7.
It was dusk as she finished the last of planting her strawberry seeds. Miso wound herself around Rei's ankles mewing softly. She scooped up the kitten and walked back inside to feed her, taking a close inventory of what she had available.
Some spring onions, a potato, a smallmouth bass and a lot of tea sat in her tiny refrigerator. Well, she thought to herself, at least I don't have to worry about any weight gain for a while if I continue to eat like this. She sighed and made some tea, thinking about what needed to be done for a house remodel. After the strawberry harvest and a few more fishing trips, she'd probably have the gold for it. However, the resources would be more interesting to try to get. Tomorrow, she vowed, she would go ask Robin for some tips on chopping down trees.
Tomorrow came early enough, and after a quick cold rinse off in the small pond in front of her house, Rei had braided her long hair out of her face and set off for Robin's.
Sebastian was the one who answered the door, blinking the last traces of sleep out of his eyes.
"Why are you here so early?"
"The early bird catches the worm, or something like that."
He snorted and gestured inside.
"Mom's still getting ready for the day, but I made coffee." She followed him to the kitchen and gingerly sat on a stool as he prepared her a cup. As he turned around, he gave her a slight smirk.
"What?"
"You're all farm girl now, but I still see traces of your city life."
"What do you mean by that?"
He pointed to her legs crossed at the ankles, hands folded in her lap.
"You sit like a princess."
She scowled and tried to sit more "farmer-like" and he grinned as he handed her the coffee mug. Hesitantly, she raised it to her lips. Rei wasn't much of a coffee person, always preferring tea. However this cup of coffee tasted like liquid gold.
"You look surprised."
"I've never had a cup of coffee this good before…."
Sebastian did that small half smile at her again, but before he could retort, Robin entered the kitchen.
"Oh Sebby, thanks for the coffee! It smells fantastic as always." Then upon noticing Rei, "Oh hi Rei! What are you doing up so early in the morning?"
"I came by to ask for advice in chopping wood." She was well aware of the flush in her cheeks.
Robin smiled at her kindly, clearly some wheels turning in her head.
"I'd love to help you, but my favorite axe is missing. How about this, I'll show you how to notch the trunks, where to stand and properly fall a tree okay? And if I can find my ax, I'll be right out there with you! You wanted to upgrade your cabin right?"
"It's about time I stop using a camping stove to cook."
Robin seemed to beam at her, clearly pleased that Rei hadn't given up and wanted to learn more. That morning was spent in front of their house, with Robin showing Rei which trees were easier to fell and which types of wood would work best for certain projects. Before she left, Robin quickly ran into her shed to hand Rei some gloves and safety goggles.
"Be careful out there!" she waved as Rei set off for her farmland.
Sebastian came outside to stand by his mom as they watched her go.
"That girl keeps surprising this town, doesn't she?" Robin said wistfully.
"Maybe we didn't give her enough credit to begin with." Sebastian shrugged, and then set off for the lake by their house, fingering a cigarette in his pocket along the way.
A large crack! Then an even louder crash! And the tree fell to the ground. Rei let out a sigh of relief. This was her first tree, and she had been trying at it for what felt like hours. But it finally had fallen, and now, there was a pile of branches and a whole trunk to cut up. She found herself wishing for a chainsaw. She groaned as she realized she had a lot more to do.
Time flew by, and Rei found herself late afternoon sweaty and sticky. She looked at her small pile of wood that she had amassed, and felt a little bit of pride. City Princess did that! She thought smugly. But she felt a small protest from her back and shoulders as she stretched. Maybe it was time to stop for the day, lest she get any injuries.
She decided to go forage in the forest for some things. Maybe she could sneak a glance at the supposed Wizard's Tower while she was at it. Laying her axe down, she grabbed a small pack and started through all the brush for the path that led to the forest.
It was the golden hour by the time she reached Leah's cottage. The river looked especially pretty and she noticed some small planks connecting the little islands together. Curiosity grabbed at her and she started across them. It felt like she was a little girl again, exploring, adventuring, and tumbling down a rabbit hole. She reached the end of the planks to come across the rest of the forest seen from across the river. As she wandered into it, she found nestled amongst the grass, a patch of spring onions. She happily picked them to add to her forage.
Wandering around for a moment more, something glinted in the corner of her eye. A wooden handle, and steel blade, carvings etched into the handle. This must be Robin's lost axe, thought Rei as she bent to pick it up. It's beautiful. Maybe she'll help me out tomorrow. Placing it in her pack she began to wander back to the planks.
She got slightly lost and found that the planks she had come across looked nothing like the ones from earlier. But they still looked like they'd take her across the river. She quickly made her way to the opposite bank, but realized that she had no idea where she was.
Okay, sun sets in the west, she thought. My farm is north of Marnie's Ranch. She whirled around trying to find the sunset. It was to her left, so that must be west. She followed the riverbank upwards, and then saw a path branching to the left. Maybe that's the path? She walked up it, feeling anxious as she found that she didn't recognize the surroundings. This is not it, but it all looks the same! She looked up and there it was. The Wizard's Tower, looming over here. That is not where I was trying to be, she thought. But before she could turn around, the front door opened slightly.
She froze. Was anyone coming out? So far, it looked like no one. She didn't really know what to think, but she felt those whispers again. Pushing her towards the open door, towards the unknown. Well, she had some sort of weapon right, if anything was strange. She grabbed Robin's axe, and cautiously approached the tower.
As she pushed the door open a mysterious voice came from inside. "Welcome my child."
"Ahh!" She screeched and held the axe out in front of her, as if that would do something.
"No need to be aggressive, I foresaw your arrival." As her eyes adjusted to the lighting, she saw an older gentleman approaching her, dressed in purple robes.
Not sure what he meant, she kept the axe ready to swing.
"Calm down Rei, your grandfather was an old friend of mine."
She managed to squeak out a "Who are you?"
"My name is Rasmodius. I'll spare you the lengthy titles, but I am a man of alchemy and magic."
Seeing that she was still on guard, he heaved a sigh and gestured towards the pentagram drawn on his floor.
"Let me show you." And after chanting a few words, a puff of smoke appeared and there was a small green orb in the center of the diagram.
"Does this look familiar?"
She shook her head. She thought that she had imagined it back at the community center, and when that popped up in her dreams she assumed she was just thinking of the color green. But all of that was shattered when the little orb gave an indignant squeak.
"They're called Junimos, and they are the spirits of the forest."
Wonder filled her, and Rei lowered the axe slowly as she gazed at the small creature.
"They protect the Valley, and ensure the arrival of good crops." He continued. "However, I hadn't seen one in a long time, nor have the local farmers had such good crops. Until…you arrived my dear."
She snapped her head up confused.
"Ever wonder how your crops turn out to be amazing? Even though you know nothing about farming?"
Rei shook her head. She thought she was getting better at farming! But as she looked at the Junimo, she swore she saw it give her a little smile.
"Your grandfather was friends with them. It seems they remember his spirit in you."
"I….." she had finally found some words, "Am nothing like him." The last part came out more as a whisper.
"But maybe you have the potential to be." He waved his arm with a flourish and the Junimo disappeared from the circle.
"They need you to give them offerings. They'll help you and the community if you do so."
"What kind of offerings?"
"Offerings from the valley of course." He walked to a cauldron, added a few dry powders to it and stirred for a moment. Then he reached in with a flask, collected whatever oozy green liquid was in there and held it out to her.
At her cautious look he explained. "Those plaques are in their language. This will help you be more in tune with the spirits of the forest. You'll be able to collect the offerings they request."
"This is crazy….."
"More crazy than an attempt to take back your own life, despite not knowing a single thing about hard work?"
Ouch, okay. But he seemed serious. But it wasn't until she saw a strange rune on his wall that she paused in all of her doubt. Her grandfather too, had that same exact rune carved on his shrine. And when she was younger, she remembered him wearing it around his neck.
"It's a protection prayer." Rasmodius said, a knowing glint in his eye.
Rei faced him, took a deep breath and accepted the drink.
"Very well Rei, you have chosen the right path for now." She heard him saying as she took a long sip. It tasted like fruit, moss, dirt and fresh air. She couldn't explain it but as it went down, her vision blurred and all she saw was green. Green like the Junimos, the valley, the forest. It all swayed around her, a flute song in the distance.
Rasmodius caught her as she fell towards the floor in a dead faint.
"Mew mew, mewww" Head aching, Rei blinked as she came to. She was in her bed, Miso at her feet looking up at her expectantly. Rubbing her eyes, she wondered if she was just waking up for the morning to start her day. But she looked out the window and realized it was night.
She walked towards her fireplace, where Miso's cat food was to refill it and saw her pack in the corner, Robin's axe sticking out.
So that part still happened. She wondered if she had passed out from exhaustion and a nice villager brought her back. But then as she rifled through the pack, her hand felt something cool to the touch.
Pulling it out, her eyes widened. It was the rune. A small stone version of it, with a leather cord. So that was real. She knelt in front of her fire, staring down at the rune.
"Grandfather, what did you do while you were here?"