/04/ Vanilla Candle

When comfort needs to come from something deeper than sweet.

You weren’t looking for warmth. Not exactly.
But then the sky dimmed. The floor cooled. And that ache behind your ribs, the one that doesn’t have a name, began to stir again.

You lit the candle without thinking.

Not for brightness. For presence.

A quiet flame. A scent that doesn’t bloom, but hums. Earthy. Subtle. Familiar in a way you can’t explain. Like soil after rain. Or bark warmed by morning sun.