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“What is all this?” Auntie Zee cried. She was at the stove, an apron wrapped around her waist, stirring a pot of golden syrup that smelled like honey and lavender. Smiling broadly, Rin trotted across the kitchen and kissed her on the cheek. “Happy reopening day, Auntie Zee,” he wished her. He then deposited his baskets of sugar-covered pastries on the butcher block island. The other vendors repeated the greeting, each kissing her on the cheek and delivering baskets of ruby and golden fruit, fat berries, fresh-baked breads, honeyed pastries, packets of spiced meat, and jars of pearly beverages. Soon the parcels, jars, baskets, and crates were piled as high as the rafters, and the sweet and savory smells were thick in the air. Inhaling, Calisa thought it was like being inside the most delicious café in the world. In many worlds, she corrected herself.” — Sarah Beth Durst