𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐒 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐍 || 𝑻𝑹𝑬𝑬𝑪𝑯 𝑿 𝑶𝑪

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎: 𝐖𝐎𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐖𝚰𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐎𝐎𝐃

Emerging from the forest, Cassia can now see her home, and her run slows into a jog. The Sylvester Sanctum, a home of a wooden body and a cement tile roof. The two storeys, however, are nothing compared to the antique oak tree adjacent to it, which is a mammoth compared to anything else on the property.

The girl stops and collapses before the back kitchen door. The sweet summer grass breathes life back into her, and she can feel the sun on her back. Cassia pushes her bow from her and unfastens her quiver. She rolls onto her back and laughs as the sun graces her skin and the warm morning air fills her lungs.

She is relieved to hear the silence of the house, meaning that it is still relatively early. After some time of basking in nature's loveliness and some gentle insect greetings, she gets up and retrieves her articles from the grass. She approaches the house and leaves her muddied boots by the mat before entering the kitchen.

Only when the remnants of last night's lasagna flow into her nostrils does she remember how hungry she is. She only grabbed an orange before she left for her pre-dawn adventure. Cassia's first destination is the fridge. She scoffs to herself, "Precious Perry comes home from big boy school and suddenly has the right to eat half the fridge," she says, her countenance irritated and her tone sarcastic.

Cassia groans as she realises that she has to collect eggs from the backyard. Usually, momma bear goes on such quests, because she is the first to rise, but Cassia's stomach will not hold any longer. She grabs another piece of fruit from the bowl and sinks her teeth into its soft body, happily chewing as she takes a basket from the storage cabinet adjacent to the door. Into her mouth the fruit goes, and on her boots go.

The hens are well awake. Cassia cringes at the unorganised ruckus of the clucks and chirps in the chicken pen. Her nose scrunches at the unpleasant stench of dung-contaminated straw. She keeps the seed of her fruit in her mouth, trying to get hold of the little remaining pieces still attached to it.

Cassia opens the basket and takes out a crystal quartz pendulum. Momma describes it as a "life force" with its own 'energy'. Cassia is not sure how much she personally believes that, but she cannot deny that it gets the job done. Still as a statue she stands, and she homes in on her breath. Her lips break into a small smile when the pendulum begins moving on its own. She has always found it strangely amusing.

The logic with momma is always, "Life attracts life." Following this principle, Cassia is guided to the presumably fertilised eggs, and therefore picks the unfertilised ones. She finds it interesting that the hens are so calm during the process, even the ones incubating. Her guess is the pendulum is working its 'magic'.

Cassia manages to harvest enough to fill the basket and believes that momma will cook extra potatoes for her as 'thank you' for taking a chore off her morning list. Cassia carefully carries the now heavier basket back to the kitchen.

...........

With her socks sliding along the wood, her little song in her mouth, the onions, herbs and peppers chopped, and the eggs whisked, the girl grabs butter from the fridge to add to the heated pan.

"Oh crap, milk," she reminds herself, and is relieved to see that the jug is full. A trip to the barn, which probably smells worse, is not what the girl needs.

"Well, isn't heaven real? My Cinnamon sapling is making breakfast," Keziah remarks with an amused smile. Her flowy white nightgown is dotted with mini lavenders, and her spruce brown waves lay gently over her face.

"Morning momma!" beams Cassia. "Just so we're clear, this is for me. I did get you eggs, though."

Keziah turns her head to the basket full of eggs and is pleasantly surprised.