For Ember

By: Toni-Lee Hazlett

Beatrix never expected to find companionship through an online grocery order. She had lived alone for years, filling her days with small comforts—good cotton sheets, a red velour housecoat, and the predictability of routine. Her son checked in once a week, a highlight of her days, but otherwise, silence filled her apartment.

She wasn’t lonely, exactly. Just… still.

One winter afternoon, after unpacking her latest grocery delivery, she found a surprise nestled among the pink roses she had ordered—a tiny two-spotted ladybug.

“Well, my, what are you doing awake in February?” she murmured through her false teeth, watching the little creature struggle to right itself.

Carefully, she scooped it up and placed it in a jar with a mesh lid, adding a soft leaf and a drop of honey-water. Then, curiosity tugging at her, she pulled out her laptop and began researching.

She learned that ladybugs liked pollen, they needed moisture, and most importantly, they could be kept safe and warm indoors until spring.

By the end of the evening, Beatrix had ordered a proper ladybug habitat—a tiny cage with ventilation and even a miniature mushroom house.

She decided to call her new friend Ember—a spark of spring in the middle of winter.

Every morning, Beatrix sat by Ember’s tiny world, sipping her tea, sharing memories. Stories of her youth, of the husband who had dimmed her spirit, of the dreams she had once upon a time—to see the ocean, and to stand beneath a palm tree.

One morning, as she watched Ember drink from the honey-water pond, she found herself asking, “Am I keeping you from where you’d rather be?”

The ladybug didn’t answer. She simply climbed up a leaf and tucked herself in for a nap.

Beatrix chuckled at herself. If anyone saw her talking to a ladybug, they’d think she’d lost it.

Still, as she got ready for bed, she wondered, Where would Ember go when spring came?

That night, she dreamed of her tiny friend on a grand adventure—sipping coconut water under a palapa, dancing by a beach bonfire, wearing an oversized sombrero as waves crashed under a Spanish moon.

The next morning, Ember was nowhere to be found.

Beatrix searched her tiny home, checking under leaves, peering into every corner. A full day passed. Then another.

Finally, with a sinking heart, she gently cleaned out Ember’s habitat. And there, beneath the last leaf, she found her.

Still. Upside down.

Beatrix sat in silence, staring at the tiny creature who had, for a moment, made her world brighter.

Then, with a deep breath, she stood up, walked to her computer, and booked herself a flight to Mexico.

As she packed her suitcase, she caught her reflection in the mirror.

She smiled at her reflection and winked.

“For Ember.”