Violet's Arc

Chapter 7 of 10

Violet came down from the slopes with mountain violets in her basket and a wild comb tucked beside the jar. Her plan was simple: brew once more, at her own table, with honey drawn straight from the hidden hive. She kept her steps even and her bag close. Near her gate, a neighbor leaned over the fence and asked to buy a handful of blooms. Violet smiled and shook her head. She set a jar of grape jam and a small lavender sachet on the stone by the neighbor's door instead. The neighbor lifted them, pleased, and stepped back inside. Behind the garden, a low wooden shelter marked the quiet spot where the grape-striped hive rested out of sight. Violet drew one careful jar of deep purple honey, capped it, and carried it through the door of her small glass house. Inside the greenhouse, she set the jar on the worktable beside the cooled brew. She measured one spoon, stirred, and tasted. The flavor rounded and held. The bitterness inside her did not lift — but the cup, at last, was finished. She wrote the measure down and closed the journal.