A Drop of Sunshine winter and the spirits — sated

and the spirits — sated for another year — slipped back into the roots and stones from which they had come

At some point

The villagers say it appears only to those who wander with their hearts unhurried

No signs of impact or decay

pearls catching what little light survives in this hollowed place

A Drop of Sunshine winter and the spirits — satedEdmund finds it where the light pools strongest, just beneath the old pear tree where the grass has gone thin from too many summers. At first he thinks its a trick of the sun, something caught between his eyes and the ground, but when he crouches, it remains a small, faceted drop resting against the roots, warm before he even touches it. It sits in his palm like something that has weight beyond its size. Not hot, not bright, just steady, as if it has