A Cup Full of Magic

Miss Tilly found the teacups shoved in a cardboard box on the back of a shelf at the thrift store. They weren't even on the right shelf; instead of being with the other dishes, the box of tea cups was shoved behind a clunky chrome waffle maker, almost hidden from view. It was pure chance that she even spotted it, when she bent down tie the laces on her sneaker that had come undone. She hadn't come into the thrift shop looking for dishes, much less a set of three odd teacups that didn't even match, but for some reason the pretty floral designs caught her imagination and despite her better judgement she left with them (and without the electric skillet she had gone into the shop looking for in the first place).

Miss Tilly huffed and puffed up the steps to her apartment, barely keeping hold of the squashy cardboard box of teacups with one arm while she clung to the railing with the other. These stairs were getting harder and harder to climb, the older she got. At 85 she did her best to stay fit. She got her daily walks in and tried to remember to eat enough vegetables, but time marched on regardless. What she really needed was a residence with no stairs, but on her tiny teachers pension the second floor was the best she could do. Her friend Elmira from next door was in a similar situation, and Adelle on three had it even worse with two sets of stairs to navigate, and her with her arthritic knees no less!  

After a brief rest in her favorite chair and a tall glass of iced tea, Miss Tilly unpacked the tea cups and carefully washed and dried them in her little kitchenette. As she did so she mulled over what to do with them. The three cabinets over her stove didn't hold much and were already packed full, so she couldn't put them there. The bookshelf was jammed with nearly seventy years worth of books, so they couldn't go there, either. As she hung the dish towel on the oven handle to dry an idea came to her. 

Later that evening she put the three teacups out on her tiny balcony, now filled with potting soil and the seeds a friend from church gave her from her garden last fall. She'd been very insistent that Miss Tilly plant the seeds in the Spring, but she'd put the envelope in the back of the kitchen drawer and forgotten all about it till now. Before she went indoors to get ready for bed, she watered the seeds and admired how pretty the three unique teacups already looked lined up along the balcony railing. Once the flowers bloomed, they would be even prettier. Just as she put the watering can down a ladybug flew down and alighted on the delicate porcelain handle of one of the tea cups. Miss Tilly felt a little flutter of satisfaction at the sight of the polka dotted beetle. Lady bugs weren't just pretty, they were harbingers of good luck, and Lord knew she could certainly use some of that!

That night, Miss Tilly had the most beguiling dream. In it, a ladybug in a top hat flew in through her bedroom window. Miss Tilly got up and followed it out of the bedroom and through the dark apartment to the sliding door onto the balcony. She pushed aside the drapes, and saw the most marvelous thing. Just before she woke up, the lady bug pushed something hard and cold into her hand, before taking a bow with a sweep of it's silk top hat for dramatic effect. As she awoke with a start, she realized she was still holding whatever it was. She turned on the bedside lamp and sat up to peer at the thing in her hand: A tiny key ring with three itsy-bitsy metal keys on it. Each key had a letter engraved on it. One had an "A", another an "E" and the final one was engraved with a "T," all in the most marvelously old-fashioned looping script.

Quickly, Miss Tilly shoved aside the bed clothes and rushed out of the bedroom without bothering to pull on her dressing gown or slippers. She hurried to the balcony door and pushed aside the drapes. The seeds she'd planted in the teacups had begun to sprout overnight, but instead of tender green shoots pushing up through the rich black soil, instead Miss Tilly saw the emerging ridges of three tiny roofs. 

Over the next week, Miss Tilly had four more nocturnal visits from the Ladybug in the top hat. Each time, the Ladybug left her with a small gift and another clue. A tiny map, three miniature bottles of what looked like lemonade, three little suitcases full of tiny clothes, and three itsy-bitsy change purses filled to bursting with impossibly small coins. At dawn on the final day, Miss Tilly woke up knowing what she needed to do. She went directly to the phone, despite the early hour, and began dialing. "Elmira? It's Tilly. I know it's early, but I need you to come down. No, everything's fine...or it's about to be. Just come! I'll explain when you get here. I've got to go, I have to phone Adelle next."

The newspapers barely made any mention of the disappearance of three little old ladies from the same apartment house and the landlord wasted no time in getting a dumpster in to clean out the three now-vacant units. Only the cleaner noticed the fancy tea cups left forgotten on the balcony. Two had been broken, but one still had a tiny fairy house embedded in what looked like potting mix, along side three small rectangular indents where it looked like other houses had once been. She looked over her shoulder, guiltily, even though she was alone in the apartment. She wasn't supposed to keep anything left behind when she cleaned the vacant units, but for some reason the pretty floral design caught her imagination. Despite her better judgement, she picked up the cup, disturbing a little lady bug that was perched on the roof of the tiny house. She couldn't help but smile as it fluttered back down to sit on the handle of the cup. Lady bugs were good luck, and Lord only knew, she could use some of that. 

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