Birch and I sat in the boat.
A swamp chorus of singing frogs and buzzing dragonflies accompanied the splash of water as my friend paddled us forward.
I like dragonflies.
They eat little gnats and stuff like that, or they would bite the petals of my flowers.
We've been paddling in this swamp for a while.
Birch led us to the left, as the river forked into two paths.
I still remember her hesitation the last time we encountered a fork in the road. It was on the road, before we picked up dried meat from someone's car.
This time, she didn't hesitate. My friend is like a bird flying home, instinctively knowing where heaven is.
As for the witch and her cat, there's not much to say. I think we could borrow her boat.
It's just another weird thing in life. After all, I figured it was best not to worry about such things. Why does our specific situation matter?
they do not.
What matters is the here and now, itself.
I spread out my petals and leaves and bathed in the sunlight that filtered through the swamp trees and weighed down on us on our journey.
-[sunflower]-
you bathe in the sun
+1 exp
Experience value: 282/450
The water splashed behind us and the fish danced in the tepid water and followed us.
very good.
I am a moist sunflower.
We traveled for a day.
My friend hissed and fussed over the many bugs in the swamp. They flew around her, pestering her as they searched for a warm, nutritious habitat.
-Maybe I should attract some spiders?
(Sunflower) Activated: (Flower Resonance)
I'm sure there are a lot of spiders in the swamp.
Swamps are slow, dull, tepid places.
- at least to an onlooker.
But if you pay attention, you'll find that this is actually one of the richest ecosystems. Water, soil, and even the air itself are teeming with life, both tangible and intangible.
Swamps are ancient places. But they are also places of birth. Warm, moist environments are ideal for many different species of organisms to raise and shelter their young.
Birch noticed what I said and looked in my direction.
As she stared at me, I noticed that we hadn't spoken in days. She might talk to the water, or to the insects, fussing over any of them.
-But to me, she hasn't said a word in a while.
Birch, have you grown up?
That would be very sad.
Will friends fall out of love as each other grows up?
Like a chick leaving the nest, maybe there must eventually be a time of separation?
If this happens in a common litter, will this happen in a different litter?
I think that must be the case.
ah.
How sad.
However, maybe I'm just mistaken.
-[sunflower]-
you bathe in the sun
+1 exp
Experience value: 285/450
After all, I've been wrong often before.
Birch turned toward the horizon and continued paddling.
Ha ha.
Skittering spiders scurried along the banks of the backwater.
The trees were moving, their crowns swaying in the wind, as if the wind was blowing through a swamp. But that's just because of the weight of the spider.
They are hard to spot as they are good at hiding in the dark foliage and woods here.
But there they are.
As they follow us, they leave thousands of shimmering threads on the road, giving away their presence. Their webs sparkle in the evening light as the day draws to a close.
I think that's enough.
(Sunflower) Disabled: (Flower Resonance)
What a spectacular scene.
Birch and I watched as the swarm stopped and then dispersed in all directions.
They build thousands of webs, eat a feast of insects, and keep us away from them for a while.
-[sunflower]-
you bathe in the sun
+1 exp
Experience value: 288/450
We floated along the silent river until nightfall.
We have crossed the great river.
We have crossed the great desert.
We have now crossed the Great Swamp.
There are so many places in the world that are so big and grand. One can spend a lifetime in any of these places, including the smaller places we visit, such as cities, caves, or dry wilderness.
But we, my friend Birch and I, would rather spend our time traveling and seeing these places.
-After all, what are these places compared to heaven?
Nothing at all.
We left, drifted out of a river, and came to a sand embankment. There are no trees, weeds or swamps here.
Birch grabbed me and lifted me onto her shoulders, and we disembarked.
She tied it to the shore and wrapped the rope around the branches.
Even though we had been walking for several days, when we looked back at the swamp for the last time, in our field of vision, there was a house standing on the water.
In the house sat a witch with a cat on her lap.
Birch wave.
The cat waved back.
I waved too.
very good.
Life is interesting.
We left this strange and magical swamp and continued our journey to heaven.
Our flames light up the warm, tender nights where we find ourselves.
The smell of salt hangs in the air.
The dense sand beneath our feet was hot and carried the afterglow of the sun.
On our side, the water crashes and cascades in repetitive patterns, pounding the shoreline.
This is very different from the big river we walked on long ago.
The air, land and water here are all salty. The wind and the vast expanse of blue were both aggressive in their presence, both roaring in and out.
-I never knew there was so much salt in one place.
This meant I had to stay in the pack.
I find this a bit troublesome. But my hope for tomorrow keeps me going.
Birch lay next to me, curled up in a ball. A fire burned on the beach, separating us from the water.
Thankfully, the West is not across the water.
If that were the case, I don't know what we would do.
She sleeps.
But I stayed awake, facing east, anticipating the arrival of the new sun.
I raised my head and stared at the stars in the night sky.
I listened to the sound of water.
I listened to the sound of the fire.
I listen to the sounds of the night.
I listened to my friend's nightmare and she fidgeted in her sleep.
I turned and looked at Birch.
She reminds me of a rabbit haunted by the shadow of an eagle.
The world is such a fascinating place.
I never knew there were so many things that scared me. There are many things that will hunt us and eat us. If the desert or the swamp could conquer our passions and efforts, the world itself would swallow us whole.
-But they didn't and we kept going.
My roots are in Birch.
It doesn't keep her warm, because I'm not a particularly warm person to begin with.
But she fights less than before because I tied her up and makes a little less noise at night.
It was still dark.
We woke up before the sun came out today.
Birch gasped in horror and lowered his head. We walked along the coastline.
Under the light of a full moon, a creature lay there, about to fall asleep. It rolls over and over on the beach to lay its eggs.
-A turtle.
I've never seen a turtle before, so I don't know how I knew what it was. But that's life.
We watch as it brings its children into the world and then buries them in its strange, floppy appendages.
I'm surprised my friend didn't take the opportunity to attack and eat it while it was in a vulnerable state.
Instead, we can only watch and wait.
The turtle finished eating and then slowly retreated back into the sea.
Birch ran towards the spot and dug out the sand and the cluster of soft eggs.
-They are still hot.
She took four out of the eight I counted.
The rest she buried gently under the sand.
Birch, reverting to her snake-like habits, ate the first egg raw, and we continued our journey to heaven.
How interesting.
It seemed like my friend was really starting to change.
It may be wise to eat all eight eggs now to ensure her own prosperity.
But that means the future Birch will have four fewer turtles to eat on the day he gets hungry, if it ever comes.
After some time we took a break and moved away from the shoreline and back to lusher land where she set me down so I could drink water and nourish myself too.
My roots burrow in the soil and I talk to the mycelium of plants, worms, and many mushrooms whose species stretch from one side of the earth to the other.
They all told me that there was a large group of people moving in our direction.
A group of people with more legs than a swarm of spiders and more teeth than the largest fish in the world continued toward us, across the desert and across the swamp.
I looked over at my friend Birch, who was holding her last two eggs and watching the beautiful sun rise in the distance.
I don't know what I'm going to tell her, but the monsters have chased us all the way to the other side of the world and they're almost there.
Birch turned. "Here you go," she said, speaking to me for the first time in days. "I don't know if you like this stuff, but... I think it would be good for you?" she surmised, squishing an egg and saturating the soil around my clump of roots. She turned to face the sunrise and ate the last egg. "It's been a long way, hasn't it?" she asked, finding her talkative side again. "I thought it was the worst. It was really scary for a while, but..." She leaned back, put her hands behind her head, and lay on her back, staring at me instead of the sun. "—I think things will get better from now on," Birch said, her smile warm and I hadn't seen her smile in a long time.
I realized that the crimson sunset, which brought so much light of love, warmth and hope, gave her this false promise and rekindled a glimmer in her eyes.
I never knew the sun could be so cruel.
Oh, Burch.
As long as I open my mouth, I'm willing to do anything. If I knew, I could tell you, as your best friend, someone who cares deeply about you, one thing.
-There will only be scary moments from now on.
