"I don't know. I chose this life up on the mountain, and I can't really picture too many women dying to live up here with me."
"You can always move to society," she teases.
"Oh, hell no," I say, making her snort.
"I know. I know. Well, your home's absolutely gorgeous. I'm sure a woman in love with you would also love living up there with you."
"Well, right now, this scene is all I'm focused on," I grumble.
"Alright. Alright. I'll get off your back. It was just something I was thinking about," she says.
"I know we were only 25 then, but I still think about all our conversations during that trip. That was a great trip. Sad, but great," I admit.
"You miss them?"
"Of course I miss them. I mean, sure, it's been half my life, but Mom and Dad were pretty rad people."
"They were pretty rad," she says with a soft giggle and then adds, "Okay, I'll let you get back to your scene. Although maybe you just need a break from writing today. That might help reset your creative juices."
"Yeah. I think you're right. I'll see if there are any games playing."
"Alright, little brother. I'll talk to you later."
"Little? By two whole minutes," I snort.
"Bye, little brother," my sister says in a singsong voice before hanging up.
2
Bellamy
Sitting in my cramped workspace, surrounded by tools and shelves of jeweled eggs, I lean closer to my current project. I carefully place the shiny green stone on top, the sound of light rain outside keeping me company as I focus.
This is my first custom order since starting the business at the beginning of the year. Back in LA, selling jeweled eggs online was just a side hustle while I worked at my boring corporate job. But when I made the leap to quit and move to the foothills of Ravenhart Mountain, I went full-time. Now, only a few months in, I've already made a decent amount selling pre-made eggs. But I was still surprised when I opened up custom orders and several requests came in almost immediately.
Sitting back, I admire my work and take a sip of coffee from my travel mug. Outside the window, the rain is finally turning into a mist. I get distracted staring out at the weather when a thud behind me makes me jump, and I turn to find my calendar crumbled on the floor, flipped to June. A large red circle surrounds the last day of spring.
My fiftieth birthday.
Sighing, I pick it up and stare at it.
"Well, at least I met half my goal," I mumble to myself as I place the calendar back on the wall.
On a hiking trip with some college friends a few years ago, we all made goals for our upcoming fiftieth birthdays. Mine, I thought, was pretty simple. Start my own business, leave my soul-sucking corporate job and find true love by the time I am fifty. I guess I should be satisfied with two-thirds of it being met, but it does suck that I'm living my best life and haven't found anyone to share it with yet.
Shaking off the negative thoughts, I glance at March's scenic photo and smile at the purple-circled date that's a couple of weeks away. Since moving to this tiny rental at the foot of Ravenhart Mountain, I have yet to sell my wares in person. But that's about to change. The Ostara Festival is right around the corner, and thinking about it shoots a thrill through my body. I've never interacted with customers face-to-face before. Well, my friends, but they don't count. I'm excited to see how it goes.
Sitting back down at my station, I inspect the egg. It needs to dry overnight before I add the finishing touches. I open the door of my cramped studio and see that the rain has finally stopped. Cabin fever hits me like a wave, so I quickly shift into my cottontail rabbit form and hop my way to the front door of my tiny cabin. But instead of shifting back so I can open the door, I jump off the front step and hop through the wet grass by the side of the driveway.
I love rainy days, but I'm not a big fan of three in a row. The feeling of being cooped up weighs on me. But as my large hind legs move me around the front lawn, I already feel more relaxed. Returning to the front step, I shift back into my human form, and a chill runs down my spine. Immediately, I go inside and brew myself a cup of tea.
As the tea bag steeps, I wake up my tablet. The page is still open to the local hikes I was researching this morning during breakfast. Now that spring is around the corner, I really need to check some of these out.
3
Garen
My phone buzzing nonstop on the side table wakes me early in the morning. Groaning, I stretch and blink at the weak morning sunlight. What the hell time is it? Grabbing my phone, I see it's my sister calling.
