Page 14 of Myths and Manuscripts
“But I’ve got class–”
“Not today, you don’t.” Min nudged him towards the exit. “I’ll handle everything. You just need to sleep.”
He leaned over and kissed her on the temple. “I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you. Thank you.”
They really did seem great together. Too bad they were leaving. Gran would probably want to continue our earlier conversation. The cough syrup needed to be dated and labeled though, so I bent my head down and pretended like I was really,reallyfocused on that task.
Gran clicked her tongue against her teeth. “That’s not going to distract me, you know. Are you really done writing? For good or just for now?”
“For good. I gave it a try, but it just wasn’t fun. I know you want me to love it because of Grandpa, but, well, he’s not here anymore.” I swallowed hard, my hands shaking just enough to mess up the tiny labels on the jars. “I can let it go if I want to.”
My shoulders tightened and I hated how final that sounded. Like I was giving up. But that’s what people did all the time. They tried a hobby and stopped if they didn’t like it, right? This wasn’t some big, horrible thing. When I glanced up at Gran, she had such a sad look on her face though. Like she was losing Grandpa all over again.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I just can’t go through that again.”
Gran pulled me into a hug, patting my back softly. “Ohhoney, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I won’t be disappointed, but I’m worried thatyouwill be. You don’t seem to remember how much you loved writing that book.” She pulled back, her eyes softening as she smiled at me. “Sure, some days were hard and you seemed downright miserable, but when the words came out just right, your eyes would light up and you’d be so excited.”
“Really? I don’t remember that happening very often...”
She gave me a wry grin. “Well of course not. The tough times always seem to overwhelm a person’s joy, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. Or that you can’t be happy writing again. The way you talked about your story is the happiest I’ve ever seen you. It always was. That’s why I keep bringing up times with your Grandpa, not because I want you to feel guilty, but because I don’t want you to forget about the things you love deep down. Writing is hard, I understand that, but if it’s something that makes you feel fulfilled, then you shouldn’t give it up so easily.”
My chest ached the more she talked, like her words were digging into my very soul. Words were powerful like that, which was one of the reasons I really did enjoy writing. Maybe she was right and I had more fun than I was remembering. Parts of the process felt downright magical as I went from initial idea to something people could hold in their hands and read. The Demon Lord said it lacked some depth, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t grow and get better next time.
But did I want there to be a next time? And was the Demon Lord’s book really the one I should be working on if I did?
“I don’t know, Gran.” I gathered the jars of cough syrup in my arms, carrying them over to the proper shelf. When I went back from another handful, she was still watching me with those sad eyes. “I’ll think about it, okay?”
She nodded, gathering up a few jars of her own to shelve. “Okay, just like I’m thinking about retiring someday.”
“No, that’s totally different. You’re just being stubborn.”
“And you’re being what? Honest with yourself?” Gran snorted. “I know you use our shop as an excuse not to do things sometimes. That was fine when it was getting you through all the pain of losing your parents and then your Grandpa, but you can’t hide away here forever.”
She said it so matter-of-factly that I couldn’t help but stare at her. “Really? This has nothing to do with my parents.”
They’d passed away when I was young, which was why I’d started living here in the first place. Being together helped us all heal, but it also gave me a way to stay connected to my parents. This shop was like part of our family with all of us working here at one point or another. I bet Gran would have retired already if mom was running the place instead of me...
Gran leaned over to pat my hand. “They’ve got everything to do with this. So please, just give writing another chance. If not for yourself, then for me.”
Gran never asked for anything, not even when we were so busy we almost couldn’t finish the orders. And the way she was looking at me right now made me feel so...unsettled. Like she was truly worried about me. I hated seeing that expression on her face more than anything else.
“Fine, but if I hate it, then I’m really done for good.” I crossed my arms, giving her my best serious face. “No more talking about my dreams or making me feel bad for giving up on writing. Deal?”
“Deal.” Gran nodded. “But if you enjoy it, then I get to actually read the book this time.”
“Fine. You can read it when you retire.”
We both laughed and I went back to shelving the cough syrup while Gran started grinding herbs for our next project. It was so easy to fall into a comfortable work pattern with her as the calming scent of our shop washed over me. I loved workinghere, but maybe she was right, and maybe I loved writing too. There was only one way to find out.
I groaned, hanging my head in my hands. “I’ve gotta go talk to the Demon Lord again, don’t I?”
“How terrible,” Gran said with a wicked grin. “Try not to have too much fun working side by side with him all day.”
“Gran!”
“What?” She shrugged innocently. “He’s going to be your best source of information for writing that book. It’s probably every writer’s dream to talk to one of their characters in person like that. Take full advantage of the opportunity.”
She had a good point, and the Demon Lord had seemed eager for his last book to get written. But could I really do the series justice? I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try. Like Gran said, only the family of the author would be reading it. So if it was terrible, nobody had to know.
