"It is a bright and sunny morning, birds chirping, bees buzzing, and a beautiful day indeed," Mr. Thistle thinks to himself.

Getting out of his bed with a stretch and a yawn, Mr. Thistle puts on his bunny slippers and walks to get up and about to begin his day.

Necessities finished, he goes downstairs, dressed in his well-worn vest over a simple shirt. He adjusts his clothing, smoothing out any wrinkles before heading out.

Today is a good day, not one as special as the festivals, but a great day for him after all. His eyes sparkle with anticipation as he thinks about his plans.

Today, he will go to pick up his order from the Curious Curio. Mr. Thistle's steps are light and purposeful as he makes his way through the village.

A baker of great repute such as himself, he had been requested by Mrs. Higgins to prepare her a special treat. He puffs up his chest slightly, proud of his reputation.

Although the mundane tends to be his usual treatise, he found himself intrigued with the prospects proposed. Mind racing, Mr. Thistle forges onward to seek his treasure and create a new artisanal masterpiece. And so onward he moved toward the Curious Curio.

“Ah! Welcome!” Shan greeted warmly as Mr. Thistle strode toward the counter.

His boot landed on remnants of hissing fruit, producing an odd squelching sound.

*Oh dear! What a curious little mess!* he thought, chuckling to himself as he stepped forward.

“Good day,” Mr. Thistle said, his voice bright with enthusiasm. “I’m here for my usual order of flour and salt.”

Shan nodded while moving to gather items for Mr. Thistle’s order, continuing his conversation with Aiko: “Speaking of mysteries—have you figured out why Mrs. Higgins’ cat keeps ending up in our rain barrel?”

*Ah, Mrs. Higgins and her mischievous cat!* Mr. Thistle mused, a smile creeping onto his face.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Aiko quipped: “Is that the one where you store anti-tangerines?”

*Anti-tangerines? What a curious term!* Mr. Thistle thought, his curiosity piqued.

Shan began to respond: “Well actually—” but was interrupted by Mr. Thistle asking curiously about anti-tangerines.

“It’s not a tangerine,” both Shan and Aiko replied simultaneously.

Persisting further, Mr. Thistle asked again, “If it’s not a tangerine what is it?”

His mind raced with possibilities; perhaps it was some exotic fruit he had yet to discover!

Aiko shrugged nonchalantly: “Not a tangerine,” as she moved to pull off a rag from a neat stack to wipe up the mess.

The Thistle paused; confusion crossed his face. *What an odd exchange! I must remember to ask more about these anti-tangerines later!*

“Wait—did you say Higgins? Didn’t they move?” he queried, intrigued by the mention of familiar names.

Shan waved dismissively: “No no! You’re thinking of Mr. Higgins! This is Mrs. Higgins,” he clarified while pulling flour from an unusual drawer embedded in the wall; its mechanism whirred softly sputtering out wafts of teal smoke.

*Teal smoke? How enchanting!* Mr. Thistle thought, captivated by the whimsical nature of the shop.

Aiko rolled her eyes while continuing to clean up orange remnants on the floor: “Oh naturally! Mrs.Higgins! Another esteemed customer from The Invisible Realm of Vague References.”

She added sarcastically: “Her cat's probably trying to rinse away memories of dragon riders' last 'majestic' fly-by or maybe it's auditioning for our village's first underwater cat circus.”

Mr. Thistle blinked between Shan and Aiko: “Mrs.Higgins?”

Shan chuckled shaking his head: “Ah! Selective hearing! It's an epidemic these days.”

He remarked while collecting salt from a spigot at the bottom of a fish tank; salt separated from water emerging dry accompanied by soft hissing clink as it settled into a container.

*How delightful!* Mr. Thistle thought as he watched this peculiar process unfold before him.

Continuing to clean up orange mess; sticky pulp clinging stubbornly against rag fighting against grip Aiko said: “Right! Because Mrs.Higgins is clearly most pressing issue in town with airborne reptiles and aquatic felines.”

Clearing his throat, Mr.Thistle interjected: “Well I appreciate your... unique service,” he said reaching for wallet feeling a swell of gratitude for their eccentric charm.

“How much do I owe you for flour and salt?”

Shan quickly tallied total handing products over while Mr.Thistle carefully tucked purchases into worn leather satchel; turning to leave he paused eyeing orange mess on floor while cat darted out corner carrying citrus away out door.

*What an amusing sight!* he thought with a grin.

“You might want to keep an eye on that,” he advised gesturing vaguely at the scene, still caught up in the joy of his visit.

“Good day to you both!” With that, he strode towards the door; bell tinkling softly as he exited shop.