A Return to Familiar Walls

Ms. Cybele enters her classroom once again, rebuilt after the hurricane damage. It’s as if nothing had ever happened—except for a few newly crafted details on the doorframes and windowsills. “How adorably beautiful,” thought Ms. Cybele while holding her basket of personal art pieces. She takes a deep breath, then proceeds into the classroom. A familiar feeling, yet new and refreshing.

She places her basket on her desk and looks around at the many boxes of colorful crafting supplies. Reading the labeled boxes one by one—Paints & Brushes, Oil Pastels, Glues & Tapes, Popsicle Sticks, Pipe Cleaners, Beads & Buttons—the sea of boxes feels endless. A wave of excitement and a flood of ideas unfold as she keeps reading the labels. “Welp! Time to get to work!”

She starts by hanging up her framed photo of her “Egg of Unknown Beast,” always a staple when decorating the walls of the art room. Then she proceeds to unpack her basket of trinkets and fill her desk with the necessary items she’ll need for a successful school year.

Knock knock.

“Hi, Cybele!” Mage Beyna stands at the doorway, her face lit up with excitement at the colorful mess. Ms. Cybele looks at her with an ear-to-ear grin. “Beyna!! How are you?!” The two wizards go way back—all the way to childhood—best friends from the start of their memories. Beyna replies, “Fantastic!! Delighted to see you and this sea of art supplies! Speaking of which, I was wondering if you had some spare embroidery rings and string. I’ve been itching to craft in my downtime—cross-stitch seems like a suitable craft.”

Ms. Cybele gently pinches her chin and taps her shoe, ruminating which of the many boxes holds the embroidery supplies. Shuffling some boxes around, she comes across it and pops open the top. “Yes, of course!! I tend to overstock.” Ms. Cybele reaches for her basket and fills it with the supplies needed. “This should hold you over for quite some time! Four hundred and forty-seven colors, to be exact! Plenty of rings and cloths as well.” Beyna’s eyes widen, shimmying with joy.

“Yay!! Thank you, my good friend. I’ll be sure to return the favor.” They share a warm embrace before continuing with their daily responsibilities.

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