Chapter 1789

"Why are you bringing seeds to a picnic?" Jude asked.

"Because I might find something interesting."

"It’s a picnic, Stella."

"And I might find something interesting during the picnic."

Jude nodded. "Fair enough."

They followed the narrow path that wound between the trees. The morning air was cool, and sunlight slipped through the branches in shifting golden patches. Small birds hopped along the path ahead of them, occasionally stopping to inspect the travellers before darting away.

Scarlet walked beside Jude, swinging her empty hand.

"You know," she said, "we should have brought a cart."

"We don’t own a cart."

"Then we should build one."

"For a picnic?"

"For future picnics."

"Perhaps we should build a house on the meadow too."

Scarlet considered that. "Actually, that’s not a bad idea."

"Please don’t encourage her," Susan called from behind.

The path gradually widened as they left the thicker forest. Soon the trees opened onto a broad green meadow, where tall grass swayed beneath the breeze. Beyond it, a waterfall descended from a rocky ledge into a clear pool. The sound of falling water filled the quiet space, and a thin mist drifted above the rocks.

For a moment, everyone stopped.

Even Scarlet had nothing to say.

Jude set down the baskets. "Well, I think we found our place."

They spread the blankets beneath a large tree near the water. Rose and Sophie arranged the food, while Emma and Serena filled the wooden cups. Lucy immediately wandered toward the edge of the pool, followed by Zoey, who warned her not to step onto the slippery stones.

"I know how to walk," Lucy protested.

"You also know how to fall," Zoey replied.

"That happened once."

"Three times."

"Two and a half."

Jude laughed as he helped Grace arrange the fruit. The food was simple: roasted roots, soft yellow bread, sliced fruit, mushrooms they had gathered the previous day, and a little honey preserved in a clay jar. It was more than enough for everyone.

They ate slowly, enjoying the breeze and the sound of the waterfall. Conversation drifted from one subject to another. Natalie suggested planting more fruit trees near the western path. Stella wanted to collect seeds from the meadow flowers. Layla proposed keeping a record of the island’s different plants, including which ones were safe to eat.

"That’s a sensible idea," Jude said.

Layla gave him a satisfied look. "Unlike Scarlet’s cart."

"Why does everyone keep bringing up my cart?" Scarlet asked.

"Because you haven’t stopped talking about it," Rose answered.

After lunch, Jude and Serena walked along the edge of the meadow to inspect a patch of unusual flowers. Their petals were pale violet, with tiny silver markings near the centre.

"They weren’t here last time," Serena observed.

"Perhaps we simply didn’t notice them."

She crouched to examine one without touching it. "Do you think they could grow near the village?"

"Maybe. We can bring Stella over to look at them before taking any seeds."

Serena nodded. "She’ll be pleased."

When they returned, Stella was already examining a cluster of small plants near the rocks, while Grace had discovered that the meadow grass contained a few soft, edible shoots. Jude helped her gather some, and soon the others joined in.

The picnic slowly became an afternoon of wandering.

Rose and Emma sat beneath the tree, talking quietly. Susan and Natalie collected fallen branches for the walk back. Sophie and Zoey explored a small trail near the waterfall, while Lucy tried to convince Scarlet to join her in skipping stones across the pool.

Scarlet failed at the first attempt.

The stone sank immediately.

Lucy burst into laughter. "That was terrible!"

Scarlet folded her arms. "The water is unusually deep."

"Of course it is."

Jude watched them from the grass, shaking his head. "I’m glad we came."

Sophie returned with Zoey and sat beside him. "We should do this more often."

"We could make it a regular thing," he replied. "One day every few weeks, we leave the village behind and spend the afternoon somewhere else on the island."

"Not too often," Susan said as she approached. "Someone still has to look after the farms."

"Then we’ll take turns."

Rose smiled. "That sounds fair."

By late afternoon, they packed the remaining food and folded the blankets. The sun had begun to sink behind the trees, painting the waterfall in warm shades of gold.

Before leaving, Stella carefully collected a few fallen seeds from the meadow flowers and placed them inside her little carved box.

"Where will you plant them?" Jude asked.

"Near the western side of the village. Somewhere they can grow without being trampled."

"Then we’ll have to make a small flower garden."

Grace immediately agreed, and Rose suggested placing it beside the path leading to the central firepit.

Scarlet raised her hand. "And we can build a little bench there."

Jude looked at her. "No cart?"

"Not today."

They began the walk home as the first evening shadows stretched across the path. The baskets were lighter now, and their conversation became quieter as the familiar village came into view between the trees.

The cooking fires were still burning. A few lanterns had already been lit beneath the treehouses, and the animals were settling into their pens.

Jude placed the empty baskets beside the storehouse and looked around at the others.

"Tomorrow," he said, "we should plant those seeds."

"And repair the western fence," Natalie added.

"And finish sorting the vegetables," Susan reminded them.

Scarlet sighed dramatically. "Can’t we have one day without work?"

"You spent half the day eating," Rose replied.

"That was part of the picnic."

Everyone laughed, and even Scarlet eventually joined them.

As night settled over the village, the twelve women gathered around the fire with Jude. They talked about the meadow, the waterfall, the strange flowers, and the possibility of making the western path easier to travel.

There was no hurry to finish the conversation.

The island was quiet, the cabins were warm, and tomorrow would bring another ordinary day of planting, cooking, repairing, and discovering little things they had overlooked.

For now, that was enough.