Chapter 5: Toymaker

The next morning I awoke to bright sunlight and roosters crowing. Darci stood motionless on the table.

I left her there and went downstairs for a quick breakfast. Afterwards I was off to see the Toymaker.

The sign on his front door had changed. In addition to the COME ON IN one, a new one said: BACK IN A FEW MINUTES. I sat down to wait, picking some ripe fruit off a nearby tree that seemed to grow several varieties at the same time.

It was more like forty-five minutes before I saw a figure huffing up the path. It could only be one person.

"Mr. Toymaker, I presume," I said, offering my hand.

"Why yes, young man," he replied, taking my hand warmly in return. "What can I do for you?"

"First, let me confess I looked for you before I did anything else last night."

"It's our slow season. I'm usually out helping Mary find her sheep."

"I hoped you wouldn't mind that I went ahead and tried out your toymaking machine."

"So that was your pattern left in the machine. Very nice work, if I do say so myself."

"Thanks," I said, more pleased than I would have expected to be at the compliment.

"I hope you'll show me more before you leave. In a dozen lifetimes I'll never be able to try out everything that machine can do. I get some of my best ideas from travelers."

"Then I'm not the first?"

"Heavens no. Every child wants to come to Toyland sometime in their life."

"Well, I'll be happy to share my ideas with you before I leave, but can we do that later?"

"Any time you wish," he said cheerfully. "I'm in no hurry."

"There is something I'd like to borrow, if you don't mind."

"Name it."

"The spray gun. The one with the red and green liquids."

"Oh, that. With all the trouble that thing has caused, I keep it out of sight."

He looked me over carefully while I tried to look as innocent and harmless as possible. I agree that this gun had caused considerable trouble in the past.

He must have liked what he saw however, because a moment later he said, "Come with me and I'll get it."

Turns out he keeps it in a high cupboard in his house, locked with three different keys he keeps in three different jars.

"Be careful," he admonished as he handed me the shiny contraption.