Summary:
I've been blessed with an unnatural power, or so many say, an ability to bring a man and woman together in the unity of marriage without even trying. All I have to do is walk one or both of them into the magical Little Haven of Dreams, and an amazingly short time later, they're hitched. Everyone seems to think it's a great thing, to have such a gift, but what they don't understand is that while I am able to bring a husband and wife together, I myself am alone, for it seems my unique ability is able to work for everyone...except me.
Prologue:
It was just an ordinary bridal shop. There was nothing magical about the store, nothing decorating the outside of it that would have called out to the average passerby to come inside and take a look. The store was located in a long strip of stores on River Street in Savannah, Georgia. It was wedged peacefully between a sweets shop and a kite store.
The location was perfect, looking out at the ocean and a long bridge, the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, which stretched from Georgia and disappeared into South Carolina. Tugboats and other watercraft could be seen steaming beneath the bridge, perfectly visible to the hundreds of tourists and citizens of the city that frequented River Street on a daily basis. The windows of the shop gave perfect view to the self-employed street musicians who wielded their guitars, harmonicas, and violins for the entertainment of others.
Hanging in the shop windows, visible to all, were various wedding gowns, positioned perfectly for the best available viewing. There were ones covered in lace, others draped with silk, and still others with tiny pearls or diamonds sparkling in the light. Beautiful silk flowers were stretched across the trains of the dresses, catching the eye of many a desiring young bride-to-be.
Within the store was just as beautiful as the display in the front window. More dresses hung from velvet hangers, lovely white high heels were boxed and stacked neatly in one corner of the room, corsages and bouquets of various shapes, flowers, and colors were placed neatly on glass counters that were filled inside with diamond rings and jewelry that would only befit an exquisite bride. Veils of lace and sheer were made of purest white, some decorated with stitching of flowers and vines, and others elegant in their simplicity. There was nothing lacking in this store that a bride could want.
Behind the shop itself was another room, large and bright, meant for the bride and her party, or perhaps the family of the bride. There was a long wooden table stretched out in the center of the room, above which hung a sparkling chandelier. Large windows opened to let sunlight shine into it, illuminating it and bathing it in splendor. This conference room was perfect for anyone who desired to use it.
Directly behind the conference area was another smaller room, meant for more storage and containing a refrigerator and cupboard for food and drinks.
The second floor of the shop was used for storage, and while any brides, bridesmaids, or family members certainly didn’t tour it, it too was kept neat and tidy. A place for everything and everything in its place, as it were.
So truly, while the Little Haven of Dreams was beautiful and a pleasant place to be, it wasn’t much different from any other bridal shops. What made it so unique and gave it such outstanding attention and reviews was not the store itself, but a girl who worked there that had possession of a most mysterious gift. Once her gift was made known, the store’s reputation and name were spread nationwide, and it was flooded with visitors on a daily basis.
But I am getting ahead of myself, aren’t I? I am the girl with that gift, and it is long past the time when I should have told this story of what precisely that gift was and how it came to be famous. But here it is, the tale of the Little Haven of Dreams’ innocent matchmaker and the mysterious happenings that put that shop on the map.
