Pretend you are a wandering traveler. You’ve been traveling aimlessly for days and there seems to be no sign of civilization. Your legs are tired and you feel homesick for wherever your home is. However, you’ve heard that there is a city not far from your location. You hear that it is a beautiful place with mouthwatering food and stunning architecture. Located in the middle of nowhere, it borders the Vallenmasse Forests to the west and the la Rivière Venteuse (the Windy River) to the south. You feel hopeful that you will finally see a kind face again. You are very thankful that you didn’t miss this city. How lucky you are! When you finally arrive, you find that the stories you have heard were true. I mean, how could one miss such a place? The city has a nice Victorian-era charm to it. You notice it in the way people dress and architecture. It’s a strange blend of Paris and London. How interesting, you think to yourself.

As you traverse the streets, one odd detail sticks out to you. The people are very polite and all, but The thing is, there are no people. There are no humans, to be exact. The streets are crowded with birds. Ravens, pigeons, ducks, starlings, thrushes, crows, sparrows, etc. There are birds everywhere. They seem to be running the place! You feel slightly disoriented. You close your eyes in disbelief. You shake your head. No, no, no! This isn’t happening! You say in your head.

You begin to feel a bit awkward. You decide to get a bite to eat. After all, you haven’t eaten in a while. Eventually, the aroma of freshly baked pastries eventually coaxes you into entering one of the bakeries. The Bread and Batter Bakery, you read. What a pleasant name. As you enter, you see a falcon near the counter. You gaze at all the pastries. Cookies, cakes, pastries, and pies line the glass. Unfortunately, you have to pay in Charseau jetons, a currency that is unknown to you.

“Um” You mumble to the falcon. “Could you please tell me what a jeton is?”

Fortunately, another customer sees your struggle. They walk up to you and begin talking.

“Well,” they say. “You don’t look like you’re from here. It’s been a while since I saw a human. Fortunately, I’m not from here either.”

You give a nervous nod.

“The name is Marie, by the way,” she says. “Here, let me pay for that.”

She motions to a tart that you were eyeing nervously.

“Th-thank you,” you stammer.

Marie turns away and hands the falcon some shiny coins.

“So, Charles, I haven’t seen you in a while,” Marie remarks. “How’s the business?”

“Marie? Is that you?” the falcon asks, looking a bit taken back. “Well, I haven’t seen you in a while. It’s been great! I hope you’ve been doing well. How’s Pippin?”

“Ah well, same as always,” Marie responds. “Could be better, though. He came down with a nasty cold. Said he wasn’t up for a visit. It’s really quite a shame though, he really wanted to see this place again,” Marie hesitated for a moment. “You should’ve seen him, though. I couldn’t keep him calm. Such a shame...”

Charles, the falcon, hands Marie a bag. Then she hands the bag to you.

“Th-thank you. A-again,” you sputter.

“Of course, anytime.” Marie answers.

Then, you recall something important.

“Oh, wait! Please!” you call out to Marie. She turns around in confusion.

“Yes?” she says.

“Oh, um... Sorry, but, if you wouldn’t mind,” you fumble around in your knapsack for a while until you pull out an old and worn-out notebook. “I-I’m a traveler, and I basically wanted to document some interesting-er stories that I found. I-er If you could please tell me something about um... The bakery or something, I would be truly grateful.”

“Well, I have plenty of time,” Marie replied. “Charles? You and I You know the story quite as well as I do. Judging that I don’t really have anything else to do, I suppose I could tell you a story.”

“Thank you,” you mumble. You take the raspberry tart out of the bag. It tastes good! The filling is sweet, and the delicate pastry base crumbles inside your mouth. You savor every bite.

Marie orders a profiterole for herself. A profiterole is a filled choux pastry. They are also known as cream puffs.

“These recipes are brilliant,” Marie commented. “I wonder how Pippin does it.”

“Who’s Pippin?” you ask.

“Pippin is my friend. A couple of years younger than me, but a brilliant baker,” Marie says. “Don’t tell him I said that, though. I wouldn’t want him to get a big head.”

“Anyway,” Charles mentioned. “We should probably get on with the story.”

“Ah, yes. The story,” Marie dabbed her beak with a napkin. “So, a couple of years before, Pippin and I had not met Charles yet. The Bread and Batter Bakery didn’t even exist. Pippin was still a young duck. He and I dreamed of coming to Charseau one day. He wanted to learn how to bake. As for me, I was a cartographer, if you didn’t know, and I still am. I wanted to finish adding Charseau to my map, as well as la Rivière Venteuse.”

“I had just saved up enough money to open up my own bakery,” Charles added. “I attended a prestigious culinary school in Charseau. I wanted to open up a bakery, but I was struggling. If my business hadn’t worked out, I would have stayed in that cramped up apartment that I longed to escape.”

Charles shuddered.

“Then, one day, I was sleeping on work. Er, I mean, I was dozing off, when suddenly, I heard the bell ring. I lifted my head and saw two birds. I saw customers!” Charles exclaimed.

“Not necessarily,” Marie interrupted. “I was mapping out the city square, but Pippin insisted on entering the bakery. It looked like a run-down shack to me.”

“Well, I suppose,” Charles admitted. “I was just getting started. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the proper funds to renovate the place.”

Marie looked unimpressed.