The weight of the basket on my back was nothing compared to the heaviness in my chest—a melancholic burden with no discernible source. With each step along the dusty road, the sprawling meadows and towering oaks around me seemed indifferent, as if nature itself mocked my somber mood. I trudged forward, my plain woolen clothes…
Theodore had always been the talk of the town. A prodigy in many ways, he was a dreamer of grand adventures, and of course, very handsome. He learned to read and write before he turned three. By the time he was five, he could already play classical tunes on the piano. At seven, he was…
Ishmael was utterly smitten with clocks, though he had yet to learn how to tell the time. He loved tinkering with them, even if his efforts often led to happy little accidents. There was something enchanting about the steady movement of a clock’s hands, each tick and tock a melody to his ears. Ishmael and…