Short Stories Weekends: Pixel Pixies by Charles de Lint

If you're anything like me - fantastic fiction lover (and by fantastic I mean anything to do with supernatural stuff) - but not so much into short stories, do yourself a favour. Grab Tapping the Dream Tree by Charles de Lint. It's a collection which I haven't finished yet, but it has already earned my unconditional love.


I'm particularly glad I joined "Short Story Weekends" so I can talk about the latest story I've read, "Pixel Pixies", without having to wait to finish the whole book. Because I think I've just read one of my favourite short stories ever!
It's about Holly, a second-hand bookstore owner, who one day has the misfortune of having to do with pixies. But not ordinary traditional pixies. These kind have taken over the world wide web! It's also about the bookstore's brownie Dick Bobbins, who during the day lives in the basement reading books, and at night comes out to keep the store tidy.
I've already mentioned 3 main reasons why I was so captivated by the story:
1)A second-hand bookstore owner as main character.
2) A second-hand bookstore brownie who realphabetizes books at night.
3) Pixies on the web.
Just this would have been enough for me to get all hyped about it. But it doesn't just do that. It follows up bringing in the game another awesome character, which I won't name because I didn't know who she was and I loved the surprise.
It carries on portraying one of the cutest brownie I've ever read about AND it finishes with a wonderful hopeful exciting ending.

Ok I know it was only a little story, simple and cute. But it seemed perfectly tailored for me! I kept going "ohhh", "ahhhh" "cool" "awww", and so on till the end.

It also rekindled my desire to, one day, open my own bookstore, which I dreamed about of here, not too long ago :)
I might even get my own brownie if I'm lucky :D