Totoka River Break, break, break

Unaware of the harm that her prolonged absence continued to inflict upon her father, Stelmaria had turned the last leg of her journey – meant only to span a handful of days – into a weeks-long detour. She now stood on the westernmost, silt-laden bank of a long and winding river, its surface which had been unremarkable at a distance beginning to show a flare of spectacle as the sun started its descent beneath a thick layer of autumnal overcast.

She breathed deep and watched the reflective waters burn brighter, brighter, brighter–