Chapter 221: Day 220

Day 220,

New journal.  I left more blank pages in the back of the second one than I would have liked, but ultimately the decision came down to not wanting to risk it getting wet or going overboard or something on this expedition.  But a new book starting from this point?  I won’t lose too much if something happens to it, and worse case scenario I can try to summarize once we get back.

As I write this, I’m sitting with Cass, Lin, and Maiko around a campfire on an unfamiliar beach after watching the sun go down together.  There was some playful teasing when I pulled out this book, but it was an endearing sort.  They know this writing is important to me.  Cass even added afterward that she’d be more worried about me if I didn’t start writing about my day at the first opportunity.

So now, while my attention drifts between the past and present, Cass and Lin are engaged in a debate of some sort (something about root vegetables I think) while Maiko alternates between watching them (mostly Lin if I’m properly gauging where her eyes are focused) and watching the forest behind us.  She seemed pretty confident that there’s nothing dangerous on this island in her scouting earlier, but I suppose you don’t live out in the woods avoiding human beings for years without maintaining a certain degree of situational awareness as a matter of course.

But as for the past…

Not for the first time (I think?), I woke up to the sound of Cass knocking on the door and Maiko answering it.  I tried to tune out the self-satisfied “where would you be without your apprentice?” comments as I got ready to go.

Cheeky child.

A portion of the supplies, including the ones Cass’s parents sent her over with (how does that child regularly manage to carry more than me?), we left at the house for Maiko to load into her boat while we walked to the Village.  If anyone asked why we weren’t taking much with us we’d tell them that the walk from the house to the beach was shorter than the walk from house to Village and we’d be collecting them on the way.  Technically the truth too, although as it happened no one actually noticed or asked.

I’d like to call the walk with Cass an invigorating start to our journey, but the truth was I was still groggy and trying not to pettily resent her energy.  Also sore all over.  The upper half still from the boat exercise two days before and the lower half from yesterday’s trek.  Thankfully Lin handled most of today’s rowing so I’m feeling fairly alright now.  

Oh, and I established, rowing is when you’re going backwards, paddling is when you’re going forwards.  The Village boats you row; Maiko’s boat you paddle.

You are reading story The Archivist’s Journal at novel35.com

Getting back to chronological order, Lin was waiting for us already down at the docks with the boat already loaded up and ready to go.  Vernon, Norman, and Marva were there too to see us off.  I was relieved to see that there wasn’t more of a crowd.  I imagine Cass was as well when Marva gave her a necklace that she and Norman had made for her.  A good luck charm they said.  Not an artifact or anything, but weighty in sentiment and symbolism all the same.  At first I thought Cass was embarrassed over it, but once we were in the boat I’m pretty sure that wasn’t “a splash from all of us getting in at once” that she claimed to be wiping off her face.

Good for her.

And then we were off, and so far things have gone as planned.  We went up to the cove, met with Maiko, rearranged supplies and passengers, went over the notes and info I’d gotten from Tristan yesterday, and then out to sea we went.  Tristan’s info mostly jived with Maiko’s memory and she was able to identify a particular landmark on one of the islands he mentioned (a cave open to the water large enough to pilot multiple boats into) as a turning point where we would adjust our route to head to the healing spring instead of Iole.

 

Just got distracted there for a few minutes by laughter from the others.  I missed what the joke was, but it looks like they’ve finally managed to draw Maiko into the conversation and she’s not glancing over her shoulder anymore.  I’m glad for her.  I think today’s been about the happiest I’ve seen her apart from that time I walked in on her and Lin making dinner.  Genuinely excited as we were getting ready to set off from the cove earlier and now at ease and talking freely.  By her standards anyway.  I suspect to a stranger she’d still come across as quiet and somewhere between subdued and standoffish, but having known her for a while now and been living with her it’s obvious.  Especially compared to when we first met.

Okay now they’ve noticed me staring and are telling me to get over there and join them.  I told them “five minutes.”  So, quickly wrapping up:

• We spent most of the day rowing (well, our boat rowing, theirs paddling).  Lin and Maiko did most of the work, but I got a few shifts in, and looking over at the others from time to time, so did Cass.
• Sticking right next to one another was more than we could manage and might not have been totally safe anyway, but we kept within easy shouting distance.
• This island was the only one we stopped at, as much as I would have loved to explore the others we passed by.
• We stopped a few hours before sundown.  Maiko wanted to be sure to have time to scout out wherever we stopped to make sure it was safe and see what could be foraged.
• After we pulled the boats up onto the beach I loaned the pale ring to Lin so she could go scout with Maiko while Cass and I stayed with the boats.  Didn’t want anyone alone, but didn’t want the boats unattended and those two had the most experience poking around the woods looking at strange plants.
• Like I said earlier, nothing dangerous found, and they brought back some fruits that they were both pretty sure were safe.  Apparently Maiko’s a bit more casual about that than Lin, but then again, she seems to have a more tolerant digestive system than the rest of us.

And that brings us to the present.  The present that’s pestering me to finish up already.

I’m lucky to have them.

 

You can find story with these keywords: The Archivist’s Journal, Read The Archivist’s Journal, The Archivist’s Journal novel, The Archivist’s Journal book, The Archivist’s Journal story, The Archivist’s Journal full, The Archivist’s Journal Latest Chapter