Silver and white hair fell like a veil of silk around her sun-touched features as she leaned down and extended her hands beyond the shimmer of bell-shaped sleeves to produce a box made of wood. "May this Starlight bring thee everlasting joy, may thy spirit never wilt, may thy mirth be ever blooming." And found within that box was a flower of pure white, unblemished, crystallized. It will not wilt, will not fade in time. Forever it will bloom.
Had the weight of the gift not been so profound, her mouth would have run off without her. In her years within the Shroud, and even beyond it, the soft-hearted healer carried an immense respect for the cycle of life. While life was celebrated, death was often left in its wake, made a villain and a thief. But time in the natural embrace of the forest taught much. Sadness was natural, necessary. But so was death.
But this gift, this did not disrespect that notion. In fact, it was a balm meant to soothe. Was a gift truly so everlasting? Would it really never disappear?
Would it never leave?
The transparent glass-like shell that lay on that gentle flower told no lies. There that treasure would remain, so long as she took good care of it. A similar glint of crystal streamed down Phen’s cheeks, but her smile was not burdened with sadness. She embraced the box with a tenderness of one that had been granted a blessing.
“Thank you,” Phenalyn whispered, her face marked with lines of twinkling starlight. “A-and thank the spirits for you.”
