Though Maggie hadn't been spending much time in the furniture shop lately, she apparently had no need to worry that business might be suffering. At least that was one thing she didn't have to think about. Holly had called her earlier in the day in an absolute panic. Furniture had been selling left and right, she had five deliveries to make, and the showroom was full of people. Maggie came in as fast as she could to help. She knew that she probably needed a break from obsessing over her lunch with Reed Hackman.

At almost four in the afternoon, foot traffic was still heavy. She'd been waiting on one couple who had just moved to the area for the last thirty minutes. The time drain hurt her ability to serve the others milling about, but the couple bought three pieces, so it was likely worth it. Holly helped as much as she could. The girl, whose Goth lifestyle was only partly concealed by her more formal business dress, was not a salesman by any stretch.

Maggie stood in the center of the showroom trying to gauge if any of the six other customers in the store needed help. The circular layout of the sections made spotting people easy, despite some visual obstacles such as high dressers and television cabinets. The dark-haired woman decided that a couple in the bedroom section appeared to need assistance, so she moved to their area. She barely noticed the ding from the doorway as another person came into the store. Somewhere in the back of her mind she hoped that whoever it was, they were just a looker.

For more, go to Episode 42: The Highs and Lows.

Our Beautiful Daughters

If you enjoy The DarkSide, we have two other stories available for the masses here at ShumanCreative. The first is a story written by Alice titled On Gossamer Wings. It is a healthy twenty-four episodes and is a complete story arc/novel.

On Gossamer Wings is a science fiction tale in the style of episodic television programs such as Star Trek and Babylon 5. With the expansion of humans into the solar system, Earth and its citizens must deal with exciting and dangerous new challenges. New heroes will be born and new tales will make Earth's history.

Click on the link above to take flight On Gossamer Wings.

Also available here is Gossamer: An Online Serial. This story was a web drama Alice wrote with Joel for seven years off and on. There are 108 episodes.

Gossamer is an online serial in the tradition of periodically published stories and classic nighttime television soaps. Tune in to see what transpires in this town of destructive forces and dynamic citizens, where anything can happen. Murder, deceit, natural disaster, or supernatural phenomenon: nothing is forbidden.

Click the link above to visit Gossamer.