Matchingsocks’s Weblog

This girl fully expected to be able to sleep in on a Saturday when The Boy woke her- unceremoniously at half past seven in the morning- to begin a “Quest for the Magical Eggplant.” He had designed- with her sisters and best friends- an amazing race type quest for her while she was away. She had fully intended to go shopping with Smelly Melly later that day, but it seems that even that was ruse to simply get her to block out the day! So, he presented her with a empty charm bracelet and told her she was to “go forth” and find seven charms which were stolen and spread across the land by an evil Wizard; for it was only when the charms were reunited would the wearer (this girl) be able to find the Magical Eggplant (The Boy). And so, still with sleep in her eyes, this girl was hurried out of bed and on to her magical quest.

The first clue led her to visit the Princess and the Pea (The Princess, who was still asleep- it was really early in the morning when this girl set off on this quest) who required her to give her a back rub before she would hand over the first charm: a doggy charm with a red leash.

The second clue led her to find the Sage (The Prefect- who was sleeping next to The Princess so it was geographically easy for this girl) who would present her with her next charm. After a hilarious fifteen minutes of bantering and The Prefect trying to sound valiantly theatrical and this girl having to make the little one breakfast, she walked away with her second charm: an old vinyl record player.

The third clue sent her to the airport in search for the bears: Smelly Melly (British Bear) and Onion (Bored Brute Bear). This girl got there ahead of schedule and bumped into Smelly Melly before she could “go into hiding”. Thankfully, she didn’t give this girl a hard time and handed over the third charm: a little luggage, complete with the cutest white tee inside.

The fourth clue suggested that Onion was at the Happy Place (MacDonald’s) and she oddly took a while to find him. Onion is not naturally into these games and it attests- as she was reminded time and time again- to how much he cares for this girl as a friend to be helping The Boy. He told this girl he was bored and she was actually made to buy him a magazine before he was willing to hand this charm over. She bought him a photography magazine stuffed unceremoniously behind the National Enquirer. He handed over the fourth charm: a pair of running shoes.

The fifth clue told her to venture forth to the tombstone in the orchard (it was a shopping center) to find the place where she should seek the Elfling at the place one would see Nigella and Jamie. With Smelly Melly by her side, this girl found her way to the cooking section (this girl and the boy cook alot together) which was wrong. It was the bookshop instead and there she found Zwieback who made her buy a cookbook before turning in the fifth charm: A set of cutlery.

There wasn’t a sixth clue but this girl was led to the artist section to discover a hidden charm box with her sixth charm nestled within: a dragonfly.

The following clue sent her across the island to the coffee and tea fields of Guthrie House where she was supposed to find the Wizard and Sorceress who were guardians of the last and most precious of charms. This girl racked her brains all the way there trying to figure out who this final pair was in vain, and true to fashion, there was no one she recognize! Smelly Melly got her to announce- rather loudly, might she add- to the sitting, bemused public that she was on a treasure quest and looking for the wizard and sorceress. Everyone there was duly amused as she went table by table asking. As luck would have it, she found them outside, sitting right in a corner.

The sorceress presented this girl with a necklace laden with many charms and this girl was tasked to pick which of them was the final charm. The necklace had about 10 charms on them, each with its own possibilities; this girl only had three guesses. She picked a horse shoe (because she and The Boy kinda got together at a horse stable)- which she was told was wrong. Next, she picked a car (because they both love cars)- which was also wrong. Finally, she picked a hot air balloon (because she always says that The Boy lives on cloud nine). The Wizard thought it was a sassy and funny enough answer and told her that the truth of the matter was that the final charm wasn’t on the necklace itself. It would later be revealed that her choices did mirror that of The Boy’s: he had tried to buy her a horse shoe but it was out of stock. So was the car.

The final clue bid her to know that “the bracelet was complete, the journey was nearly done, follow the cherub’s gaze to the place where two became one.” This was the same said restaurant where this girl and The Boy ate at the day they got together- a full circle. Only this time in the company of close friends (the Wizard and Sorceress were The Boy’s best friend and girlfriend whom she was meeting for the first time).

When this girl got to the restaurant, she was regaled with The Boy reciting his final lines as the Magical Eggplant and she was presented with the most gorgeous Kate Spade bag (the same said one she almost bought a few weeks earlier) and tickets to the Contender Asia Finals (the same said performance she almost bought tickets too a few days earlier).

It was a lovely, lovely gesture on The Boy’s part. He had apparently been planning this for weeks and had conspired with everyone else to make this “quest” happen for this girl. There were long discussions, a flurry of emails and loads of subterfuge to keep it from this girl.

And about the charms? Each charm corresponded with a milestone in the journey this girl and The Boy had made to get them together; so they were not only pretty, but meaningful. And while this girl is not exactly a charm wearing kind of person, they decided they’d add a charm to commemorate each milestone from now.

How lucky can one girl get? * beams *