The Salt and Sugar of Us
The first time Jordan saw Clara, she was kneading dough in a sunlit kitchen, her sleeves rolled to the elbows, flour dusting her forearms like snow. The smell of cinnamon and burnt sugar hung in the air, mingling with the…
Secrets
Read MoreThe Salt and Sugar of Us
The Last Memory Keeper
The air in Veyra’s Hollow smelled of damp earth and iron, a scent that clung to the skin like a second layer. Lira pressed her palms against the cold stone of the archive wall, her breath fogging in the dim…
The Dust of Forgotten Trails
The sun hung low over the mesa, casting long shadows across the cracked earth as Clara Voss stepped off the stagecoach, her boots crunching on gravel. The air reeked of dust and pine resin, a scent that clung to her…
The Last Light of Summer
The air smelled of salt and diesel as Clara navigated the narrow dock, her boots splashing in the wake of the fishing boats. She’d always hated the way the harbor reeked of brine and decay, but today the stench felt…
The Silent Accord
The salt air clung to Mara’s skin as she stepped off the rusted ferry, her boots crunching over gravel. The lighthouse loomed ahead, its white paint peeling like old skin. She hadn’t set foot in Marrow’s End since her mother’s…
The Sierra Trail
The first time Eliza saw the Sierra Nevada, she thought they were mountains of glass. Snow glinted off jagged peaks like shattered mirrors, and the air smelled of pine and iron. She tightened her grip on the reins, her knuckles…
The Salt and the Storm
Clara stepped off the creaking ferry, her boots sinking into the damp sand as the tide whispered against the shore. The lighthouse stood behind her, its white tower weathered by years of salt and wind, its beam sweeping the horizon…
The Hollowing
Mara stepped off the rusted ferry, her boots crunching on gravel as the salt-kissed wind tugged at her coat. The town of Black Hollow stretched before her, a cluster of weathered cottages clinging to the cliffs like barnacles. Ten years…
The Last Light of Summer
The salt air stank of brine and diesel as Clara stepped off the ferry, her boots crunching over gravel. The dock creaked under her weight, a sound that seemed to echo through the quiet harbor. She pulled her coat tighter,…
The Dust and the Dawn
The sun hung low over the Sierra Nevada, casting long shadows across the trail as Eleanor tightened the reins on her mule. The air reeked of dust and sweat, a thick haze that clung to her skin and stung her…
The Silent Signal
The salt-kissed air bit at Elara’s cheeks as she climbed the lighthouse stairs, her boots echoing against the rusted metal. The storm had blown itself out hours ago, leaving the coast in a brittle stillness. She’d come to clear out…
The Last Lightkeeper’s Secret
The salt-kissed wind howled through the skeletal remains of the town as Mara stepped off the rusted ferry, her boots crunching over gravel that had once been a street. The lighthouse stood ahead, its white tower leaning like a drunkard,…
The Saltwater Code
The salt air bit Lila’s cheeks as she picked up the journal, its leather cover cracked with age. She flipped through the pages, the scent of old paper and something metallic lingering. ‘This isn’t just a diary,’ she whispered, tracing…
The Last Light of Summer
The first time she saw him, the sky was bleeding orange through the storm clouds. Lila had been running for miles, her boots slapping against the wet pavement, when she stumbled into the shelter of a flickering streetlamp. The air…
The Hollowing
Mara pulled her coat tighter as the wind shrieked through the pines, biting at her exposed skin. The lighthouse stood ahead, its beam slicing the night like a blade. She hadn’t set foot in Hollow’s End since the summer her…