Several weeks passed. Marigold still worked at Short Pencils, and had tried on multiple occasions to reconcile Errol and Othmer. Every attempt left her exhausted, and sometimes, after work, she would stop by a little restaurant called The Midnight Flower on the corner near the alleyway home and buy a drink.

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One gloomy day, Marigold was at the restaurant sullenly stirring a spoon in a cup of coffee when Errol came in.