Archibald stared at the plate of cookies he was carrying. Surely, if he ate one more, no one will notice. He placed the plate on a tree stump and grabbed one, inhaling its vanilla scent. He was just about to take a bite, when he heard a giggle.

“Aren’t you supposed to sell those?” He turned to look and saw the prettiest girl ever. She was older than him, but not by much. She placed a silver coin on the plate and helped herself to a cookie.

“Did you help make these? They are good,” Archibald was at a loss for words. He smiled and stared. The girl raised an eyebrow.

“I am Betty, by the way. How many cookies make a silver coin?” Archibald had no idea. He was told to give as many as he could and that they costed a copper coin each, but he was not good with counting.

“I…don’t know. They cost a copper each,” the embarrassment was too big for the small boy. He was ready to hand over the entire plate. So sure was he that the girl had paid for more than he had.

“Here is a copper, then. What is your name?” She pocketed the silver coin and placed a copper on the plate, which Archibald took.

“Archibald,” mumbled the boy, who was now trying to hide his eyes behind his fringe. Betty poked him on the nose and placed another coin on the plate.

“I’ll take one for the road. Bye, Archie,” she picked another cookie and made to move away, but then Archibald began to follow her. “Is there something the matter?”

Archibald blushed. He wanted to spend more time with Betty. He liked her blonde pigtails and her crystal clear blue eyes. Not only that, but he thought that her pink sun dress was beautiful and that she was very tall. The boy liked tall people.

“Can I come with Betty?” Asked Archibald with a hopeful grin.

“You need help selling the cookies?” Betty had misunderstood him, and Archibald didn’t have the bravery to correct her.

“Yes. I keep eating them,” Betty looked at the plate that had about five cookies on it. She giggled.

“Was my purchase the only one you had today?” When Archibald nodded and hung his head low, the girl began to chuckle.

“Well, that won’t do. If I don’t help, you will get grounded, probably,” Archibald looked up. Could he really? Surely, everyone loved him too much for that. But could he risk staring at the wall for hours just because he didn’t sell enough cookies?

“Archie doesn’t want to be grounded!” Then he clammed his mouth shut. His habit to say his name at the start of each sentence has come up again. She was going to think he was a baby!

“Then follow me, Archie, and we will get all those sold in no time. I am from the Alerion district, by the way,” Archibald took a closer look at Betty. How could she be from Alerion? Was she a worker elf?

“Are you an elf?” Archibald watched as her grin widened, and she pointed at her chest.

“Betty, Overseer of the worker elves and gremlins. At your service,” she finished her introduction with a bow, and Archibald got stars in his eyes. This was an important worker elf! And she was so pretty, too.

She turned her back to him and marched forward, and he followed her like a duckling. They made it out of the Eomis district and into the Alerion district. There were children sized worker elves everywhere. One stopped at seeing the cookies and smiled.

“Good, we just ran out of cookies for grandpa and grandma Thinker! Bring them quick. Are you new? I am Alfie, by the way!” The elf was chipper and Archibald immediately liked him.

“He is a human boy from the Eomis district, Alfie. Here to sell some cookies,” supplied Betty. “And his are good. Made with lots of love, right, Archie?”

Archibald blushed and nodded. What was this feeling he felt every time Betty smiled? She was older than him, to have a job. But he was certain that it didn’t matter. They could be as good friends as his big sister and Mari.

“Ok, boy. How much per cookie?” Alfie showed Archibald a coin bag, and Archibald balanced the plate on one hand to show five fingers, proud he could count that much.

“Copper,” supplied Archibald when the elf pulled out a gold coin.

“All out of copper. Have one gold coin. You can repay me by shopping around here. Maybe even buying something for Betty?” Archibald liked this idea very much. He took the coin and handed the plate to Alfie, who moved briskly and disappeared among the stands.

“We have the best donuts in the whole fair,” suggested Betty. She was a businesswoman first and foremost, and so she knew that the donuts were cheap enough to make more sales.

“Ok,” Archibald reached out shyly and took a hold of her hand. He received a light squeeze in return, and they were off. The smell of the ginger donuts welcomed them, and Archibald wasted no time into buying twenty of the small circles for both himself and Betty.

As they ate, Archibald watched her and couldn’t help but compare her to a cat as she ate in small ladylike bites. He tried to emulate her, but found he couldn’t. She giggled at his attempt and handed him a napkin.

“You have powdered sugar on your nose,” Archibald placed his donuts on the ground and began to wipe his nose. He stole looks at Betty and smiled every so often as he watched her eat.

“Well, I need to get back to work. Unless you need help with shopping?” The boy was placed before a dilemma. On the one hand, if he asked for her help, he’d appear like a baby. On the other, he wanted to spend more time with her. In the end, his pride won.

“No, I am a big boy,” he received a pat on the bag, and now he was alone with almost the entire gold coin in his pocket. He wondered if he should really shop here. Then, his loyalty to his family won out. Betty was pretty, but he wanted to win the competition. He was going to deposit the money in their treasury and mend his broken heart with more cookies. She was too old for him, anyway.