The Scent Keeper

by Erica Bauermeister

People are like that—given a chance, we come back, whether we want to or not.

“The word comes from petra, which means stones, and ichor, the ethereal blood of the Greek gods. Plants release an oil that stops their seeds from germinating when it would be too difficult to survive. The oil soaks into the pores of the stones, and is set free with water. They say it’s the smell of waiting, paid off.”