~ Meet Mr. Willoughby of Cobblestone Circle ~

  

    What is it about small towns that bring to mind words like comfortably welcoming, constantly secure, homey and charming ~ could it be their unchanging nature?  To that end, Mr. Willoughby is an integral part of Cobblestone Circle.  Each and every morning he can be seen wearing the same old tweedy jacket and hat, walking through town making his way to his antique store, Memories and Dreams.  You can always count on him to stop along the way to chat with everyone he meets.

       His store is most accurately described as chaotic ~ which is of course an attribute to be cherished in an antique store.  Lots and lots of hidden treasures waiting for the right person to find them.  Myrtle Willoughby had tried to organize the store once ~ even went as far as using some hand painted placards Carson Thistlewhitte had found in his mother’s garage.  Horace can still remember the indignation in her face when she caught him laughing at her for grouping a bunch of framed photos under a sign that read "Our Family Portraits."  She had stomped her foot, narrowed her eyes and said, "Well, they were somebody’s family!"

       Unlike other such proprietors, Horace Willoughby has never been one to enhance the value of the items in his store by aging them with hammers, sandpaper or old chains.  That is not to say he doesn’t enjoy spinning a good yarn when the opportunity presents itself.  It is such fun for him to create histories for certain items and see the churning imaginations of children ~ and those of the adults who are gullible enough to believe his tales.  His favorite was when he had Mimsy Shrewsbury convinced that a dingy bronze planter had actually been found in an Egyptian tomb ~ and that the dirt inside was the remains of a meal left for the pharaoh to enjoy in the afterlife.

      Ah yes, so many wonderful memories ~ and a few sad ones as well.  The one that weighs most heavily on him is the memory of the dream he shared with his beloved Myrtle of travelling the world together.  He had gotten passports for them years ago ~ but there still isn’t a single stamp in either one of them.  She had always quieted his apologies of not being able to afford it by telling him that they were already travelling a great adventure together through all the unique items that found their way into the shop ~ and that for her, being with him was the only important part of the journey.

Change comes to all lives, but it is the consistency that we cling to.  And so each morning the Widower Willoughby can be seen walking through town, taking the time to chat with his neighbors, wearing that same old hat and tweedy jacket ~ but only those who really see him can spot Myrtle’s passport peeking out of his pocket.

 ~ sold ~