Shovels at Dawn

Amelie finishes the job, and clears off the furniture on the front porch so Gertrude can sit down.

"You do that and more, Gertrude. You offer to help others when their weight is perhaps too much to bear, and you are simply a pleasure to be around because you’re a good friend, and a thoughtful person.

"Your very presence makes the load lighter." Looking at the neat paths, and the snowwoman and the snowbot side-by-side, Amelie extends a hand toward the scene as if it is supporting evidence. "Look what we accomplished together, and we finished the job approximately seventeen minutes ahead of schedule.

"That’s two minutes more than the bare-minimum for a hot chocolate break. Shall we?"

Gertrude takes Amelie's words to heart as she looks at the trio of clear pathways. She lets out a long, contented sigh. "Yeah. We did a good job. Let's go get that chocolate."

She turns to head back inside the Bed & Breakfast, but she is surprised to see Yazeba standing on the front porch! Wrapped in a warm, fuzzy bathrobe and holding a steaming mug of hot chocolate, the witch peers across the icy yard. At length, she nods. "Hmm. Not bad," the witch says.

Gertrude feels her heart skip a beat. Is the crotchety witch actually acknowledging her efforts?

Seeing Gertrude's surprise even through her mask, Yazeba smirks and crooks a finger. "Come. I've something to show you."

---

The empty room was finely appointed in pastels and earth tones, with a warm wooden floor and a bed piled high with soft fabric and throw pillows, no two the same. It had a wardrobe and a vanity (though the mirror was missing?), but the most arresting furnishing by far was the polished floor-to-ceiling bookcase, carved with a vine and leaf pattern that bore engraved masks like fruit. There were no books on its shelves… yet.

"Wow," Gertrude breathes. "I've never seen this room before. Whose is it?"

"It's yours," Yazeba says.

"M-mine?" Gertrude gasps.

"A step up from the laundry room, I would say," Yazeba replies. "You've proven yourself worthy of more permanent accommodations. Keep up the good work."

And with that, the witch departs, leaving Gertrude to stare after her in wonder...

---

And that is the story of how Amelie began to become more than their programming, and of how Gertrude earned her place at the B&B!