Chapter 20

Herons

I wonder if the air between one's wings

Likens to the sand between one's toes

Or the water gliding on one's skin

Or the breath between a kiss

If flying separates you from the world

Or if it brings you closer to it

Watching from above like a spectator

of a play, or of a match

Where is our sky? Where are our birds?

I've often thought – maybe they don't exist.

Molly woke up the next morning to a steady downpour. She slowly got out of bed, wincing as she scraped her bandaged elbows against the headboard, stretching.

Remembering last night's incident, Molly frowned. So much had happened, but she was especially concerned about what happened with Gill, and then Chase afterwards saying that their argument was just due to him being in a bad mood. She also had the nagging feeling that Gill had appeared in her dreams and she couldn't shake the feeling that they'd met before. She wanted to ask him but didn't want to seem weird, especially since things were awkward between them right now. Right after Luke and her patched things up now there's something weird going on between Gill and herself. Maybe she should just stop talking to guys.

"You aren't going to get up?" Finn asked, masking a yawn behind his tiny hands.

"I am, I am," she said throwing the covers away and proceeding to get ready. Today was going to be an indoors kind of day. Not only did she have to tell Kathy about what happened last night but ask her college friends if they remembered the pale, pinched face of Gill from college.

Stifling a yawn, Molly made herself and Finn some breakfast, tended to the animals and thanked the Goddess that she didn't need to water her plants today.

"Today's a good day to draw," she declared, rummaging in her closet while Finn stared outside, his longing for the sun written clearly on his face. Molly turned around, holding a large canvas and a box full of oil paints.

"Oh, Finn, every day can't be sunny."

"I know, but I just can't help it. I was born under the sun and I don't like not being able to go outside without getting soaked to the bone. It's upsetting."

Molly pouted her lips, thinking. "I have an idea; why don't we paint a sunny picture?"

At that Finn looked around, his interest piqued. "A sunny picture?"

Molly smiled, nodding. "It's been awhile since I've painted, so it might not turn out good, but why don't we give it a shot? You can help me."

Finn smiled, his bad mood vanishing as soon as it came. And with that, the two of them began unloading paints and brushes, Molly humming between the claps of thunder in the background.

Boom

Chase started as the lightening lit up his living room. He hadn't bothered turning on the light even though it was edging past 9 am.

He slept in until after 8 am and laid in his bed for a while, contemplating how he should go about the day. Not necessarily what to do, he knew he had to go into the bar from 12 pm for lunch and then dinner shift afterwards but rather, how to live out today. Should he throw himself into cooking, ignoring everyone else and consequently self-inducing one of his 'moods' or should he tackle the problem of Molly? Yes, problem, because that is what she had become.

He had the hardest time falling asleep last night after saying goodbye to Molly, though why he had no idea. It could've been because of the relieved face she made after he told her that he didn't dislike her, how the line between her brows vanished and the corners of her eyes turned upwards. Or it could've been the fact that when she said goodbye and smiled at him he wanted to take her in his arms and hug her forever.

It could've been a thousand different reasons, but what it boiled down to was problematic. Why? All of these years he couldn't have cared less about anyone besides maybe Yolanda, and his own mother who taught him most everything he knew about the culinary arts.

But now….

He also knew it wasn't just him that felt that Molly had this mysterious power to make you care about her. He could see it in Luke's motions, Toby's step and even now he could see a shimmer of it in Gill's eyes when he looked at her. Thinking about it, could others see it in him? He didn't see how it was possible, he didn't even know these…feelings existed until just recently. No, he was still positive that no one knew what he was thinking, how could they? The person who knew him best on the island was probably Yolanda and she's never seen him and Molly together, nor has he even mentioned Molly's name in her presence.

This must remain hidden. He couldn't handle it if Kathy suspected him and started teasing him about it. It'll be fine, he reassured himself, he was an expert at keeping a poker face, as well as keeping everyone else at a distance. The only thing he had to be careful of was letting the person in question see anything out of the norm written on his face. Maybe he should've told her that he actually hated her instead of what he did last night. Then maybe she'd avoid him and he wouldn't even have to worry about meeting her anymore.

He sighed, staring at the ceiling. The clock chimed and he threw off the covers, all steely determination and broodiness.

"Aaaaaand, it's done. For now, anyways."

Molly wiped her sleeve across her forehead and stared at her and Finn's artwork in admiration.

The picture had indeed turned into a 'sunny' one. They had painted dozens of miniature sunflowers sticking out between bricks and their leaves covering the rest of the picture.

Finn danced in circles, happy that it turned out so well. "That was my first time painting anything! It's so pretty. If we hung this up, even on rainy days it would seem like the sun is shining!"

Molly laughed, "You're probably right. We'll hang it up once it dries. In the meantime, I'm going to call some friends."

During Molly's phone calls, Finn decided to go hang out with the animals in the barn. Of course Kathy had several theories for Gill and Chase's unusual behavior ranging from having eaten something weird that day to being in a secret competition to see who could be the most out-of-character between the two of them. Molly disagreed with all of it, like she usually does when Kathy went on with her ideas, but she couldn't help nodding along every time Kathy mentioned the word "weird".

At the end of the conversation Kathy brought up the 7th of August.

"It's in a few weeks, you know. Your birthday."

Molly smiled. She could tell Kathy was thinking of something by the tone of her voice.

"I know, haha."

"Sooo. What're we going to do? Party at the Bar? Bonfire? Cliff Diving, haha?"

"Uhmm, as great as that last one sounds…I've actually been thinking of going back to my mom's place for a week. I was planning on asking Cain and Craig to take care of everything while I was gone."

Kathy made a noise, clearly outraged.

"But it's your birthday! We have to do something! And you don't want to ruin Luke's secret plans to arrive on your doorstep that morning wearing a cowboy outfit and attempting to recite poetry!"

"What did you just say?" exclaimed Molly, almost dropping the phone. "Please tell me you're joking."

"I am, but it's still possible," Kathy replied in all seriousness.

"Geez, don't do that. Almost gave me a heart attack…" Molly could just imagine it, Luke knocking on her door at 8 am holding a daisy and a piece of paper.

"Roses are red, violets are blue, look at these muscles, they're all for you." She shuddered.

"If you really want to do something, do it after I come back. I actually wouldn't be opposed to that bonfire idea." If there was something Molly loved doing, it was having bonfires. It reminded her of the nights they used to spend at her grandparents, roasting hot dogs and throwing the burnt pieces to the family dog, Willie.

"Sheesh. Well, it's good that you care about your mom so much," said Kathy, audibly tapping her nails against the phone.

Molly blushed. "I guess so. I was going to ask if you wanted to come along. Do you think you could?" Molly wasn't expecting a positive answer and understood when Kathy told her that she couldn't take time off at the bar during tourist season.

"I'm so sorry! I'd love to go see your place and everything but it'll have to wait until next time…"

"No, no, that's alright. I understand. Thanks though, I know you would if you could. Well, I'll see you later, bye," Molly said hanging up the phone.

Next was to call her friend from college, Trenton. He was the only guy friend she had and part of that was because she knew for a fact that he's been madly in love with their mutual friend Nina for over three years now. She hadn't talked to Trenton in a long time and felt guilty for not keeping in touch more, but once they started talking it was as if no time had passed at all.

He was so friendly and always helped to cheer her up. She didn't mention any of her guy problems but he helped encourage her with her work on the farm and even offered to visit sometime.

"Oh, no, you don't have to do that! It's quite far away, so…," Molly said, trailing off.

"Don't worry about it! I'll visit once before semester starts in September. I worked part-time at a camp this summer so I have money to spare. Besides, I've been thinking I'd like to get away from the city. I'll ask Nina and Jessa if they want to come too."

Jessa was another friend from East Shore. Molly and her had met in their very first art class and ended up taking all of their art classes together after that.

"That'd be great! You'd have to bring an extra air mattress though because I don't have enough beds for everyone, haha."

They talked a bit more and decided that the group would try and come the last week of August.

"Great! I'll make sure to clear up my calendar. Thankfully, I should have all of the late summer crops harvested by then so there won't be so much to do around here. Thanks for the talk!"

"Of course, it's been so long since I've seen you, we all miss you around here. Sorry I couldn't help with that Gill mystery though."

"Naw, it's fine. Not that important. Anyways, I look forward to your guys' visit. Bye!"

Molly hung up the phone and decided to take care of cleaning for the week and stay in that day since the forecast called for rain until late into the night. It was nice to just stay in once in a while and she enjoyed the time she had to relax.

The next week flew by with a couple outings with friends and her busy farm work. Ever since the joint birthday party at the bar, Owen and Kathy seemed to be getting along really well. When she asked Kathy about it after a hike around the mountain, Kathy blushed crimson and pulled Molly aside, away from the others.

"Actually…at the birthday party, you know? Owen, he kind of…well, he said that he liked me," Kathy whispered, uncharacteristically shy.

"What!?" Molly all but shouted, receiving a glance from Ramsey who was outside sweeping off the porch.

"Shhh!" said Kathy, waving her hands about.

"When was this?" Molly asked, thinking back if she noticed anything like that going on.

"Well, it was actually after everyone left. I was about to close the door when he came back in and just kind of blurted it out. Real clumsy of him, actually," she said laughing a bit.

Molly smiled at her friend, obviously pleased. "And?"

"And, what?" Kathy replied.

"Well, what'd you say, of course?!"

With this Kathy looked away, kicking the ground a bit. "I didn't say anything…"

"I mean, how could I? I was so surprised, you know!" Kathy said defending herself against the incredulous look on Molly's face.

"So it's been a week and you haven't replied?" Molly asked in disbelief.

Kathy just nodded sheepishly.

"You like him don't you?" Molly asked.

Kathy replied of course she did.

"And you want to date him, right?" Molly continued.

Kathy blushed and nodded. "But! But…what is dating? I mean…it's so sudden. If we date, you know, we'll probably end up getting married and that's like, so crazy!"

Molly burst out laughing. "You're worried about marriage? Look, even if you date Owen that doesn't mean you'll get married and even if you do, don't you think that's years down the road?"

Kathy frowned a bit. "Molly, I think it's a bit different where you come from. This is a small island, there's not a lot of people and I think everyone plans on staying here. We can't just enter into a relationship recklessly. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings and as for marriage, who knows if it's years down the road. We all know each other on this island pretty well already. Once you start dating, do you really want to wait so long to marry the person you love? Anyways, I just need to think about it a bit more. I've already asked him to have lunch this week so I'll make my decision by then."

Molly didn't have much to say back. Growing up in the city, everyone tended to marry late, the exception being her sister but Angela never did care about what others thought of her. It was just normal; someone dated around until they found someone they could commit to then they'd date for four years or so and then get married. Divorces weren't unusual, although Molly thought that unless someone cheated or abused the other, one shouldn't get divorced, but people can get divorced over anything if they really wanted to. But that was just it – that was what was "expected" or "normal" in the city but out here things were apparently different. Perhaps it was culture of the city that was abnormal.

Before she could think about it more they were called back to the group and then they all dispersed to go home, Molly giving Kathy a wink before walking down the mountain to her place.

Finn, who was following behind her the entire hike, was confused about all of the dating/marriage talk going on and couldn't understand why human relationships were so complicated.

"I'm glad I'm not a human…," he said out loud.

Molly chuckled. "Yeah, sometimes I wish I wasn't either, but what can you do?"

The events from the Firefly Festival and the party had died down. Her arms, as well as Gill's cheek, had returned to normal for the most part. It seemed that whatever awkwardness there was between her and Gill had also disappeared and she found it was a lot easier talking to him now that he stopped asking about the bells and being nosy.

She was also glad that they seemed to be getting along better because of the task for the fifth and final bell. Earlier in the week Finn and her had gone to the church to investigate a rumor. Perry, the Pastor, had come running out of the church one night yelling about it being haunted and refused to enter again until the 'wailing' had stopped.

When they checked, instead of a ghost they found Edge the sprite crying uncontrollably on the second floor. When they asked why he was so upset, he sobbed out something about the villagers forgetting about the Harvest Goddess and not being kind to each other anymore. It was also because of this that he couldn't ring the purple bell.

"The p-purple bell, sob, c-can only be rung, hiccup, when t-the villagers have a, sob, g-good relationship with each other, sniffle."

"How in the world am I supposed to make everyone like each other?" Molly said, throwing her hands up in the air.

"I don't think that's what he means, Molly. I think everyone just needs to have faith in the Harvest Goddess again and be willing to help each other. You know, like Cain and Craig helping you out with your farm when you're sick, or you growing extra vegetables for Craig or…or picking up garbage on the beach!"

"You mean like community events? Sounds more like a job for Gill…" Molly said, a bit apprehensive. She was never really that good at interacting with others and planning things.

"I'm sure you could get Gill to help, right?" Finn said.

"I guess…," Molly replied, still doubtful. "Well, I'll try anyways. So when will I know the bell is ready?"

"I-if you come check with me, sniffle, I c-can tell you your p-progress, sniffle," said Edge, blowing his nose loudly.

"Okay. Well, thanks for the advice, Edge. We'll be back. Er, take care of yourself and maybe you could try and tone down the crying a bit? Perry thinks this place is haunted because of you," Molly said, handing another tissue to Edge.

Edge just nodded blowing his nose again.

Thinking about it some more, Molly expected this task to be the most time-consuming one yet. Relationships don't just improve overnight, after all.

Finn brought her back to the present, warning her when she almost tripped on a tree root.

"Molly are you okay? Are you still thinking about marriage?"

Molly laughed. "No, I wasn't thinking about marriage. I was thinking about the 5th bell's task."

Finn frowned. "Yeah…it'll probably be difficult to do...OH! I know! Let's go visit the Harvest Goddess for advice!" He said suddenly, hopping up in the air.

Molly agreed since it had been a little while since she'd gone and they stopped there on the way back.

Once they arrived, Molly and Finn greeted the sprites and went to give a hug to the Harvest Goddess. After briefing her on the situation, the Harvest Goddess, instead of giving her suggestions on how to bring the community together, asked her about her own relationship with the villagers.

"My relationship? Oh, well, it's fine. I get along with everyone," she replied.

"Get along is one thing, but can you say that you know everyone on the island well? That you would be able to help them when they are troubled?"

Molly opened her mouth to say 'yes' but then closed it soon after. Could she really say that she knew everyone well enough to be able to help them, listen to their troubles or needs?

The Harvest Goddess could read what Molly was feeling and smiled at her gently.

"The 5th task isn't just about bringing the island together, it's also about you and your relationship with the island. You are part of the island now, Molly. It would not work if everyone except you were involved."

Molly shuffled around anxiously. She knew that, but somehow it seemed so daunting.

The Harvest Goddess smiled gently, knowing what was in Molly's heart.

"Remember, I am always here for you to talk to. You are not alone. As I know it, you've already befriended most of the villagers. You'll be fine."

"But how do you know?" Molly asked, reflecting on her personality. Molly knew she wasn't mean, but she knew she could be selfish and lie sometimes and judge others…could she really be there for everyone on the island?

Chase was taking the long way to work. He wanted to go for a walk to calm himself down. He liked getting the extra exercise. Plus, he had left the house too early and couldn't think of what else to do.

Excuses. All excuses.

He decided to take the long way, past Molly's house up to the Garmon mine district and then down into town exactly because it took him by her place. It was like as soon as he decided to never let her know his feelings he wanted to test out his resolve.

However, she wasn't working in her fields when he passed by. He smiled to himself and shook his head, trying not to look for her, but failing in the end.

"What am I even doing?" He said aloud, folding his arms. He was dumb for trying to go looking for her, what did he expect anyways?

He paused at the bridge to look at the waterfall. He missed the city sometimes but whenever he paused to take in the nature around him, he was reminded why he chose Castanet Island to be his home. He did think sometimes, that when he finished his apprenticeship with Yolanda, that maybe he would move back to the city, not to make more money, but just so he could have something of his own.

A small restaurant or café in a big suburb just outside of the city. He'd only hire people he trusted and the team would be small. There wouldn't be any drama and everyone would be passionate about making delicious food. Nothing grand or fancy and nothing that would keep him busy even during the holidays. He didn't choose the chef life to get rich – he chose it because he was passionate about cooking good food. For himself, for his mom…even if he didn't get along well with others he could at least contribute to society by making delicious food.

There may have been a time in the past, just out of culinary school, when he dreamed of making it big but all of his restaurant gigs never worked out. He just never got along with any of his bosses. At the time he thought it was still his technique that was lacking and that's why he came to Castanet to learn under Yolanda. But really, since living here he had to admit he's learned a lot about himself that he couldn't understand before.

Take the world's expectations away, separate yourself from society, your old circle of friends and family and you're only left with yourself and your own desires. He never thought he'd be satisfied with working in a small bar on a small island and yet here he was, enjoying it.

Chase chuckled to himself. When did he start thinking this place was so great, anyways?

"Is something funny?" came a voice to his left.

Chase started and looked over. Molly was smiling tentatively, her head a bit to the side, questioning his behavior.

"O-oh, Molly," Chase said, slightly flustered.

Molly laughed, a bit surprised she caught him off guard. "Sorry I surprised you. I don't see you around here that often, did you come here for something?"

Chase recovered, looking away to the waterfall again.

"Sort of. I guess I'm just on a walk. My shift starts at 12, so…" he trailed off.

"I see, you've still got awhile then, it's only 11."

Chase glanced at his watch and saw that she was right.

"Well, I'll see you around. Good luck at work," Molly said, waving goodbye.

As she walked past him he noticed that her ears were slightly red. Was she embarrassed to meet him, too? He suddenly grabbed her lightly around the elbow, stopping her. Molly turned around, ears even redder and a surprised look on her face.

"Chase?"

He let go of her arm, shoving his hand in his pocket.

"Sorry. It's just, I have too much time to kill. Could I walk with you back?"

Molly's mouth almost dropped in surprise. Chase wanted to walk with her?

Taken aback but not opposed to the idea, Molly nodded and together they made their way back down the mountain, the exact direction Chase had just come from.

"So, why were you up in the Mine District so early?" he asked her, continuing the conversation.

"Oh, you know…I just felt like taking a walk too," she lied, looking away. It's not like she could tell him about the Harvest Goddess and all of that.

"Yeah…walks are nice once in a while," he said, half mumbling to himself. Molly didn't reply, unaccustomed to such a peaceful Chase and decided to just take in the moment.

Chase was likewise slightly surprised by his own actions and glanced at Molly, noticing her small smile directed at the ground.

What was he doing again? Wasn't he supposed to be avoiding her? Shouldn't he be discouraging these kinds of encounters?

All of a sudden a white heron took off from the pond near Molly's house and they both paused to watch its progress, flying over the mountain.

"It's beautiful," Molly said quietly, shielding her eyes from the sun.

Chase looked down and met her eyes. He had never noticed it before but she actually had a ring of green lining her pupils, catching a bit of the sun's rays.

"Oh, whatever."

"What is it?" Molly said, puzzled.

Chase just smiled and simply replied that herons were his favorite bird.