The Alarming Scent of Cinnamon

VII

Next morning, Gretel woke up early and headed outside, leaving her shoes by her bed. She walked through the grass, feeling it tickle her feet and ankles, enjoying the pleasant coolness of the morning dew. She made her way to the outskirts of Kustef, where the town met the meadow. 

Gretel sat down right on the border. She faced Kustef, but could feel the taller, thicker grasses and flowers stroke her back. She looked at the sky, which was still dark but hinted at the coming sunrise.

Why is Hansel so much better than me at everything? she thought. I can barely figure out how to do my magic, but he already has his figured out. How come everything is handed to him on a silver platter? Everything he needed to know about his magic was literally written out for him! 

Gretel took a deep breath in and let it out. She watched the last of the moon dive under the horizon. The corners of the wide tapestry that was the sky began to glow a mild pink.

He can read better than I can. He's better at magic than I am. Now, he's even more crafty than I am.

Gretel turned around to look at the meadow. She pulled a wild poppy towards her to smell it. It had a very faint floral scent. She heard a bee buzzing and glanced at it. It flew from flower to flower, spreading pollen and collecting it at the same time. It landed on a cornflower and rested there. She remembered when she and Hansel were 5 years old, they had been walking with their mother in a meadow.

"Look at all these pretty flowers!" Gretel said.

Heidi smiled. 

"This one is called a cornflower," she said, holding up a pretty blue flower. "They don't need the bee's help to drop seeds. The cornflower is an independent flower, much like you, my little Gretel!"  

Heidi picked Gretel up and spun her around. Gretel giggled and shrieked with glee. When her mother set her down, she spun around dizzily and landed on her bottom, crushing the flower.

"Mommy, I killed it!" Gretel cried. 

"It's ok, darling. The cornflower is resilient."

"What's resilient?" Hansel asked.

"It means that no matter how many times it gets knocked down, it'll always get back up."

"Like Gretel!" Hansel said.

"Yes." Heidi smiled, "Like Gretel. That's why she's my little cornflower,"

"What flower am I, Mommy?" Hansel asked.

"I'm glad you asked," she said. "You're my little Edelweiss."

"Adel-vice?" Hansel said.

"Ey-dole-vice," she repeated.

"Edelweiss," Hansel said.

"There you go, my smart little boy," Heidi said fondly, picking him up.

"Why am I your Edelweiss?" Hansel asked.

"Well, the Edelweiss is a small flower, and it looks very delicate. But it is certainly not!"

Hansel giggled.

"It survives in very cold weather and lives on mountains, way high up in the sky!"

"How does it stay on the mountain?" Hansel asked.

"Well, the Edelweiss has very strong roots that hold it on there. Your roots are the people who love you. They hold you strong and they'll never let you go!"