Hellebore: A Flower Of A Girl

The Recent Past is Bittersweet.

Hellebore owned a wonderful little bakery at the end of First Ave. It was a very successful place, and she never complained about her workload. She always looked for the bright side of things, and was a very, very happy-go-lucky girl. She started this bakery at 18 years old, and it had been going very strong for years. She had quite the amount of customers who even came in everyday. Those who did come everyday usually was grabbing a quick snack within the lunch rush, and her store wasn't too busy due to it being small things, like cupcakes, donuts, muffins, and more. She loved making cakes and would always help sponsor charity fundraisers. When she did, she paid from her own pocket for the materials to create her wonderful snacks.

Her recipies had been passed down through MANY generations, some leading to as early as the late 1800's. Her family had always guarded them with their lives, as they had never wanted those who aren't family to even touch it. Even Elle, herself, was protective of what her family had built upon and had created over time.

By age 21, she had expanded the size of her store due to popularity having blown up. She had been in countrywide competitions for baking, and been on the television to show her skills. She was a strong girl with the strongest sense of independence. She felt like she was on top of the world! Well, at least she had beaten the expectations her family had given her at a very young age. She used to be put down for how she seemed to, at first, be unable to complete anything in life. Her childhood wasn't the best, but she always pushed that out of her mind.

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This needs more sugar... Elle was smiling as she lifted a large bag of sugar and placed it into the industrial sized mixing bowl. "That should do it! Now, let's get started on the single batches of mini muffins." She started to clean up the excess flour and sugar spilled onto the floor first. She started humming to herself a tune she was sung to as a child, just for her to be put to sleep. She doesn't see her mother often anymore, so it's a nice reminder of how much her family loves her. It takes its own toll when it comes to her family having recently moved out of state. She was always used to them being there for physical support and emotional. She was used to her younger cousins to have been running around the bakery, testing out new sweets she had created. I wonder if they're all busy... Maybe I can call them! She wiped her hands off upon the apron she was wearing and skipped across the kitchen, being careful of the wires connecting everything. Her kitchen was up to code, it was just a bit messy. She always cleans it spotless by the end of the night.

She grabbed her phone and dialed her mother's number. She took a deep breath and then proceeded to hit 'Call.' It automatically turned over to voice message. She was disappointed, but she knew they were probably out having fun. Who am I to get in their way? They haven't called back in quite a while... They're probably having fun! She listened for the voice message tone and then left one.

"Hey, guys! I miss you all and I just REALLY want to check in... Please call back! It's been so long I even miss your voices. You should come back and visit! The bakery is lonely without ya! Alright... Bye!"

She hung up and sighed. She felt like the loneliness was hanging on her. Yes, she did have employees she had loved like family, but that never replaces the real thing, especially having been a close-knit family. It'll all be okay... I just need to keep smiling!

And that's just what she did.