The Stairs That Counted Back

By MAEVE TINDLEY

Forty steps. One fewer every night.

The thaw has come to Mallowmere, and a curious thing waits on Wren Halberd's bench: a little folding stair, carved on its side with a number that grows smaller each morning. It isn't broken. It's counting - and the whole village seems to know toward what, even as no one will say it plainly.

As the number falls, Wren must help old Sorrel, and herself, face a truth that has nothing to do with grief and everything to do with grace: that some things aren't lost when we set them down. Among her tools sits an unfinished hand-mirror her own teacher never got to mend - a quiet reminder that every craft is handed on.

For readers who love slow, heartfelt fantasy, cottagecore comfort reads, and gentle stories about change, legacy, and letting go.

Book 3 of The Mallowmere Workshop - a cozy fantasy series you can read in any order.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H4CFGJZ3
• ISBN13: 9798199995917
• Release Date: June 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 206 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 8.0"