The Alpine Pharmacist – Part 2: The Alp
Mature & Silver·EN·2 min read·Published 2026-11-07, updated 2026-11-07·Part 2 of 2
They walked to the alp on Sunday.
The path climbed through larch woods, golden in the autumn light, then out onto open pasture. The grass was short and bright, and the cowbells of the late herd clanked musically in the distance. The peaks stood white against a blue sky. The air was thin and clean, smelling of pine and hay and distant snow.
Elsbeth walked slowly, in sensible boots, a walking stick in her hand. Rudolf walked beside her, carrying a rucksack. He pointed out the gentians, the marmot burrows, the old stone hut where he had made cheese for forty years.
"There," he said.
The hut was small, low and weathered, with a turf roof and a wooden door. He opened it with a key from his pocket. Inside, a copper cauldron hung over a blackened hearth, and shelves of cheeses lined the wall, pale gold wheels, turned and waxed.
"Taste."
He cut her a slice from a great wheel. It was dense and nutty and faintly sweet, melting on the tongue. She closed her eyes.
"That is extraordinary."
"It is the grass."
"It is the cheesemaker."
He went red under his moustache. They sat on the bench outside the hut with bread and wine and a plate of cheese, looking down over the valley. The village was a tiny scatter of roofs. A hawk wheeled.
"Can I ask you something?" said Elsbeth.
"Yes."
"Would you object to being kissed by a pharmacist?"
He looked at her for a long, gentle moment. "I would object if I was not," he said.
"May I kiss you, Rudolf?"
"Yes. And if you say stop, you must come back every Sunday."
"That is a poor punishment."
"I thought not."
She kissed him, soft and certain, her hand against his white moustache. He kissed her back with slow, trembling sweetness, tasting of wine and mountain air. The cowbells rang. The sun warmed their faces.
When they parted, both of them were smiling.
"Green?" he asked.
"Green," said Elsbeth. "Very green."
He still comes in on Tuesdays. Now, the paper bag holds a slice of cheese. The prescription reads: Take daily. Repeat as needed.
More mature romance stories: Autumn in Quebec · The Quilting Circle · The Silver Ballroom
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