Oh dear reader, thanks to some help from Lorenz, I am almost done with the special remedy Davy requested for Elise! The little list I was given turned out to be very helpful. It included some of Elise’s favorite things about the springtime, like morning mist, and bird song, and sweet honey —I certainly included Impressions of that. But I was struggling to find the last thing on the list. That’s where Lorenz was able to lend me some aid.
Davy wrote that Elise’s favorite flower is sweet pea, but goodness, dear reader, no matter how hard I looked I couldn’t seem to find any. I didn’t come across them in the forest, nor in the fields. So today I walked through the village, hoping I might see some in one of the gardens and quickly be able to draw an Impression while no one was watching, but I could not find a single one. Sat upon a stone and feeling rather gloomy, I wondered what I would do. Sweet peas had been part of Elise’s wedding bouquet, and I just knew the remedy wouldn’t be right without their Impression.
I must have looked terribly downcast, for when Lorenz came by, he promptly stopped what he was doing and asked me what was the matter. I explained my predicament, with a sigh; surely there was nothing to be done. I thought I had looked everywhere, but he pointed out there was one place I hadn’t looked yet: the manor house garden. “Oh goodness, would it be proper?” I wondered, “To ask the baron?” But Lorenz assured me we wouldn’t even need to ask, not if he accompanied me. He said he often walked the grounds, including the garden, and was fairly certain he’d seen some sweet peas recently. He helped me up from my stone, and together we walked to the great manor house, through the courtyard, and on to the garden beyond.
Oh dear reader, it was the most lovely and beautifully kept garden I’d ever seen. The hedges and flowerbeds were arranged and shaped in such a fashion as to make the whole thing look like a colorful quilt of flowers, herbs, and walkways. I do think I prefer the wild beauty of the forest in general, but the sheer grandeur and artistry of the place was not lost upon me.
Lorenz offered me his arm in a very gallant fashion and showed me down one of the paths, past pansies and miniature rose bushes. It ended in an ornate metal archway, and sure enough wrapped about its frame were blooming sweet peas. There was already a blissful aroma coming from all the flowers, but the airy smell of the sweet peas rose up, light and honeyed. I kneeled down beside the blossoms and carefully began to pull the Impressions into a vial: their scent, their hues, the way they looked like maids with little bonnets, their shy faces shaded from the brilliant sun.
“It’s incredible.” Lorenz said. I agreed that the flowers were lovely, but that wasn’t what he’d meant. “The Impressional magic, I’ve never seen you do it before.” Oh goodness, well, it was then I began to blush and hurriedly tried to explain that really anyone could do it, and yes, of course, it took time to develop the skill, but it was like I had told Alexander about creativity, all a person needed was a strong emotion and something to store the Impression in and … I could show him… how to do it sometime… if he liked… It was then that a bee landed in his hair, and I told him to hold still while I coax it away with a leaf. He smiled at me and …goodness …well, for a moment I forgot what I was doing. It was so funny; I don’t know what came over me… I just looked down at my boots like a fool. I’m certain Lorenz noticed I wasn’t myself, but he’s always such a gentleman. He said he’d very much like to learn more about Impressional magic someday, but right then he wanted to show me the rest of the garden. So, he led me along the bright paths, all the while humming that soothing tune I’ve grown to recognize.
Goodness, dear reader, we spent the whole afternoon there! And I’ve only just now returned to the cottage with the new Impression. It’s a deep blush color, like the sweet peas. It even has a little twinkle to it that reminds me of when sunbeams get caught in my eyelashes. For some reason I keep picking it up and smiling to myself. It turned out to be a beautiful day, I got the last Impression I needed, and all thanks to Lorenz. He really is such a good friend.