Wednesday, 10th of Spring
The next morning, Alma woke up to the sound of a knock on her door. It startled her so much, she froze and wondered if she was still dreaming. Who could it have been? Or did she even actually hear a knock? And then, again, there it was. "Uh, c-coming! Hold on please!" Alma hopped out of bed and quickly put on her overalls. She felt confused about who could have been at the door but also pleasantly surprised this was her first night without a bad dream in weeks!
When she stepped outside, she saw Marnie standing there at the steps. "Hello, Alma!" she greeted with a smile.
"Morning, Marnie. What can I do for you?"
"You see this dog here?"
Alma looked down to see a sweet dog sitting next to Marnie, his ears perking up a bit when she looked at him. "Aw, what a cutie," she said, squatting down to pet him. He looked to be a mutt, maybe with some Braque du Bourbonnais. He was big and light brown with floppy dark brown ears. "Where did he come from?"
"I found it sitting outside the entrance to your farm! I wondered if it belonged to you?"
"No, I've never seen him before either."
"That's what I was afraid of." Marnie looked at the dog with concern. "I think it's a stray …. Poor thing."
"He does look pretty thin. Maybe he wandered in from the forest or something."
Marnie watched Alma rub his neck and back. His tail started wagging and banging on the porch steps. "Hey, it seems to like this place! Hey, um …" Alma could already feel the question coming. "Don't you think this farm could use a good dog?"
"Yeah! Yeah, I do! It'd be nice to have an extra farmhand, huh, boy?" He rolled over and showed Alma his belly, and she was happy to rub it for him.
"So, will you adopt this dog?" Marnie asked, holding out a red collar.
"Of course!" she answered, taking the collar and wrapping it around his neck. "And I know exactly what I'll call him."
"Yeah? What's that?"
"Bisclavret," she said, rubbing her face on his.
Marnie paused and answered hesitantly, "Okay."
Alma could tell from Marnie's awkward smile that she undoubtedly thought this was a weird name. "It's from one of my favorite stories," she explained. "It was the name of a werewolf who eventually became one of the king's most trusted barons." She stood up again, still petting the dog's head. "I always thought if I had a dog, I would name him Bisclavret, and he even looks like it fits him!"
Marnie still looked a bit confused but rubbed the dog's head and said, "Well, Bizzy, you be a good pooch now, okay?" She smiled at Alma and said, "See you around, Alma!"
Alma waved as Marnie walked away, then she looked down at the dog, who was sitting contentedly at her side. "Bizzy. That's cute." She sat down on the stairs with him and rubbed his back. "No need to wander anymore, huh? You belong here with me now. I'll have to train you not to dig up the crops," she said, looking just in front of them at the shoots growing. "But you'll be a good boy. I can feel it." Alma scratched his back, looked over at her mailbox, and saw a strange-looking paper peeking out. "What in the world?" she mumbled as she got up and went toward the mailbox. It was a black piece of paper with the note written in incandescent ink. As she opened it up, a powdery cloud seemed to pop up, making her cough. The note read,
"My sources tell me you've been poking around inside the old community center.
Why don't you pay me a visit?
My chambers are west of the forest lake, in the stone tower. I may have information concerning your ... 'rat problem.'
M. Rasmodius, Wizard"
"Wizard?!" Alma looked down at Bisclavret and chuckled. "This town just gets more and more interesting." She looked at the letter again, reading the words "rat problem" over and over. There was definitely something … otherworldly about what happened to her at the community center. She needed to talk to him to see what he knew. She took out her journal and made a note of it. But first, she thought, folding up the note and putting it in her pocket, she needed to tend to the farm.
She watered her crops and also found a water dish for Bisclavret close to the cabin, filling it up for him. "Here, Bizzy! Come get some water!" He came running, and she petted his head as he lapped up the water. Then she went to the far side of the farm, hoping to finally finish cutting up the last of the wood that cluttered the farm. Though she did get substantial work done, she still couldn't finish. She started to feel exhausted before the work was through. So she went back to the cabin to wash up a bit and headed toward the southern forest.
When she passed the lake, sure enough, there was a tall stone tower on the opposite side that she hadn't noticed before. She went up the steps and knocked, and the door creaked open. A purple-haired man in a black robe and hat stood near the back of the room, and he lifted his head when Alma entered. "Ah … come in." She stepped closer, eyeing the cauldron of green frothy liquid to her left. "I am Rasmodius," he said, swooping his cape back in a grand gesture, "seeker of the arcane truths. Mediary between physical and ethereal. Master of the seven elementals. Keeper of the sacred cha …" He noticed Alma's puzzled look. "You get the idea."
"It's, uh, nice to meet you, sir."
"And you ... Alma." He approached her, and she took a step back. "The one whose arrival I have long foreseen."
"Really? Me?"
"Yes, you!" His volume made her jump, and he toned it down a bit. "Here, I'd like to show you something." Rasmodius turned toward the etchings he had marked on the floor and exclaimed, "Behold!" And suddenly, one of the little creatures from the community center appeared in the center of the candle-lit circle on the floor.
"That! That's it!"
He peered at her and asked, "You've seen one before, haven't you?"
"Yes! That's it! That's what I saw! What is that?!"
"They call themselves the 'Junimo,'" he answered. "Mysterious spirits, these ones …. For some reason, they refuse to speak with me." He sounded a little dejected. With a snap of his fingers, the little green Junimo was gone. He turned back to Alma, explaining, "I'm not sure why they've moved into the community center, but you have no reason to fear them."
"I … know," she said, remembering the strange experience she had.
Rasmodius's eyes widened. "Hmmm?"
"I found something there, like a parchment or - "
"You've found a golden scroll written in an unknown language?"
"Yes! And when I looked at it, it was like … like they lifted me up, entered my mind, talked to me in a dream …."
He turned, thinking and stroking his beard. "Most interesting."
"They let me know they were here to help - that I didn't need to be afraid of them. But I don't know what the note itself said."
"Stay here," he said, holding a hand up to her. "I'm going to see for myself. I'll return shortly."
"What do you mea - " He snapped his fingers, and, in a flash, he was gone. Alma looked all around her, bewildered. Then she jumped when she heard the door open behind her. Rasmodius entered quickly but calmly.
"I found the note," he said quietly. He turned and walked toward the large cauldron. "The language is obscure, but I was able to decipher it." He looked deep into the liquid, and as if in a trance, recited, "'We, the Junimo, are happy to aid you. In return, we ask for gifts of the valley. If you are one with the forest, then you will see the true nature of this scroll.'" He lifted his head and blinked, as if waking up, and walked around the cauldron. "Hmm … 'one with the forest' …. What do they mean?"
Alma tried to think too. "Maybe … living in the woods for a period of time? Or swimming in the forest lake?"
Rasmodius started sniffing the green steam rising from the cauldron. Then, suddenly, he jumped and exclaimed, "Ah ha!" He waved to Alma to approach, saying, "Come here!" Alma stood where he was and looked into the pot of thick, boiling liquid. "My cauldron is bubbling with ingredients from the forest. Baby fern, moss grub, caramel-top toadstool …. Can you smell it?" He held her shoulders, almost pushing her closer to the cauldron. She took a whiff and gagged, lurching forward. "Here," he said, taking a ladle from a hook off the wall. "Drink up."
"You want me to drink that?!"
He spooned some out for her into a cup and said, "Let the essence of the forest permeate your body."
"Can I - not?"
"The Junimo chose you, girl!"
"Listen, I don't know if this is for me. Maybe I need to just take care of the farm and - "
"You must become one with the forest to appease the Junimo! Drink!" Rasmodius took her hand and wrapped it around the cup, pushing it to her chest.
Alma looked at the cup and saw brown chunks floating in the green soup. She second-guessed all of her choices coming here. She shouldn't have moved, she shouldn't have gone in the community center alone, she shouldn't have looked at that scroll, she shouldn't have come to the wizard's castle, she shouldn't drink this soup! And she thought about yesterday, about how stupid she was for being so upset about Dr. Harvey. What did she tell herself yesterday by the fountain? Didn't she want some adventure? And Rasmodius was right - it was like the Junimo pulled her in yesterday to the community center after that little breakdown. She looked down in the soup again and tried not to think anymore. She held her breath and swallowed it down. Immediately her stomach churned, and she dropped the cup, grimacing and waving her hands about her. "Ugh, that was - " Then she felt a lightness quickly come over her. Though she was still very nauseated, her stomach gurgling inside of her, she felt like her head was above her body, spinning in the air. It lifted lighter and lighter until she was above the trees. Leaves fell all around her, and she watched the sunlight dance through them as they fell from the sky. The trees towered taller, forming a canopy around her, enclosing her in a warm embrace. She felt like the trees were moving like ripples in a lake, like she was moving with them, down a current over a babbling brook. She heard the birds singing, the squirrels chirping, the rabbits stomping, the frogs croaking - all the animals of the forest awakened. She closed her eyes, and then she felt heavy again, like a boulder was thrown on top of her. Alma fell down on the ground in front of Rasmodius's tower, but her head felt clear again. "Uh … Ras - Rasmodius?" But there was no answer. She suddenly knew what to do: she needed to go back to the community center.
She rushed down the steps into the forest and past Marnie's farm, petting one of the cows on her way. She didn't stop to talk to anybody but instead went straight up through town and up the mountain pass behind the store, right to the community center doors. She knew now that the little hut that Mayor Lewis thought was from Vincent and Jas was actually where the Junimo lived. She passed it and made her way back to the crafts room where the small mustard-colored Junimo disappeared into the shadows, away from the scroll. Now it showed bundles of what items the Junimo wanted, and there was a note about bridge repair in return for the collection of forageables and construction materials. "So … if I bring them these things, they'll … fix a bridge? Like, an actual bridge in town?" Alma looked over the requirements and knew she had some of this already; she had the necessary wood and stone and all of the spring foraging goods waiting in her chests at home. "One way to find out," she said, taking note of the items in her journal. Then she rushed out of the community center, back down into town, and onto the road toward her farm. On the way, she saw Dr. Harvey in the corner of her eye standing in the little park, but she passed him by without a thought.
When she got to the farm, Bisclavret met her and followed her to the chests. She gathered all the supplies, put what she could in her bag, and headed back to the community center. She passed by Dr. Harvey again, and he called, "Ms. Alma, do you - do you need some help?"
"No, I'm fine, Doctor, thanks!"
"Feel free to stop by my office if - "
"No time to talk, sorry!" She went into the community center and unloaded her things into the bundles. When she gave up the wood and stone, she saw she still needed hardwood, which she thought would maybe require stronger tools. But when she submitted the horseradish, daffodil, dandelion, and leek, a present appeared in front of her. She opened it up and found a packet of spring seeds! "Oh, these will be a nice addition!" And she could hear something in another room of the community center. She carefully walked around, trying to see what had happened. In the old pantry, she saw another Junimo bounce into the shadows, revealing another scroll. This one was asking for crops and things she could get on the farm, including animal produce. At the bottom, it simply said "greenhouse." She wondered what greenhouse this was referring to. Regardless, soon, she would be able to satisfy the spring collection there.
She stood up and felt quite accomplished, wondering what exactly would happen once the Junimo "aided" her in the community center. As she made her way out, she saw another Junimo bouncing by the old fish tank, showing yet another scroll. "Aw man," she moaned, looking it over. This one was for fish, and it said at the bottom that the "glittering boulder" would be removed. "Might be a while before that one happens," she said to herself. She was not great at fishing, but she thought this would be a good excuse to work on improving!
Alma took inventory on her way out: she needed to continue on her crops, make her way up to animal products, talk to Clint about updating her ax so she could cut down hardwood (Clint! She had forgotten about the geodes again), keep an eye out for those exotic forageables, and maybe talk to Willy about practicing fishing. She suddenly felt like this was a lot more work than just maintaining a farm! But, she reminded herself, the Junimo said they were here to help; so if she offered these gifts, maybe they would bring the community center back to the lively state that Mayor Lewis was talking about.
She looked at her watch. It was later than she expected; both Clint and Willy's shops were closed for the day now. She should probably just return home and try to plant these new seeds.
On her way home, Alma looked up and saw Vincent walking toward his home. "Hey, Vincent!" He looked up at her, and she could see the wheels turning in his head; should he come talk to the grown-up lady he didn't know very well, or should he keep on his way home?
"H-Hi there, miss."
"I heard it's your birthday!"
"You remembered my birthday?" He came to her with a big smile. She started digging in her bag and pulled out the last daffodil she had. He accepted the flower. "Thank you. This is great!"
"No problem. You had a fun day?"
"Yes ma'am. Momma's made a cake, and we're gonna blow out the candles and open presents!"
"Well, you'd better get home then! Don't want to miss your own birthday party!"
"Thanks again, ma'am!" he said as he continued on his way home.
Alma continued home too, and she decided she had had enough excitement today; the seeds could wait until tomorrow. She wiped her boots on the steps of the cabin, and when she came inside, she was really happy to see Bisclavret curled up at the foot of her bed. He lifted his head at her arrival, and she knelt down to give him a little kiss on the top of his head. "Good night, Biz." She slipped out of her overalls and settled into bed to read Tips on Farming before going to sleep.
TW: infidelity
Alma unlocked the door and opened it, tossing her bag on the floor. She turned on the lamp with a sigh and made her way to the kitchen. She looked over the leftovers in the fridge and felt like tonight was a good night for the rest of that pad thai, so she scooped it out into a bowl and heated it up in the microwave. While she waited, she leaned against the counter and pulled out her phone to send a message:`1
Hey, I'm finally home. You available to do a video call, or it is too late? I'd love to see you :)
The microwave beeped, and she took the bowl with her to the couch. She turned on the TV and saw there was a new category suggested for her on her streaming service: "Emotional Movies."
"Well, they're not wrong," she told herself, taking a bite of the pad thai. Her phone dinged, and she checked her message:
Yeah, I can call. Five minutes?
She responded:
Okay :)
She took another bite and opened up her camera to check how she looked. Of course, when she opened the camera, she was horrified by her double-chinned face at the low angle. But when she pulled the phone up to the light, she didn't look much better. She was broken out, her hair was uncontrollable, she had dark circles under her eyes, and her skin looked pallid. For the first time, she really felt like she looked old. She turned her face left to right, seeing if there was a better side to show. Then her phone started ringing, and she accepted the video call.
She saw his face on the screen, lit by the bedside table lamp. "Hey babe," he smirked.
"Hi, hon. What is it, about midnight there?"
"Yeah, closer to one," he said with a groan, trying to reposition to get more comfortable. "So you stayed late today? I thought you typically get off early on Fridays."
Alma sighed, "Yeah, but I have that meeting about the marketing plan for next quarter, remember? I thought I told you about it."
"Oh that's right, you did, you did. Sorry."
"It's okay. I'm just really stressed about it, and I was trying to get the last of my papers in order and stuff, you know."
"I'm sure it'll be fine, Al," he said, looking off screen.
Alma looked at him a minute, and he looked back at her and pushed up a smile. She put her pad thai in her lap and took a bite. "So how was the flight?"
"Pretty good, pretty good," he said. "Not a lot to report, you know? Oh, but I caught a guy vaping, so that was interesting."
"Vaping?!"
"Yeah, can you believe it?"
"What did you do?!"
"Well, I told him smoking wasn't allowed on the plane and that he'd have to pay a fine. And then I confiscated his … thing."
"'Thing?' You called it a thing?"
"Well, no, I think the actual word I used was … apparatus, maybe? I don't remember now. But he was not happy about it. He was kind of a handful the whole flight though. There's always one."
"Was he from the US?"
"Of course," he scoffed.
Alma laughed and nodded, slurping up more noodles. "Right, of course, I should've known."
Suddenly there was a loud sound on his end, like a big bag crashing to the floor. His glance went off screen again, and then he suddenly looked at Alma. "Oh, sorry, my - my toiletry bag must have fallen off the counter in the bathroom." Alma looked at him carefully. Her heart started to pound, and her hands became cold. "Anyway, how was – "
"Is someone with you?"
"No no," he answered immediately. "I just - My bag was right on the edge of the counter earlier when I took a shower, so it must have fallen off." He got up from the bed and made his way to the bathroom, turning the camera to show her the stuff on the floor. "Yeah," he said, "it just toppled off here. Let me clean it up really fast." Alma watched his hand pick up the hotel shampoo, his comb, and his deodorant, but she also quickly saw a makeup palette broken on the floor in the corner of his screen. "I'm such a clutz, you kno - "
She hung up the call and put the phone on the coffee table in front of her. She sat still for a moment, staring at the back of the phone. Her shaking hand came to her mouth. Her breath came out in short bursts, her chest starting to heave. She heard her phone buzz and didn't even turn the phone over but pushed the button on the side to cancel the call. She sat back on the couch, and the room started spinning. Her whole body felt cold, and an anger started to rise in her. She wanted to scream, but instead, hot tears started to pour down her face. The phone buzzed again, and she threw it across the room, smashing it into the TV screen.