The sun barely made an appearance that morning, hiding behind thick clouds. The air felt damp, and the cabin seemed even colder than it had the day before. But today, something was different. The muted gray that had hung over everything for days was starting to lift.
Ivy Mae was humming quietly as she rummaged through an old wooden trunk in the corner of the room. Jas, who had started the morning feeling down, found themselves drawn to her movements. There was a purpose in Ivy Mae’s actions that made everything else seem less pressing, less overwhelming.
“What are you looking for?” Jas asked, leaning against the doorframe.
“I knew I kept them somewhere,” Ivy Mae replied with a smile, pulling out a few flat sheets of aged cardboard. They were decorated with intricate patterns—roses, lavender sprigs, and delicate angels, all in soft, faded hues. “Stencils,” she added, holding them up for Jas to see. “I’ve been wanting to redo this place for ages. Before... before everything.”
Jas raised an eyebrow, stepping closer to examine the stencils. “You’ve been planning this?”
Ivy Mae nodded, a faraway look in her eyes. “Yeah, before the world turned upside down. I always dreamed of painting the walls here, making it feel more... homey.” She set the stencils down on the table and picked up a brush. “I didn’t know what colors to use, but now we have plenty of paint.”
Jas looked around, the cabin’s peeling walls and bare floors suddenly feeling different—less like a place they had been hiding in and more like a blank canvas, waiting to be transformed. “I didn’t know you had this in you.”
“Why do you think I wanted to start a business?” Ivy Mae’s eyes twinkled. “I used to want to paint and design, make things beautiful.” She picked up a small jar of paint, the label faded but still legible. “This was the paint I got for my shop... I was going to open it after high school. My mom got sick, though, and... well, things changed.” She ran a finger over the lid, her gaze softening. “I never got to use it.”
Jas watched her for a moment, seeing the way her fingers lingered on the jar, almost like it was a memory. “So, this paint is like… part of the dream you didn’t get to finish?”
Ivy Mae shrugged, but her voice was steady. “Something like that. But maybe... maybe it’s not too late.” She opened the jar with a small pop, revealing a deep lavender hue inside. “I think we should use it. A part of my mom is in this paint, too. I can feel it.”
Together, they set to work, the two of them spreading the stencils across the walls. First, they painted roses near the window, the delicate petals taking shape in the soft lavender. Then, they added sprigs of lavender around the corners, the scent of the paint mixing with the lingering aroma of the actual lavender from the jar. As they worked, the small cabin started to feel warmer, more alive.
Jas hesitated at first, unsure how to place the stencil. But Ivy Mae gently guided them, her hands steady and patient. With each new design, something began to shift in the air—what had once felt like a dark, empty space was slowly turning into a room full of memories, hope, and a little bit of magic.
As they painted an angel on the far wall, Ivy Mae stopped for a moment, taking in the picture they were creating. “This is the kind of thing I always wanted,” she said softly. “To make something beautiful with my hands. To feel like I could create... even when everything else felt out of my control.”
Jas looked at the angel, its wings soft and inviting against the lavender backdrop. “You know, you’ve got talent. This is… this is really good.”
Ivy Mae smiled, a small, proud smile that tugged at something in Jas’s chest. “Thanks. It feels good to do something for us. For the cabin. For a change.”
They worked through the day, adding the final touches to the stencils. By the time Roman and Milagro came back with their supplies, the cabin had transformed. The walls, once bare and weathered, now bore the delicate traces of roses, lavender, and angels—colors that seemed to breathe life into the space.
Roman stood in the doorway, his eyes widening. “What happened in here?”
Jas, sitting back on their heels, wiped the paint from their hands. “We redecorated.”
Ivy Mae, standing proudly by the window, grinned. “It’s not perfect, but it’s ours.”
Roman looked around, taking in the soft colors and warm designs. For a moment, he seemed speechless, then let out a low whistle. “Well, damn. You two sure know how to make a place feel... less like a cabin, more like a home.”
Milagro padded over, sniffing at the base of the lavender design on the wall, his tail wagging. Ivy Mae laughed and crouched down, giving him a scratch. “Even Milagro approves.”
Jas stood up, brushing off their knees. “You know what? It’s better than I thought it would be. Maybe… maybe it’s not so bad here.”
Ivy Mae smiled at them. “Exactly. It’s about finding the little things, right?”
Jas nodded, looking around the room once more. The walls no longer felt like the dark, cold space they had woken up to weeks ago. It felt... like a place they could belong.