https://hauntedoak.itch.io/sweaters-by-hedgehog --- Hedgehog runs a store in a small village in the hills. It is frequented by passers-through and locals alike. The building is over two floors, a shop and a home above, and is located in the middle of a terrace of shops. The main door opens into the middle of the store, with a section off to the left consisting of sweaters; and to the right consisting of the counter, more sweaters, a few other woollen goods such as socks and winter warmers, and a few daily essentials. Hedgehog has run the store for most of their life, inheriting it from their parents. --- The new badger came in today. We didn't get off to the greatest start when he moved into town, he parked his moving truck across the storefront all day, and refused to move it and got irritated when I asked nicely. He spent a long while browsing the shelves, but to his credit he neatly refolded everything he looked at, maybe he's not so bad after all? He came over and apologised for our scuffle the other day. Moving had been a big upheaval for him and he was completely exhausted. He's hoping to make a better second impression and asked about what was popular so he might fit in better around town. Colour blocked seems to be in this season, I'm having a hard enough time keeping them on the shelves, so I directed him to a four-colour turtleneck which fitted him very well. He's just moved away from a stressful job in the city and is excited to get more time to relax in the village. I've invited him over for dinner later and promised to introduce him around. I was just finishing stocking a shelf of cardigans when a fox came in. I've seen him around a lot, often a bit skittish when I stop to chat. He was no different today, browsing the shelves but regularly checking through the windows. I approached him and he almost jumped out of his skin. I checked that he was okay and asked if I could help him find what he was looking for. He wasn't looking for a sweater, he's been on his toes since a local farmer seems to have made a prize out of catching him and came in for a brief respite. I told him I might have just the thing and found him a seat in the back away from the store picture windows while I went to fetch something I hadn't had a chance to put out just yet. A dark green hat and scarf which should camouflage him quite well at this time of year against the forest floor if he dropped low. His eyes lit up and he thanked me for my help. Just as the fox was leaving the weasel arrived to inform me about the next town hall. The weasel is the mayor of the village and does a lot of good to support the residents; as a result she is well liked and the town halls are always well attended. She always seems to arrive just in time for elevenses, I suspect that's not an accident, but it's nice to have some company with tea and cake. While she was here she asked about something to wear around the house on lazy weekends. I pointed her in the direction of an overly long, roving weight, white cardigan. It had some very tall stitches, giving the whole thing a look as though it had once been a normal length and subjected to some extreme stretching. She pulled it around her and bought it after one look in the mirror. I suggested she be very careful around her tea. There was a bit of a rush after lunch; a dozen or so sparrows came in all at once, milling around outside when there wasn't enough space. One in particular seemed to be trying to suggest things for the others to buy with mixed results, occasionally they would get a hit, but mostly the other sparrow would nod and put it back on the shelf when they moved on. I watched them for a while while helping the others, and eventually went over to interrupt them being particularly assertive over a younger sparrow who was clearly uninterested in their help. After extricating them from the imposition, I asked if there was anything I could help them with. After a brief huff at being taken away from their duty, and some pressing into accepting that *I* could help *them*, they finally let on that they were looking for something new for next week's equinox festival, something that would make them stand out. I thought about it for a minute before directing them over to a bright yellow tank-top. I had a small personal interest in getting rid of the thing, it was an ungodly loud colour and had been on the shelf for far too long, I had on occasion been tempted to write it off and leave it out for the moths. It was bright enough to shine in even the waning autumnal sun, and (at a distance) could almost look like a marshals' high-vis vest. Needless to say they jumped on it. Pun intended. I was enjoying afternoon tea when the door chimed. I brushed myself free of crumbs and stepped out to the front where a raccoon was rather sheepishly working through the shelves. They almost jumped when I stepped out behind the counter, before becoming flustered and apologetic. I calmed them and asked what they were looking for. He was in need of something warm and durable for the upcoming winter, but had had trouble with the new bins the council had put out for the humans. They were lockable, and so far successful at keeping the raccoons out. As a result he had had to spend most of his meagre savings to buy food to store for the winter rather than scavenging it, and did not have must to spend on clothing to keep himself warm through that time. He asked if I might be willing to give him a discount so that he could afford a sweater. I invited him to join me for tea, and asked how much wanted to spend. I explained that I might have something from last season hanging around that we could make work. Anything from the store front would have probably have me making a loss. He needed a durable and warm sweater as he would be working in the forest through the winter gathering fuel for the village. Digging around in the back of the store room, I found an indigo blue, jute crew-neck which had fallen down the back of a shelf. It was sturdy and had been treated to prevent it from absorbing water. I did some quick maths in my head and worked out that it would still make me a small loss, but it was the last one I had and the raccoon was in clear need. The raccoon's eyes lit up when I brought it out and it fit perfectly. We finished our tea and he wore it out, hugging himself as he skipped merrily past the window. As I was tidying the shelves after the knot of sparrows from earlier, the door chimed again. I looked around, and after a beat, realised that the mouse standing in the doorway was my best friend from my childhood. She had moved away with her parents into the forest some years ago and I hadn't seen her since. With jubilance I invited her in and poured her some tea. We spent the better part of the next hour chatting and catching up; she was moving back to the village after her parents had passed and she was keen to rekindle our friendship; she was glad I was still here because the village had changed so much since she left. I suggested she come along to the festival next week and she was delighted it was still happening, but she had nothing to wear for it. I joked that she was in the right place. She asked me something next which kicked my nostalgia into high gear; what I might have available at a discount. I remembered how she always liked to find the unloved options in everything. She would always pick the last of something, or the one that wouldn't sell, the thing nobody else wanted. I mentioned the sparrow and the raccoon and how this might be bad timing, but was determined to find something she'd appreciate. In the store-room I remembered that I'd had an order of grey pullovers that had run very small in size, and as a result had ended up a weird shape that no-one had wanted. I was planning to return them as unsaleable, but as it happened I remember that Mouse had always been undersized for her age and managed to find one that I thought would fit. Luck was on her side, it fit perfectly and she walked away with two. We made plans to have dinner later in the week and were looking forward to the festival. Just after she'd left and as I was about to close up a large bear head pushed it's way in through the door. It's breath filled the room with an unpleasant stench and it seemed to be in a rush, so I got to the point and asked what it was looking for, we wouldn't have anything in it's size. The bear was desperately in need of a jumper in it's team's colours, there was a big match on tomorrow but the weather was forecast to be lousy; it was looking for a black v-neck in it's size in a rush, and was there anything I could do? It had heard about the shop and was wondering if I might be able to special order something. I asked it to wait a moment while I made a call; I had an acquaintance who might be able to help; an orangutan in the next village over who had made me a few unique items over the years. I gave them a call and managed to catch them as they too were just heading home; they huffed a little, but offered to have something with me in the morning if I could take the measurements. I gave the bear a high price for such a large rush job, but it seemed happy enough with it, so I asked it to sit outside the shop and did my best to get the sizing information the orangutan would need. After it had gone on it's way and promised to return the next day, I relayed the information to the orangutan, closed and locked the door, and retired upstairs to prepare for the badger's arrival.