Chapter 11
“Effie needs time to heal up! She can’t make the journey as thin as she is, and who knows how far we have to go!” argued Cole, frustrated with Melanee wanting to leave tomorrow.
“We also can’t risk her getting caught! She is kind of obviously not from here, no one knows her, she looks at everything like it’s amazing and her mind is exploding. She stands out! If we leave now we’ll probably be fine, we have food to pack, and Effie has healed a lot in the 2 days she’s been here, the medicinals and food are doing her well. She will be completely healthy in no time!” Melanee rebutled as she packed for the trip. “We’ll leave in the night just before morning, that way we can avoid being seen.”
“I’m fine guys, I love it here, I’ll stay as long as you guys say but I am ready to see my friends again and can start when you say go.” Effie said, trying to appeal to both sides.
Melanee opened a closet, pausing her packing. “We need protection too, what are you good with Effie?”
Various survival tools lined the back wall of the closet: a short shovel, walking sticks, a few knives, some flint firestarters, and about 7 swords of different sizes and styles. Effie eyed them up and down, thinking hard on what she wanted to protect herself with. She grabbed a fire starter, and one long sword caught her eye. Is the blade made of glass?? The chrome like finish to the blade was actually transparent. Long black stripes, like obsidian, span the length of the sword. The handle had a single gemstone, some type of blue crystal.
“You have good tastes.” Melanee smiled, handing Effie the gleaming blade.
Melanee grabs her favorite go to weapons, her long staff and a sharp short dagger with a fun tassel hanging off it’s handle. She could see Effie smiling at the style of her choice. “I received this dagger while outside the city, on a quest to see what lies beyond to the east. It was a crazy place, trees as tall as mountains, and mountains even taller. I found these people who live in the trees and they gave me this to remind me of them when I left. Their food was a little unusual, a lot of mushrooms and moss, but good people.”
“Wow! That’s amazing! Sorry I know, I am amazed at everything, ha ha, but it’s fascinating!” Effie chuckled. “What was the place called?”
“Stargazer. They believed the answers to everything lied in the stars. They could even see them up close with this glass tube pointed at the sky. I liked seeing the stars but I didn’t get what they were trying to say.” Melanee said as she handed the other longsword to Cole. He brought a knife everywhere for the garden but a sword would be better. Who knows what kind of desperate or mean people they could cross on the way.
“Ugh fine, we’ll go, be sure to pack snacks. I don’t want to end up eating moss.” He laughed putting his sword on his belt.
Night was falling soon, as Melanee packed their bags, and Cole said his goodbyes to Rose, Effie was finding any food or seeds she could. Hoping to bring to feed her friends, and to plant to bring abundance to everyone.
She slept well the night before but dreamt of all the possibilities to grow in a garden of their own. They would have to find land outside of town, plant as much as they could, and keep it hidden till it's enough food to help others grow their own food. It would have to be successful, she couldn't fail at any time. She would have to succeed in getting the seeds out of the city, succeed in getting back to her people, and successfully turn it into food before someone tries to stop them.
The other villagers could rat me out. The guards could catch me. That’s even if we ever find Jerrico and the others. Since the food always regenerates, like magic, to its whole form, I think I’ll have to take whole pieces of food out with me, then possibly bury the entire fruit to get it to grow. But what if it doesn’t rot. Surely the food had to rot at some point right?? How can I find out from Cole without including him. Who knows what that would mean to him, me stealing his garden secrets. His family has kept this secret for this whole time. And I think I understand why, they don’t want to share but also because it could mean the hungry would try to take it.
You know what, I’ll get foods that grow more from their whole selves. Like onions, potatoes, they grow right out of themselves and new food continues. I could have onions go to seed and maybe those seeds will make more onions. And potatoes grow in the ground already. Then I need something hearty. Like beans. Yes beans, I’ll get every kind I can, they are filling and grow quickly. And they are a seed themselves so I’ll plant them and they’ll do just fine.
So while unattended, Effie grabbed as much as her bag could hold, it being a bag that seemed to contain so much, it eventually did fill. Hopefully it would be enough to benefit as many people as possible.
“Ready to go?” Cole asked as he stood at the end of a row of garlic. “Why are you out in the garden getting food, we have prepared food in the house?”
“I…wanted it fresh…” Effie tried to think, she wasn’t use to lying.
She was obviously hiding something, her face gave her away. Cole thought.
“You are hoping to bring it home huh?” Cole asked, grabbing a few garlic as he walked closer to Effie. “You could have asked me, I would tell you why that’s not the best idea.”
Effie considered Cole a nice guy for helping her, but she wasn’t sure she could trust him, even now. “Why is it not?”
“Because. The fruit doesn’t grow like that. It’s been… modified. The plant will always be perfectly as it is.” Cole said as he put the garlic in Effie’s hand. Turning away he said “Let me show you.”
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