{"id":561,"date":"2026-08-17T15:52:52","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T15:52:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depthguide.com\/?p=561"},"modified":"2026-08-18T22:13:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T22:13:41","slug":"a-small-enough-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/depthguide.com\/?p=561","title":{"rendered":"A Small Enough Fire"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tales from the Universe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Moral Dilemma:<\/strong> When something good grows beyond your ability to care for it, is letting part of it die a failure\u2014or part of being responsible for what remains?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen kept bees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One hive behind his house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It had been his father&#8217;s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The box leaned slightly to the left, and the lid had been repaired so many times that almost none of the original wood remained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every spring, bees filled the garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every autumn, Fen collected enough honey for himself and several jars to sell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That was all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He liked that it was all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then the queen split.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen found the swarm hanging from an apple branch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thousands of bees formed a living knot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He stood beneath them with a basket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His neighbor Vessa leaned over the fence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou know what to do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cExcellent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen looked at her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHelpful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy uncle kept bees.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIs he available?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMore helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Together they caught the swarm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen built another hive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now he had two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two hives produced more honey than Fen could use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He sold the extra at market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People liked it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The bees fed on wild thyme from the hills, and the honey tasted faintly herbal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A merchant offered to buy everything Fen could produce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have two hives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThen get four.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That sounded reasonable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Four became eight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eight became twelve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen stopped working at the mill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the first time in his life, something he loved also paid him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People congratulated him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou found your thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen liked that sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He built shelves for jars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bought better equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Planted more flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hired Vessa&#8217;s son during harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The bees multiplied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At twenty hives, Fen needed help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He hired two workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At thirty, he rented land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At forty, the merchant requested twice as much honey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI can&#8217;t make twice as much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The merchant offered him a loan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen bought more boxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More queens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He stopped sitting beside the hives in the evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There wasn&#8217;t time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At sixty hives, something changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen noticed it first in his hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They shook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not badly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just enough that he spilled tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He slept poorly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There was always something unfinished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A damaged box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A sick colony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An invoice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A worker who needed paying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A merchant waiting for shipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A farmer complaining that bees were gathering near his well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen began carrying a notebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then two notebooks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then a ledger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The bees had once required a veil, a smoker, and patience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now they required accounting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vessa visited one evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen was repairing boxes by lantern light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou look terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHow many now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSeventy-three.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen stopped hammering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhy seventy-three?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBecause that&#8217;s how many I have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhy not fifty?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBecause I already have seventy-three.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vessa nodded slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat is an interesting answer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The following spring was excellent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Too excellent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly every colony split.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen caught as many swarms as he could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By summer he had ninety-one hives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He should have sold some.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He knew that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But each hive represented income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each hive contained thousands of living creatures depending on him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And each hive had come from something he&#8217;d built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Selling them felt like cutting pieces off his own success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So he kept them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then the drought came.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Flowers disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The hills browned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The bees became hungry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen began feeding them syrup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sugar prices rose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The merchant lowered the price of honey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen borrowed money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Workers quit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He worked from before sunrise until after dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still colonies weakened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One morning he opened a hive and found it dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thousands of bees lay across the bottom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen sat beside the box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He felt as though he had murdered them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next week, another died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou cannot save all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The beekeeper from the neighboring valley had come to inspect the colonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She was named Anik.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She had kept bees for forty years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen disliked her immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat do you suggest?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cReduce.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCombine the weak colonies. Sell some healthy ones. Let the poorest hives go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen stared at her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLet them die?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey&#8217;re my responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThen how can I abandon them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anik looked across the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ninety-six boxes now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some weak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some almost empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou&#8217;re confusing responsibility with preservation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen felt anger rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEasy for you to say.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She pointed toward a hive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat colony needs feeding today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat one has mites.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat roof leaks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat queen is failing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd you&#8217;re standing here arguing with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anik looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou have more responsibility than you have hands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen ignored her advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He worked harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That was his answer to everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He slept four hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He stopped cooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stopped visiting anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stopped repairing his own house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Vessa brought food, he ate standing up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The bees continued dying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One afternoon Fen collapsed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not dramatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He simply sat down between two rows of hives and discovered he couldn&#8217;t stand again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vessa found him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She brought water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen drank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI&#8217;ve ruined it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vessa looked around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bees moved through the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou have eighty-something hives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSeventy-eight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat&#8217;s more bees than anyone needs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEighteen colonies died.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen covered his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI should have saved them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWith what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He didn&#8217;t answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vessa sat beside him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After a while she said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYour father had one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen lowered his hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOne hive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI remember.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe never lost a colony.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cProbably because he had one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen called Anik.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She returned the next morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHow many should I keep?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She shrugged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHow many can you care for?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat&#8217;s what I&#8217;m asking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She pointed at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat&#8217;s what I&#8217;m asking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen looked across the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His first thought was sixty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then fifty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then forty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each number felt like defeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHow many do you keep?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTwelve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou&#8217;ve kept bees forty years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd you only have twelve?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI like twelve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That answer irritated him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then, unexpectedly, it didn&#8217;t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen kept twenty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It took months to get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He sold healthy colonies cheaply to farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He combined weaker ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several died despite everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He paid his debts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The merchant stopped working with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen discovered he was relieved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He returned to the mill two days a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People assumed his business had failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some spoke sympathetically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Others offered advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One man explained at length how Fen could scale production again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen thanked him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then went home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The following spring, Fen&#8217;s twenty hives became twenty-six.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He sold six.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Without hesitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vessa noticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLook at you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cProfessional beekeeper.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFailed honey magnate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They sat behind his house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The original hive was still there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still leaning left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen had considered replacing it many times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He never did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bees moved between the flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He watched them until sunset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He had forgotten how much he&#8217;d liked doing that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Years later, a young beekeeper visited Fen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She had nine hives and wanted twenty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then fifty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eventually a hundred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen listened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCan it be done?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCertainly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her eyes lit up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI can show you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen poured tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then he asked:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhy do you want a hundred?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She opened her mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen waited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Outside, thousands of bees worked among the thyme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The young woman thought for a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally she said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don&#8217;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGood?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat&#8217;s an excellent thing to discover at nine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He handed her the tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA fire doesn&#8217;t become better because it consumes the whole forest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She looked toward the hives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHow big should it get?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fen shrugged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBig enough to warm what you meant to warm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The bees continued working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Twenty hives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tales from the Universe Moral Dilemma: When something good grows beyond your ability to care for it, is letting part of it die a failure\u2014or part of being responsible for what remains? Fen kept bees. Not many. One hive behind his house. It had been his father&#8217;s. The box leaned slightly to the left, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tales-from-the-universe"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Small Enough Fire - Depth Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/depthguide.com\/?p=561\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Small Enough Fire - Depth Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tales from the Universe Moral Dilemma: When something good grows beyond your ability to care for it, is letting part of it die a failure\u2014or part of being responsible for what remains? 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