Maxzyne and the Old Horse Theatre

Tools of the Trade

There is a favorite store in my little village that I fell in love with as soon as I moved here. In business since 1934, Hand's Office and Art Supply is an old fashioned store, the slight scent of paints and paper lingering in the aisles, a bit like imaginary fairy dust coaxing patrons to create. The knowledgeable staff dispenses advice and oversees the bustling shop from a long glass counter displaying some truly ancient tools of the written word. These beautiful pens, glittering metal cylinders, many worthy of engraving, beg to be held. Once in hand, the cool smooth surface has fingers assuming the writing position, eager to gauge the instrument's heft and balance. Yes, there is a piece of stationery nearby for practicing a signature flourish or two. Some of these writing tools are fountain pens, breathtaking in their elegance, harking back to days of quill, nib and inkwell. These are surely the instruments to use for signing life's most important documents or at least conveying the meaning of life within the pages of a leather-covered, blue-lined journal. The price tag is daunting, but might such a pen inspire magic?