My first holiday at the Dravenholt estate. And I am still processing today.
This morning, I was “inducted into the family” by having homemade hot chocolate on the first frost of the season. It was a delicious mix of various chocolates and warmed my chest. I could feel it begin just after the first sip and sitting with Elyria and Isolde. Listening to them debate on pinecones, cinnamon war crimes, I told them about running barefoot in creek beds with Cypress knee land mines. It was nice to laugh like that. I said that I would bring marshmallows next year…
Holt came out later and handed me another mug of hot chocolate, this one with a hint of cinnamon notes. It coated everything slowly—my tongue, chest, the part of me that’s usually braced for impact. The cinnamon didn’t burn. It just… sta
