Ashen Anise

Quick recap: my theme is flash fiction with tree names used as prompts. I cheated a bit for this one, and used two names (ash and anise). And no, I’m not sorry.

Ashen Anise

Anise knelt to the ground, sifting through the ashes with blackened, soot-stained hands. The fire had been sudden–a blazing torrent that had raged through the village, turning it to ash and embers in mere hours.

Despite what they said, it hadn’t been her fault.

They were always whispering about her—the wild woman that l...