An Eight-Pointed Compass

I stepped down from the metal pan of the scale and made my way across the butcher-block counter. Beside a small glass jar, an unbroken star anise pod lay resting inside a shallow white ceramic pinch bowl. I reached into the dish with both hands, gently lifting the dry seed pod to feel its featherweight balance. Its eight woody points radiated outward with remarkable symmetry, like a miniature celestial compass from an old space expedition reel. I carefully leaned the brittle star against the porcelain rim and paused, letting its warm, comforting scent steady the quiet afternoon around me.