Faerie was glad to see people coming back into town. Her younger brother, Albert, had been so lonely since all his playmates had left. It hadn't been particularly good for business, either. They ended up having to close up shop and move away.

They had gone to live with a distant aunt for a while. It wasn't exactly what they were used to. The house smelled like moth balls and cedar. The aunt smelled like cold cream. Their cousin was always dripping with pomade, and he had some grandiose ideas. Faerie got a weird feeling from him. He always looked at her funny. It was creepy.

So Faerie and Albert headed back home. They pulled the boards off The Laundrette, cleaned the place up and reopened for business. It was going to be a fresh start, with new ideas and new friends. Albert had already had a crew to play stickball with. He was always talking about some kid named blue umbrella. Faerie guessed he'd be asking for a sleep over any time now. She just hoped the neighborhood would be safe enough to have guests...