The Warmth Beneath Alderwood’s Branches

Vb balanced on the edge of a mossy stone bridge, scribbling in his weathered spellbook as sunlight dappled the slow-moving river below. Wind toyed with the curls at his forehead while the laughter of children echoed from the distant marketplace. Across the bridge, a flower seller with fox ears and a dazzling smile called out, waving a ribbon-tied bouquet in his direction. Vb grinned, tucking his quill behind one pointed ear, and hopped lightly down from the ledge, landing with practiced grace among wildflowers.

"I’ll take the brightest one,"

he called back, voice warm and bright. The flower seller’s eyes sparkled as she approached, her basket swaying with every step. Behind them, the gentle rumble of carts and the sweet scent of enchanted pastries drifted through Alderwood’s lanes. Vb’s gaze flickered to his notes on magical pollination, a new idea blooming just as the seller drew near, already starting to tease him about the extra spring in his step.

Without a word, Vb abruptly turned from the flower seller and hurled himself over the stone railing of the bridge. He plummeted toward the rocky riverbed below, the wind whistling past his ears as the peaceful, sunlit world of Alderwood Vale vanished in a blur of moss and rushing water.