The specimens are real, or real enough. The remedies work more often than they should.
Pressed Specimens
in order of collection, so far as order means anything here
No. 000
Maple Leaf
Ultimum ante pactum
Collected
before the first reckoning. world: unrecorded.
Habitat
a dying world, and a dying god.
Complaint
everyone. all of them. no time left to treat it properly.
Treatment
one bargain, with a stranger's god, on terms I didn't finish reading.
Him:ran, the little hero, and died before the rest.
No. 010
Sunflower
Helianthus annuus
Collected
a world scaled for four little feet.
Habitat
the edge of somebody's kitchen garden, though "somebody" gets measured differently here.
Complaint
no one able to reach the seed head alone.
Treatment
three days of scaffolding, two of climbing, seven of arguing.
Him: antlers, grace, and learned aloofness.
No. 014
Forget-Me-Not
Myosotis sylvatica
Collected
a perfectly symmetrical temple built up spiraling from the highest point of the peninsula, closer to the eyes than anyone else is permitted to stand.
Habitat
the inner rings of shackles.
Complaint
the specific ache of being untouchable.
Treatment
pink instead of blue. with his eyes downcast, he may see these instead.
Him: wed. happy. we do not talk.
No. 018
Feral Lemon
Citrus limon
Collected
coastal region, decade or so past the outbreak, in a subdivision nobody's bothered to re-fence.
Habitat
a dead stranger's backyard. sprinklers long gone, tree still keeping its own schedule anyway.
Complaint
scurvy. scrap crew that forgot vitamin C was ever something you had to think about.
Treatment
curd, preserved rinds, and a reminder that even the oldest scars can re-open.
Himstill hunts.
No. 020
Jade
Crassula ovata
Collected
a shared dormroom in a a west-coast town that smells like coffee and sweet sage.
Habitat
our windowsill.
Complaint
growing pains.
Treatment
I changed the soil. I text back too fast. I keep my head down and I work.
Him:studies business. two mutual friends, one shared plant, no good reason for either. still walks with me home the long way.
No. 022
Red Currant
Ribes rubrum
Collected
high pasture country, along the hill-lines where the flock grazes.
Habitat
a croft at the lake shore. forge-smoke drifting over some evenings from the village downstream.
Complaint
time buckles the world. it didn't mean for this. I forgive it.
Treatment
live fully. keep your hands busy. chase off the doubt.
Him:here, for once. I feel the ache of emptiness that isn't mine and drink deeply from my luck.
No. 023
Sacred Flower
Fluxiflora sacra
Collected
in the swamps where the muck isn't deep enough to entirely claim the cannons.
Habitat
where the seams are pressed the hardest.
Complaint
the clatter of souls hand picked by a fiery god.
Treatment
wash the fur off in the sink and keep polishing the glass.
Him:last seen frolicking over my fence after stealing a whole tomato plant.
No. 024
Common Daisy
Bellis perennis
Collected
after.
Habitat
the field captured in several photos
Complaint
grief.
Treatment
relight it again.
Him:in the stars
No. ---
...
entry in progress
Habitat
unnamed. new.
Him:he's in it somewhere. he always is.
Remedies & Preparations
a working index, not exhaustive - updated as needed
Marigold Salve
Good for: burns, both fire and sun. also for the ones who insist they're fine.
Feverfew Tea
Good for: migraines and The Ache.
Rosemary Tincture
Good for: circulation, digestion, memory.
Comfrey Poultice
Good for: mild strains annd bruises of skin, bone, and ego.
Honey & Thyme Syrup
Good for: sore throat, phelgm, and homesickness - they tend to arrive together.
Chamomile-Lavender Sachet
Good for: sleeplessness, and grief that hasn't found its shape yet.
Companion Planting
the practice of growing different plants in close proximity to benefit one another
growing two things together because, sometimes for reasons not fully explained, do better side by side than alone.
they appear every time. Unlabeled. Never reseeds on purpose. Doesn't recognize the soil, garden, or the eleven versions of this conversation we've already had or the plunging canyons between them or the fingers matchsticking their ends as the chance flies by. companion plants plucked from the compost will be forever changed. when they are no longer beneficial they come back anyway. Every single season.
known aliases - Kib, Caleb, archer, hunter,Mr. Warren, Mr. Abernathyproudhorn, lead transfer pricing strategist, blacksmith.