Rook’s First Sharp Smile — Before the orchard learned to keep its corners, Rook hid a folded glass shard under his stem and waited for the bats to stop arguing overhead. Read the full story →
Before the orchard learned to keep its corners, Rook hid a folded glass shard under his stem and waited for the bats to stop arguing overhead. He wanted to place it where the wind could see it, though every scratch of twig and clack of star-shaped ice made his candle shrink. The shard was only a broken bit from the old greenhouse, but between us, it held the first reflection that had ever made him look brave.
When the clouds cracked into pale panes, Rook pressed the shard into his soft mouth. It clicked, cold and bright, and his round smile broke into points. The bats wheeled closer; the bare trees leaned in; even the stars seemed to choose edges. Rook did not roar. He simply let the new shape hold. Ever since, jack-o’-lanterns keep angular teeth for the small courage of that first sharp smile.
