Page 32 of Our Little Moments

Hazel’s magic quiets when the drawing stops, and the vines return to their place. She turns around, a shy smile lighting up her face. “Hi, Stella. Welcome to my shop.”

I smile back, still in awe. “Hi, Hazel. That was . . . Wow. That was incredible,” I blubber, still shaken.

Hazel’s face brightens with a smile. “Thanks.” She stands, then hands me the green daisy she’s been working on. “That’s for you.”

What!?Emotion clogs my throat. This was all for me?

“Hazel . . . That’s . . . that’s very sweet of you.” My voice trembles as I reach to take the flower from her hand, but she looks at me with a question in her eyes, and I nod.

Hazel giggles softly and places the flowers in my hair with a tenderness that makes me ache.

Gosh, this woman is too good for this world.

“Thank you.”

She smiles. “It’s a tradition here.”

“A tradition?”

“Yes,” she says brightly, her eyes lighting up. “I’ve loved flowers since I was a kid. Any time I felt lost or sad, my best friend would pick a flower from the ground and place it in my hair. He said it made the flowers have a magic of their own, that it made my face look brighter. When I learned about my powers, I made it a tradition to do the same for everyone who comes into my shop. I give them a flower with a hint of magic to wipe away the lost look in their eyes.”

It’s rare that I feel the urge to be friends with someone, but I want this woman to be my friend with everything in my heart.

“What magic is in this one?” I ask, touching the flower in my curly hair.

“Hope. Compassion. Willingness to try new things.”

How does she know that’s what I need?

She looks nervous for a moment. “I don’t decide what people need, Stella. It’s their presence in the shop that makes it happen.”

“So, just because I’m here, it made the flower change?”

She giggles softly. “No. I just need you to be here for it to work. My magic always seems to have a mind of its own.”

I chuckle. “I get it.”

Her eyes, almost with hints of gold, light up with understanding.

Adrian described Hazel as distant and hard to read, but as I look into her joyful eyes, her shy demeanor, and her vibrant smile, I don’t find her distant at all. Hazel has a kind heart, a fairytale-like magic, and a shyness that’s endearing. She may not be as vocal as Isabella, but her actions speak loudly.

“That’s a beautiful thing to do, Hazel.” My mind keeps returning to the music notes. “But . . . how—how did you know about the music?”

Her hands fidget with the flower. “I . . . I didn’t. I’m going to sound crazy, but . . . the flowers here are all unique. They each have their own qualities, their own potential. It just has to be seen and nurtured. With the green daisy, I felt its honesty at my fingertips. I felt a need to care for people—the fear of being useless.” She pauses, and I feel too exposed, like she’s seeing into my soul. But her kindness makes it impossible to feel afraid or anything other than safe and hopeful.

Hazel smiles at me. “It was a flower afraid to bloom. So I made space for it to do so, just like I do for every flower here. Some have magical abilities, like healing or teleportation or glimpses of the future. Others are used as messages that people need to hear.” Her smile falters a little, and embarrassment touches her features. “I didn’t hear you come in, and the daisy’s petals were just . . . reaching for you. So I gave it some magic and hoped it was what you needed.” She grins proudly. “And now I know I was right, because it’s clinging to you and your shoulders finally relaxed.”

My hands unconsciously reach for my hair, only to find the flower firmly clinging to me. It’s adjusted itself to the shape of my head and intertwined itself on my hair, effectively clinging to me like it belongs there.

“Does this happen often?” I whisper. “Flowers reaching for people?”

Her smile brightens.“Oh, you’re far from being the only one. I think my magic tries to offer some guidance through those flowers, but I still don’t understand everything about my powers. It’s a very abstract concept for me to decipher.”

“Your powers aren’t the only ones that are abstract.” I laugh softly as my situation with my powers comes back to me. I trained them for fifteen years, daily, and it’s only now that I realize that I never understood them. “Currently, mine feel impossible to decipher.”

Hazel smiles at me. “Don’t worry. It took me a long time to learn what I know today. It’s a long process.”

I nod in agreement. “Sometimes I just . . . I just wish I had been born with easier powers, you know? Simple to understand. Straight-to-the-point kind of simple.”

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