Paloma Counts the Crooked Flame — Every night, Paloma counted the matched curls above the chapel gate: left leaf, right leaf; left petal, right petal; no laughing until the last bell. Read the full story →
Every night, Paloma counted the matched curls above the chapel gate: left leaf, right leaf; left petal, right petal; no laughing until the last bell. One night she set herself a harder challenge—count both candle flames without blinking. The left flame leaned right. The right flame leaned left. Because of that, her count tangled into a sneeze of soot and cinnamon. Because of that, the carved cross gave one dry little hiccup, and all the marigolds seemed to snicker. Paloma clicked her teeth, stood still, and counted the crooked flames anyway—one brave blue, one naughty gold.
