Gaia’s Purse New Year’s Surprise
In a little house in Yorkshire's commercial district, down an alley, sat a retired toymaker named Geppetto.
The house was neat and comfortable. Toys still sat in the window display gathering dust.
Inside the townhouse, on the first floor, Geppetto sat finishing a toy soldier. Opposite the workbench sat a smoldering fire in the chimney.
The room where Geppetto worked was simple. In a very old chair, his hunch back added the last red paint to the toy soldier.
"All done," Geppetto said adding another log to the fire before walking to his rickety old bed.
Geppetto laid down to rest. It wasn't long before he was off to sleep to a crackling fire and began dreaming.
He dreamed the same dream he had countless nights. A dream where reality intersected dreams to create an intense passion.
The dream began, where it always began. Geppetto sitting at his desk idling. Geppetto retired after inflation skyrocketed and Prince Roland's plan drove up the cost of wood.
Geppetto was a carpenter by training, but fell in love with making toys. After he saw the first child smiling holding his toy, he was hooked.
Yet, now he was in a dilemma. The price of wood skyrocketed, which meant the cost of his toys would skyrocket. But customers had no interest in buying expensive toys.
In the morning, Geppetto sat at his workbench scrutinizing his last log of wood. As he looked at the wood, Geppetto could see different toys. Any carpenter worth his salt, could look at a log of wood and see a world of possibilities. Similar to how an artist looks at a blank canvas.
Yet, Geppetto was indecisive about what he wanted to whittle for his last toy.
While he was deep in thought, two women opened his shop door and called out to him.
"One moment!," Geppetto shouted"
"Good Morning Mr. Geppetto. My name is Beatrice, I am a junior clerk for Baron William vont Bradley. This is Cicely vont Ark a cleric from the Church of Gaia.
We are in service to Lady Elizabeth vont Whitby. Lady vont Whitby wants to know if you would've be interested in making hundreds of toys for the children in the Rambles Quarter," Beatrice said.
Geppetto sat in stunned silence.
While he sat in disbelief, the women told him they represented a new company named Gaia's Purse ran by Lady Elizabeth vont Whitby, Baron William vont Ballard's fiancée.
According to them, the mission of Gaia's Purse was to help people and families in need. They asked if he'd be willing to make toys for children in the Rambles Quarter by next winter's solstice. They wanted to give away free toys to
Geppetto had never heard of such an idea, give away toys? How novel and wonderful.
As a retired toymaker, he's spent over 3O years selling toys to wealthy noble's children. Everyone once in a while a child from the Rambles would stop outside to gawk in his windows. If he was feeling generous he might pass along a discarded toy or two.
Yet this act of generosity was on a level, no one had ever considered.
"Mr. Geppetto, could you please tell us if you are interested we're on a schedule!" Beatrice said politely. After training under Mei for two years, this was her opportunity to impress Boss Will.
"Ah yes, come in. I'm afraid I don't have anything to offer you except tea," Geppetto said embarrassed leading the two women into his receiving room.
"Tea is fine," Cicely said warmly.
Beatrice starred at her in contempt. Lady Elizabeth had several philanthropic ideas, for which Beatrice and Cicely were tasked to oversee.
'Unlike Boss Will who was very practical and methodic, Lady Elizabeth was a dreamer. She had lots of ideas, but had no understanding of how to turn those ideas into reality,' Beatrice thought, which made her job infinitely harder.
Most merchants knew exactly what they wanted, and how they wanted it done.
After a while, Geppetto returned with tea and a few biscuits he found at the last minute.
"Mr. Geppetto thank you for meeting with us. We asked to meet with you because you're a toymaker and your passion for precision work has made children smile across Yorkshire," Cicely said smiling warmly.
"We need New Year's presents for children. " Beatrice announced in the deserted shop.
The aged proprietor looked up and offered them a broad smile, crinkling his whole face like a crumpled paper-mâché balloon.
"What kind of thing are you looking for?" Geppetto asked.
Geppetto knew of Baron vont Ballard and Lady Elizabeth vont Whitby, everyone knew about them. When the announcement came out about their engagement it rocked the capital.
He hated gossip, but gossip about those two was hard to miss.
Through gossip, he learned the Baron and lady were very pious. After all, Lady Elizabeth was a light mage, and the Baron donate millions to the Church of Gaia.
For Geppetto, the number million was almost hard to grasp. For starters, the number one million sounded almost mythical. Moreover, how could someone have that much money and give it away?
"Any and every toy you can make, this is more about quantity than quality," Beatrice said.
Geppetto wiped his hands on his old tattered leather apron, knocking sawdust to the floor. He held his chisel in his apron pocket and thought.
"I can do it, but it will be expensive. The price of woods increased," he said smiling. He was truly happy to be offered the chance to work again.
"How much?" Beatrice asked. Finance and operations were a part of her job in Gaia's Purse.
"With the price of wood today, a hundred toys a month, it would cost at least 85 silvers," Geppetto said nervously, knowing that was a high price.
"That's fine, here's a gold coin. If you needed to hire an apprentice let us know. We'll pick up the shipments at the end of the month. The last shipment will be the night of the winter solstice," Beatrice said, handing Geppetto a contract.
Before he signed a mechanical bird he made sang as the 10th bell rolled throughout the city.
Geppetto looked at the bird, the dusty battalions of toy soldiers sabers at the ready in the display window, and raggedy dolls lying next to him and smiled broadly.
After he signed the contract, Cicely handed him a second gold coin. She was in charge of public relations, and clerical affairs.
Cicely saw something in the old toymaker, a spark that was recently rekindled. She saw the flame grow inside him and was deeply moved.
Cicely wrapped her hands around Geppetto's arthritic fingers and began to heal his illnesses.
Geppetto began crying tears of happiness. He'd never been able to afford the cost of a healer but to have his hand cured of arthritis meant everything to him.
He was prepared to work through the pain. He had grown used to it. The constant starting and stopping. Years of carpentry can take a toll on the body.
But now, he was healed. He could throw himself back into his passion. The pain was gone, emotional and physical. He had two gold coins, a veritable fortune, and a healed body.
"Bless Goddess Gaia," was all Geppetto could say between tears.
After they left, Geppetto went out to a restaurant for the first time in over 20 years. He filled his stomach to the brim. He bought new clothes, new carpentry tools, and two new carpentry apprentices from the Crafters Guild, and a monthly order for timber.
He had a new perspective on life. He had not felt this good since he was a young man.
In the months that followed, Geppetto and his apprentice crafted puzzles in smart wooden boxes; armies of wooden soldiers, knights, calvary all armed and uniformed; delicate dolls with dainty faces, tinted lips, and flowing curls of brown hair, decked out in fancy dresses of velvet or silk trimmed with ice-white lace; toy airships; and, fluffy teddy bears with moving arms and legs and glassy beads for eyes.
Children passing by, would see the brightly colored sign advertising 'Geppetto Toy Store' and would yank their parents' hands, dragging them across the road to get closer to the store.
Children would press their faces against the glass and marvel at the selection of toys inside.
While Geppetto was hard work, he didn't notice Elizabeth staring in from beyond the glass.
Nine years ago, she stood in this very spot with her eyes starring inside. While her mother was dress shopping, she, her sisters, and their guardians stood shoulder to shoulder with other children to watch the old toymaker work. He was finishing up a beautiful doll.
She was seven at that time and remembered watched another child's glee fade as their mother said, "this store is for noble children."
When Elizabeth first heard that she was stunned. She watched as the commoner child's happy face faded into the dull understanding of her place in the world.
Elizabeth remembered going home and crying that evening. That's the first time she ever prayed to receive the power to heal the world's sorrow.
Geppetto felt a presence watching him, he immediately stopped working and looked out the window. But no one was there. Elizabeth and Sasha had returned to the carriage.
***
On the morning of New Year's Eve, Will, Elizabeth, Sasha, Beatrice, Cicely, 20 clerics from the Church of Gaia, Geppetto, and his two apprentices stood behind five long tables in the Rambles Quarter bazaar.
On the table were hundreds of free toys, winter clothes, and food.
Behind Will stood a two-meter tall wood sign that read [Gaia's Purse]. Geppetto and his apprentices built the sign because he wanted people to know who was responsible for this act of kindness.
However, since last year, Gaia's Purse had been busy doing monthly, sometimes weekly events.
By the end of the year, everyone was familiar with the charity organization.
Like the past events, this event began with a prayer from Cecily, and then speeches from Elizabeth, dignitaries, and Will.
After the speeches, the event officially opened, to roaring applause.
Will began busily handing out toys and clothes to children. A few children gave him hugs.
Will he secretly wished he knew how to invent the camera.
Because the picture of a poor child hugging him, would have made for the perfect photo op, Will thought.
Will was pleased with this event. This was his first time attending an event sponsored by Gaia's Purse, and he was thrilled by the results. Later, he would tell Mei to reward Beatrice.
Moreover, Will was surprised Cicely had even talked a few Bishops into attending as well.
What made Will happy was the message he crafted was spreading: that he was not a greedy sinful man, full of aversive, but the contrary, he was a pious man who sought to help the needy.
As the message became ingrained, the public opinion of him among commoners increased as well. Unlike Elizabeth who garnered high praise from all classes, only commoners held a high opinion of Will.
Most nobles found Will a threat. His enormous sums of wealth, his public support from the commoners, the Church of Gaia, and his wealthy new fiefdom.
However, what the nobles greatly feared was his age. At seventeen, he already owned the seconded-largest fiefdom, the third-largest city, and the Fermion's major trade route to Albania.
If he could accomplish this much in 17 years, what might he accomplish in another?
As Will stood handing out toys and clothes, a group of nobles plotted behind his back.
The secret of Grandmaster Thaddeus' illness had made its way down to Yorkshire.
In a hidden room in Yorkshire, Will's enemies decided to hire an assassin, while Grandmaster Thaddeus was indisposed.
While the event lasted from 9th bell to 2nd bell, Will and Elizabeth were only there for the opening. They stayed for a little over an hour and returned home.
Will was looking forward to reading Beatrice's report.