseppe couldn't find you something, no one could.
The man shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid-a not, Bubbles. I-a no can explain. They all-a, how do you say, backorder? Maybe not-a 'til June or July."
"That's strange." Professor Utonium remarked.
Blossom agreed. "Very."
Bubbles put a hand to her chin in thought, then smiled. "Maybe people in Townsville saw me on the news with Octi and wanted one too!"
Mr. Giuseppe remembered seeing her with the toy she sometimes still took with her when she went saving the day. "Oh! I-a know what you want! But I-a no can get, or any kind-a octopus. The rubber octopus like-a the real one, that's-a the one I get-a the email about-a the most. But not-a from Townsville they want. I get-a them from stores all over the country, do I got-a the octopus?"
"Hmmm. I was going to say maybe Princess bought 'em all up around here just to be mean, Bubbles," Blossom said thoughtfully. "But the whole country? Now I don't have a clue."
The shopkeeper could only shrug. "I'm-a sorry, Bubbles."
"Aw, man!" Buttercup groused. "I'm really sorry, Bubbles."
"Thanks anyway, Mr. Giuseppe. It's OK, Buttercup. I can wait until June."
But the little blonde was plainly disappointed. The Utonium family bade the kind old gentleman goodnight and drove home without what they'd come for.