Chapter 5 - The Able Sisters

The next day in Acrewood was cloudy and overcast, but Rayni was excited to discover a new flower in bloom in her garden. Pink cosmos had spawned from the red and white flowers around her house. She decided to pick them on her way home and put them on display in her house, hybrid flowers were definitely something to be proud of!

She made her way up to the Able sisters shop following her map, but on her way came across a cute little log cabin which she was sure she had not seen before, she knocked on the door and waited polity.

A pink and white spotted rabbit answered the door and greeted her.

"Oh BUNNY! You must be Rayni! So nice to meet you! I am Chrissy."

Chrissy invited Rayni inside. She was very excitable and seemed to love the fact she had a guest.

"Well make yourself at home sparkles! Hey Rayni do you know how to cook peach pie?"

Rayni had only ever cooked apple pie before, and was very interested to learn a new recipe.

Chrissy invited her to stay, and they spent the morning getting to know each other whilst baking treats in Chrissy's lovely kitchen.

Feeling happy and full of delicious treats Rayni said farewell to Chrissy, glad to have a new friend in Acrewood. She pulled out her map and followed the pathway up to the top of the town where she came across the Able Sisters clothes shop.

Excited to have a clothes shop in Acrewood Rayni let herself in.

A friendly looking Hedgehog Mable greeted Rayni as she entered the shop.

"Hello! It is nice to see a new face in town! I am Mable, and this is my older sister Sable"

Sable was sewing away making garments in the corner of the shop.

"Oh how lovely these clothes are!" said Rayni, as she happily browsed the garments on display.

"Well I am glad that you like them Rayni" Sable replied, "But truth be told we are having trouble making ends meet at the moment, we simply cannot produce the amount of clothes we need!"

"Oh no, I would hate for the shop to have to close!" Rayni exclaimed.

"Is there anything I could do to help?" She asked.

"Thank you Rayni, but do not worry yourself we cannot ask anything of you! You must be still finding your feet in a new town, no need to lumber yourself with our woes!" Sable replied.

"But Sable, I would be happy to help! I love designing! I visited the city yesterday, and can only dream of becoming a designer like Gracie! There is nothing I want more!"

Sable and Mable exchanged a knowing look between them. 

"Well Rayni, my friend Brewster did tell me you have quite an interest in designing. If you really do want to become a designer, then we would be glad to help, and having an extra pair of hands would definitely help us to fill out our display stands with more outfits!"

"Oh thank you! You will not regret this! I will make plenty of new designs for you!" Rayni could not believe her luck! And Brewster! She vowed one day she would find a way to repay his kindness.

Rayni spent the next few days happily designing away in her little house. She came up with some beautiful dresses.

She continued to visit the Able Sisters shop everyday, forming firm friendships with Mable and Sable.

"Oh Rayni, what wonderful designs! Thank you so much for all your help, you must be working so hard to have produced so many new outfits!" Sable said.

"Well Rayni I think it is time we displayed some of those wonderful clothes of yours, don't you?" asked Mable.

"Oh that would be great!" said Rayni, very excited to see her clothes designs in a shop!

Together they filled the stands with Rayni's new outfits and designs.

"Hopefully having new displays will bring us more business! You are a very talented designer Rayni, I don't know what we ever did without you! Sable and I are certainly grateful of your partnership." Mable said.

With the new display complete Rayni made her way home, but not before calling in at her usual pit stop the Roost.

"Well, my dear Rayni! I hear that you have become quite a great designer!" Brewster greeted her.

"Oh Brewster, I am having such a great time making new outfits! Mable and I put together the first display of my clothes today! I do hope they sell!"

Rayni took a seat as Brewster poured her some of his special blend.

"How ever can I thank you?" She asked him.

"Thank me? now whatever would you have to do that for?" Brewster cooed.

"Sable told me you phoned her, and let her know of my great interest in designing! It's all down to you that I have my designs in their shop!"

"I think, dear Rayni that that is actually due to your talent!"

"Well Brewster, I really do appreciate you asking her to take a chance on me."

"It was my pleasure Rayni, I am sure that Sable and Mable are only too glad to have an extra pair of hands."

As Rayni walked home she noticed the little yellow bird she often heard chirping on top of the bullitin board outside the town hall.

She read a notice saying that tomorrow there would be a festival in the town!

How exciting she thought! Things were definitely looking up in Acrewood!

xxx

Chapter 4 - A City Adventure

Rayni woke up the next morning to hear a little bird chirping outside her window.
She was excited to be visiting the City today! She put on her favourite outfit, got out of bed and made her way to the bus stop. 

Kapp'n picked her up minuets later. "Wow lass dressed to the nines I see!" he commented.

 "Well the city be approaching have fun me wee snapper!" Rayni thanked Kapp'n for the ride as she stepped off the bus.
She was very excited to see the city for herself, wandering where to go first!

She noticed a beautiful fountain, how wonderful it would be if her own town had one of these she mused.

She decided to throw in a spare bell and make a wish.

"Please let me find something wonderful to do with my time" she wished to herself silently.

How lovely it would be to fill her days with a new hobby.

Rayni came across nice looking building which had Ivy growing up the walls. She decided to make this her first stop.

She wandered inside to find a mysterious looking den, covered in exotic fabrics.

Katrina the cat greeted Rayni "Take a seat my dear, for I can foresee what lies ahead."

"I.. I'm not sure, I was just out for a wander really..." Rayni stammered, unsure that she wanted to see in to her future.

"Do not be afraid child, I see you seek something more to life. Some wonderful way to fill your days?"

Rayni was shocked, it was as if Katrina could see her thoughts.

She thought back to the wish she had made at the fountain earlier as she sat down, now quite intrigued by what Katrina had to say.

"I see patterns, lots of patterns, I see you very content. A new venture lies ahead in the near future. Do not worry yourself child, the world works in mysterious ways.

It looks like Acrewood needed you, just as much as you needed Acrewood. All will become clear eventually."

"I never mentioned Acrewood..." Rayni said.

"You did not have to child, it is written, I can see it in your palm, a fork in the road, a change, a twist, a new adventure. You will not regret your decision to settle in a new place, a settle you will, in time."

Rayni thanked Katrina as she left, feeling a little bemused that she seemed to know so much about her.

The next place she visited was the Happy Room Academy. She met an otter called Lyle who explained all about interior design, and pointed her to a show room in the back.

Apparently this was modelled on Bettina's cottage, somewhere Rayni had yet to visit.
The place looked beautiful and so cosy! Rayni couldn't wait until she could have her own house extended, and afford nice furniture for it!

"If you like the look of this place Rayni you should pay a visit to Gracie Grace whilst you are in the city! They sell the most wonderful furniture, although they have a price tag to match!" Lyle said cheerily.
"Oh I will definitely go and have a look around! Thank you Lyle!" Rayni replied.

She spotted Gracie Grace as soon as she stepped out of the door. It looked very luxurious!

Rayni gasped at the gorgeous display as soon as she set foot inside. The silky fabrics and décor were something she could only dream of. 'This room would be fit for a princess!' she thought to herself.

As Rayni looked around she spotted some clothes to the right end of the store.
"Oh Labelle!" She said to the saleswoman "These clothes are gorgeous!" She especially liked the butterfly dress, although it was well out of her price range.

"Well Gracie is well know for her clothing Rayni, she used to travel all over the world with her designs before opening up a shop in the city."

Rayni left the shop, her head filled with all the wonderful items and clothing she had discovered.
It was getting rather late by this time, and Rayni thought she must begin to head home. On her way to the bus stop she noticed some bright lights twinkling around the theatre, and could not resist a peak inside.

"Want to see the show?" she was asked by someone running the ticket booth. "We have a special show for newcomers."
Rayni had never been to the theatre before, and it did sound rather exciting! She decided that she definitely had the time to see the show before heading home!

She sat in the theatre watching the flashing light, waiting for the red velvet curtains to open.
When the show began it was wonderful, Rayni very much enjoyed sitting there watching the performance on stage, she felt as though she were in her own little world and didn't want to leave when the curtains closed.

The bus was already at the stop waiting for her to hop on for the drive home.
"Well me wee sea turtle, enjoy the big city did ya?" Kapp'n asked. "Me, I always enjoy the city but say there is no-where like home!"
Rayni thought so too as the bus pulled up by the gate of Acrewood, she found herself happily skipping along to the Roost, eager to tell Brewster all about her adventure.

Brewster had begun to rather enjoy Rayni's daily visits himself, and was very pleased to see her as she entered the coffee shop. As he poured her a coffee Rayni excitedly told him all about the city.

"Oh Brewster I can't stop thinking about Gracie Grace! The designs there are so wonderful! If only I could work in a place like that I would be so happy!"
"My my, you certainly do seem to have perked up today!" Brewster acknowledged.
"I had such a good time! I had my fortune told by Katrina, I met Lyle at the Happy Room Academy, and went to the theatre which was wonderful! But Gracie Grace had to be my favourite thing about the city, I must visit again!" Rayni replied.

"Yes, there certainly is more for you to discover in the City yet. Although first you might want to pay a visit to somewhere a little closer to home... If you wander up by the lake tomorrow Rayni you will see a shop called the Able Sisters, they too are well known for their clothes. Maybe you should see what delights they have in store?"
"Oh a clothes store in Acrewood? I had no idea! Yes Brewster that definitely sounds like somewhere I would like to pay a visit!"

On her way home Rayni thought how lucky she was to have a friend like Brewster to tell her all about Acrewood, he was a wise old bird.
Meanwhile Brewster decided to call his good friend Sable. "I think you can expect a very important little visitor tomorrow who might just be able to help you in more ways then one" he cooed.

xxx 

Chapter 3 - Nook's Cranny

After a much needed sleep in her nice new bed Rayni awoke feeling refreshed. Not wanting to be late for her first day of work she hurried along the beach and across the bridge to Tom Nooks store.

His shop was a shabby wooden hut called Nook's Cranny. Although the store was small Rayni loved the look of the place, just the type of store she imagined she would find many hidden treasures.

Tom seemed glad to see her, and to begin with sent her off to meet all the villagers in the town, something she was more then happy to do!

Wandering round town Rayni was trying to get her bearings, walking around Acrewood itself was very different from studying the map, it seemed so much bigger, and there were many trees all around that lead her to lose her way

Rayni suddenly spotted Pudgy the bear wandering along the river much to her relief, "Hi Rayni!" he called as he wandered over to her. She explained that Nook had sent her to meet everyone but she did not know where to begin. "Aww Rayni, no problem follow me!" Pudgy said. He showed her around and introduced her to the other animals living in the town.

The other villagers all seemed friendly, Bettina was the first animal they came across, a sweet little mouse who was singing to herself by the cliffs. She seemed very happy to have a new face in town, "Oh Rayni you will have to visit me some time!" She insisted. Rayni happily agreed, and left to meet the other villagers with a smile on her face.

There were two elephants in Acrewood, Eloise and Axel. Although Eloise seemed a little snooty Pudgy assured her she was harmless enough.

Harry the hippo was another resident, Rayni was sure they would become good friends. The other villagers were a rabbit named Dotty, and a gorilla named Violet, both seemed happy to meet her.

"Oh Pudgy thank you so much for your help! I think I will be able to find my way around a lot better from now on!" "No problem Rayni, have a good day I hope Nook doesn't work you to hard!"

Upon her return Nook set Rayni a number of errands, delivering packages to the villagers, writing out letters to customers, and posting a notice about the offers at his shop by the town hall. He warned her to not dawdle whilst doing her jobs, so in a hurry Rayni left completing her tasks as fast as she could. The animals were very grateful that she had delivered their items safely and said they would treat her nicely in return.

At the end of the day Tom thanked Rayni for her help, but told her unfortunately he had no further work for her to do. "Don't worry Rayni you will find plenty of ways to make money, and I buy many items to trade with other townsfolk, and the residents here often have deliveries they need help with. Well I wish you look!"

Rayni had been sure that Nook was going to offer her a permanent position and felt a little helpless, now left to face the world alone. As she wandered home she once again smelled the wonderful aroma of coffee drifting through the air. She decided to go and see Brewster who had really made her feel welcome the night before.

"Brewster! I hope you don't mind me visiting this late?" Rayni asked. "Not at all Rayni, my door, and the Roost is always open. Take a seat." he said.  "And for you my dear, this one is on the house."

"Oh thank you Brewster!" Rayni was so pleased, Brewster was always so kind towards her. "I just don't know what to do! I worked so hard for Nook today, and everyone seemed so happy with their deliveries but he still did not keep me on working at the shop!" Rayni said dismayed as she sipped her coffee.

"Well Rayni I am sure you will find something else to do here, to make your way. The town has been quite run down since Christopher Robin and his friends moved away, maybe you could work with the other animals to restore it to its former glory?"

 "Maybe Brewster, I just don't know where to start." Rayni replied.

"Hmm, maybe for now you just need to settle in. Why not take a trip to the city tomorrow that will surly give you a pick me up, there is plenty to discover there."

Rayni thought to herself that this actually seemed like just the thing she needed to take her mind off things."That sounds great actually Brewster! but I don't know my way..." 

"There is a bus stop by the gate Rayni, it comes every hour, Kapp'n will pick you up and take you all the way to the city." 

"Oh I know Kapp'n! He was the driver that offered me the ride here! Thank you Brewster! I will definitely go!"

"Well then, I bid you farewell for now Rayni, catch up on that beauty sleep, and don't forget to tell me how it goes, have a good time tomorrow." 

"Oh I will thank you Brewster! Goodnight!"

As Rayni wandered home she felt much better, Brewster always seemed to lift her spirits.

Well she thought, as she unlocked her door. I certainly have an adventure to look forward to tomorrow!

xxx

Chapter 2 - Arriving in Acrewood

After a long journey, through many different towns Rayni finally arrived at a place called Acrewood.

She had wandered alone all night before a bus had pulled up alongside her.

The driver Kapp'n offered her a lift. Welcoming a comfy seat to put up her feet, Rayni gladly accepted the ride.

Just as she had sat down and began to doze sleepily a cat sat in the seat beside her.

'Hello' he purred, 'I'm Rover'. Rayni sat up in her seat and introduced herself. 'What a cute name, perfect for a young girl like yourself' Rover Replied.

He continued to ask Rayni questions about where it was she was going, something she wasn't entirely sure of herself. He asked her the name of the town she was going to, she mulled this over for a second, imagining herself somewhere with friendly animals, thick with forest trees situated not to far from the ocean.

She had read about a town called Arewood many years ago, the animal there were always friendly and creating adventures for themselves, Pooh, Piglet, Tiger, Eyor and many more. She longed for a town where everyone got along, a place like Starlite used to be. 'Acrewood' she replied, now sure that this is where she wanted to be. 'Well Acrewood certainly is beautiful!' Rover beamed, here I have a copy of the town map!

Spying a house for sale, all alone at the bottom of a Canyon Rayni squealed with delight! She claimed the spot straight away hardly able to contain her excitement.

Rover watched over Rayni until the bus pulled up by the gates of Acrewood. 'Thank you so much Rover! I do hope we meet again!' 'I am sure we will Rayni! Good luck in your new town.' Rover said farewell and Rayni made her way into her new village.

She walked around wandering where to go first, she could smell a hint of coffee in the fresh crisp air. She followed the scent and came across a beautiful museum, the coffee shop must be in here she thought. Finding a cosy little cafe in the town was just what Rayni needed, she also met a friendly bear who lent her some bells for a coffee.

She spent a long time in the warm cosy cafe, eager to hear tales of Acrewood from Pudgy the bear and Brewster, the pigeon who owned the coffee shop. They told her that Pooh and his friends had left many many years ago in search of new adventures with a boy named Christopher Robin. Since their departure many new inhabitants had arrived, she was assured that everyone who lived here was incredibly friendly.

Pudgy said goodbye to Rayni directing her to the Town Hall. Feeling much better after her coffee, with the sun rising behind her Rayni wandered to the Town Hall. Here she was greeted by a friendly bird Pelly, and the mayor Tortimer. They said that there were four houses available in  Acrewood and that she could have any she liked! She already knew which she wanted and headed straight to the Canyon house to meet the Landlord Tom Nook.

Tom told Rayni he would help her get to know the town by offering her work in his shop. Rayni agreed to start tommorow, for now she happily gazed at her new house before heading inside for some much needed sleep!

xxx

Chapter 1 - Goodbye Starlite

After spending years in the town of Starlite, Rayni decided it was time for change - she had found herself dying to embark upon new adventures for quite sometime, but packing up and leaving Starlite seemed to much! There was a time that she had been so content with this little town <3

Many a time she had had her bags packed, ready to leave for a new town, but could not resist saying one final goodbye to the villagers she had known so well. Each and every time she had done this she found it to much to bear, after-all Starlite was really beautiful, with its winding river, beautiful beach house, and serene fountains and waterfalls.

Reminising on her time in Starlight she realised just how much all of those those spectacular summer nights were missed! After spending 2years in Starlite Rayni's best friend Anchovey left for good, the place had never really been the same without him, she felt another pang to leave, maybe if she moved to a new town one day they would be re-united?

He had often visited her on those long lazy summer days, she really could not believe that he had to move,

but having to return to his old home town to look after his sick brother Robin was something he must do, Rayni understood although it pained her to say goodbye.

Summer soon turned into fall, which was nowhere near as fun since Anchovey's departure, although it did manage to bring it's own surprises, which happened one night to be in the form of a friendly Ghost.

As old friendships were lost, new ones were formed, Buck certainly did a good job of taking Rayni under his wing, as did Midge another friendly villager.

As Christmas rolled around things Starlite began to feel much more like home again, especially when the Christmas tree went up!

Rayni even took a winder vacation to a log cabin up the river, although she loved her beach house dearly it was nice to get away every once in a while to her forest retreat.

As spring came so did new villagers... and new drama.

Victoria had moved to Starlite, Rayni had been wary from the start, she had taken Victoria a home cooked apple pie to welcome her to the village, but had promptly been asked to leave having been told it was rude to stumble into others houses.

The next neighbour to descend was Grizzly. At first Rayni had been very excited to learn there was a bear in town, after meeting Stitches in a friends village she had always hoped a bear would move into her own little town! She went to visit Grizzly on his second day in Starlite, but she soon realised he would be a trouble maker, after hatching a plan to spread rumours about Victoria.

Already in Victoria's bad books Rayni did not want anymore trouble, she told Grizzly so, and asked him to be nice hoping this would be the end of it....

The next time she spoke to Victoria however it was clear that the rumours had started. Grizzly had told Victoria that Rayni herself had started them.

Egbert Rayni's friend had been quick to defend her, but Victoria was having none of it. Hoping for peace Rayni decided to talk to Grizzly and ask him to put things right, but when she approached him, he gave her an angry glare.

It was clear that Grizzly would not end this, there was only one soloution - Rayni had to leave Starlite for good. The village was just not the same anymore, even with Buck, Midge, and Egbert behind her she knew she had to leave.

She walked around her town one last time, savouring the happy memories she had once created in this beautiful town.

As she set of for the Gate to begin life in a new town, she knew many new adventures lie ahead. <3

xxx