The front door creaked open, and a gust of wind sent a flurry of maple leaves skittering across her floor. It was Elias, the local blacksmith, looking weary.
She took a long sip of her own tea, tasting the honey and the sharp bite of ginger. The veil was thinning, the harvest was coming in, and Mel Bennett was exactly where she was meant to be. Mel Bennett - Autumn Flavor & Witch Essentials :)
As Elias left, the tension in his shoulders visibly dropping, Mel turned back to her table. She picked up a golden-hued apple, slicing it thin to dry for her next batch of charms. To anyone else, it was just fruit and spice. To Mel, it was the literal taste of the season—the fuel for the magic that kept the town whole through the long, dark nights ahead. The front door creaked open, and a gust