Cecil Baldwin

She didn't move for a while.

Then she went and got a candle from the closet.

She put it in a Shabbat candlestick that she had inherited from her mother and hadn't used since moving out here.

She lit the candle without a blessing.

When this candle burns out, so will I, she thought.

It was the easiest thought she had ever had.

Let's take a look at the weather.

Ruth sat for a long time and watched the candle.

Her candle.

The one that burned for as long as she would.

And then she decided there was no need to watch.

She could go about her day.

And when the candle went, it went again.

And then she would go too.

So she read a book and watered the potted plant that blocked her view of the Hollywood sign and made herself a simple dinner with whatever was left in the fridge and did the dishes.

She checked in on her candle, but it was still burning.

So she went to bed.

When she woke up, the candle would be out and that would be that.

But the candle was still burning when she woke up the next morning.

It was a workday, so she went to the florist shop.