Chapter 72: Day 71

Day 71,

Maiko was missing from the campsite when the rest of us woke this morning.  I instinctively feared the worst, but Cass calmly pointed out that she’d probably just gone back to the front of the island to watch the other islands that we pass over.  She was right of course.

It was Lin that started chastising Maiko for running off on her own.  We still didn’t know if it was safe to be alone here.  Wasn’t it Maiko herself who brought up the possibility of easily offended nature sprites?

Maiko didn’t take well to that and started going on about how she’s been fine on her own for years and can watch out for herself better than any of us can and didn’t ask to be looked after.

Of course that got Lin going on about how when Maiko asked to join us that was asking to be part of the group and friends look out for each other.  And moreover it was Lin’s job specifically to make sure everyone’s safe and well (not sure when she appointed herself as such but it didn’t seem like a good time to argue it).

Around that time Maiko’s tone shifted toward anger as she started saying that this was a fun trip outdoors for all of us it was serious for her and she didn’t care about this flying rock or the stupid house.  

Cass and I took this as our cue to intervene and try to prevent things from escalating any further.  Eventually we reached a compromise of things seemed safe so far, so we’re probably alright splitting up so long as we’re wearing the bracelets while doing so.  That way we can find our way back to one another and in the off chance that something bad does happen the rest of us can come help.  Circuitous paths aside, this place isn’t that big, and if you cut a straight line to anywhere you can get there fairly quickly

Begrudgingly, Maiko put the bracelet back on and asked to be left alone.  We obliged and returned to investigating the house.

Once again, I made a more detailed recording of findings as we went in the other notebook so just summarizing here:

• The bedrooms we found were mostly devoid of personal effects.  I suspect it’s a matter of them being guest bedrooms rather than belonging to Priscilla and her husband.  Pat did mention their friends coming and reclaiming things after the two disappeared, so that may be part of it as well.
• While we found easels, canvases, and music/instrument stands in what we’ve dubbed the living room, no actual instruments or art supplies yet.  Possibly for the same reason.  Or possibly still in those locked rooms.
• There was a painting fallen from the wall in one of the second-floor bedrooms though.  It looked to be a group portrait of what I presume to be Priscilla’s friend group.  As much fun as we had speculating about it, there’s no real way to know who’s who.
• The other bedroom had a landscape of the Village from above.  It looks like it’s barely changed at all.
• Haven’t found a key yet.  Then again, this place is a mess.
• Cass tried climbing the tree that’s grown through the house but there wasn’t enough room around it for her to fit through the hole in the first-floor ceiling around it and we’re not ready to start dismantling things yet to make room.
• Re-examined the kitchen and we realized that the sink had a hand pump over it rather than a regular faucet.  Couldn’t get any water from it.
• Found another, larger hand pump outside swallowed up by bushes.

Taking a break for lunch right now.  Lin’s gone to take food to Maiko and apologize for the earlier argument.  Cass is working that outside pump.  She seems half convinced that if she goes at it long and hard enough the water will start flowing.  The squeaking hasn’t gotten too annoying yet, so I’m content to let her do as she wishes for now.

Also, it seems that at some point during the night we’ve turned so that we’re now going more north than west.

 

Lin took a long time to get back, but with the bracelets we weren’t too worried.  We’d said we’d wait for her before doing any exploration of the house, so we ended up exploring the woods instead.  Cass figured that if Priscilla and her husband were building and doing maintenance on the house themselves, they might have a tool shed nearby.  We didn’t find one, but it was nice just sort of losing oneself in nature.  We eventually just decided to walk until we hit the edge, take in the view for a while and come back.

It was getting late by the time we got back and Lin and Maiko were there already.  Apparently it didn’t look like we’d be passing near enough to anything to make it out clearly for the rest of the day.  They appeared to have made up, or at least reached a truce.  We spent the rest of the afternoon/evening filling each other in on what all we’d seen.  What we’d found in the house, descriptions of islands we went over from Lin and Maiko, unfamiliar plants we saw while hiking from Cass, that sort of thing.

During that hanging out, we got to experience the odd sensation of the whole island rotating ninety degrees or so.  Not changing course; as far as we can tell we’re still going the same direction, just what had been the “left” side (or should I say “port”? or maybe “lardboard”?  it’s sort of like a ship) before is the new “front” of the island.  Funny, I would have expected a more gradual change if it was going to pivot like that.

 

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