Tamsin’s Giggle Dose — The little bell over Bellwort Apothecary went ting-ting as Tamsin stepped in with her empty paper bag held high. Read the full story →
The little bell over Bellwort Apothecary went ting-ting as Tamsin stepped in with her empty paper bag held high. She had given herself a challenge: collect enough cheerful things to make her quiet neighbor Mr. Peale laugh before supper. The shop smelled like peppermint, clean soap, and the dusty sweetness of dried chamomile. Behind the counter, Bram the bear measured cough drops into jars with a clack-clack-clack. “One bag of giggles, please,” Tamsin said, as if that were a normal order.
Bram nodded very seriously. Into the bag went an orange lozenge, a lavender sticker, and a tiny card that read, TAKE WITH SILLY VOICES. Then came the surprise: every bottle on the shelves gave a soft pop, and little paper slips fluttered out like moths. Each one held a joke from someone in town—the baker, the clock fixer, even Mr. Peale himself, who had written, Why did the broom take a nap? It was swept away!
Tamsin laughed so hard the bag crinkled against her mittens. Bram winked and stamped a red cross on the front. If you peek at that bag next time, maybe you’ll hear the joy inside still going ting-ting.