It was a to-the-point kitchen. A sink, a hearth, a few shelves for mugs and things. There was a sizable wooden table in the middle of the kitchen that could serve as both an eating and food-prep area.
“Look at this!” Ivy had grown through the kitchen window and now filled the huge, deep sink with resting leaves. I’d have to figure out a way to rehome those pesky fellows. “Thought you would think this was nice, too. Having a bit of the outside in.”
“Yes, I do like it,” I said, smiling. But not at the ivy.
“I know,” she said, her eyes soft. “Then this—”
She pointed to a small wooden pantry covered in remarkable carvings of fruit, vegetables, animals, plants, an entire meadow of creatures. “When I saw it, I thought that if someone were to design a kitchen hutch with the specification of ‘Clara’s essence’ it would be this.”
“No thorns?” I joked.
“Oh, it’ll give you plenty of splinters. Don’t worry.”
We both laughed until the smiles turned bashful. She kept looking at the floor then back up at me; I suddenly became quite interested in the craftsmanship of a cabinet. I ran my hand over the pantry, the soft, worn wood grain cold to the touch, eager to divert my senses away from Hesper. I openedthe doors—only empty glass jars on the inside, and a few small drawers at the very bottom for storage.
When I closed the cabinet, Hesper leaned against it, staring.
“What else?” I asked too forcefully.
“Right.” She cleared her throat, then led me into the main room just left of the kitchen. It was a room full of those same circular windows but of all different sizes. Tiny shelves were suspended in between, some empty and some full of small pots and dead plants. A whimsical—albeit currently withered—indoor garden setup. I touched a few of the leaves and hummed them a song of thanks for their time here on earth. If I had any magic, maybe I could have brought them back. But a goodbye song would have to do.
To new blooms and fairer soil, my heart said as I wished the plants farewell.
A giant hearth covered the entirety of the back wall. The rough-hewn stone looked menacing in comparison to the rest of the quaint cottage. I’d have to deal with that later.
Hesper had absconded elsewhere, which was all well and good. I feared if she showed me anything else she thought I’d like, my heart would burst in my chest.
I followed a small hall that ended in a narrow staircase on one side, and an entrance into a cozy bedroom on the other.
I decided to explore the bedroom, of course.
Here, the walls and ceiling curved in together, a shape that reminded me of what it must feel like to live inside a mushroom cap. One wall held a large window, and right across from it was yet another hearth. There was a simple largebedframe on the back wall—the tops of which were shaped like small mushrooms. Perhaps this room really was designed to be like the inside of one.
“Clara?” Hesper’s voice called from above.
“Yes?” I yelled out to her.
“Come look at this,” she said.
It must have been another bedroom. Perfect; we could both have our own room and our own space until the end of this. I definitely planned to stake my claim on the mushroom bedroom.
I made my way up the stairs and into the room above.
My breath hitched at what I saw.
It wasn’t a bedroom.
It wasn’t a bathing room.
It was a library.
Books filled every bit of wall space, a tufted—albeit dusty—red floral armchair resting in the middle of it all. It was big enough for two, or three, or perhaps just Warty when he was feeling particularly territorial.
The walls up here slanted toward each other until they curved into the ceiling, circling one large window shedding light on the magnificence surrounding us. The only other window in the room was straight ahead, in a half-moon shape to accommodate the reading nook nestled underneath. The fabric was a butter yellow with delicately embroidered flowers.
Is this a dream?my heart whispered.
Candle sconces adorned the ceiling like stars, arranged so that no matter the time of day, you could read your book with good lighting.
