Removing the Thorns

I severed each sharp thorn from the hawthorn stem before setting it within a small earthenware jug on Stellarus's bedside table. Hawthorn wood bears treacherous spines; left unchecked, a careless reach in the dark would yield an avoidable injury. Using the slender tip of my wand, I applied steady leverage at the base of every prickle until it snapped cleanly from the bark, leaving the vivid crimson berries intact. I gathered the severed needles onto a scrap of linen to be discarded. Only when the woody surface was completely smooth to the touch did I place the sprig where the warm lamplight would catch the fruit before she sleeps.