Stars and Simple Things

The village at dusk — soft purple sky, the last amber of sunset fading behind the hills, the first stars appearing, lanterns warming in windows

The evenings in Stillwater came slowly, as if the sky was reluctant to let go of the day.

A wooden bench outside Hana's tea shop, a single lantern hanging above it, the street quiet and empty except for a long-eared cat

The bench outside Hana's had no particular purpose. It had become, over the years, the village's unofficial thinking spot.