Young Writers Society

It really wasn't that big of a deal for her to talk to someone about this. All she had to do was pass by one of the guards when leaving the gate, which wouldn't take much time at all.

Evaline looked at the window, noting how the sun was almost done setting, and dusk would arrive soon.

"Yeah," she said, dropping the topic and then reaching in her bag again to pull out the first item: a few of the tree roots to aid sleep, freshly cut.

"Speaking of sleep, I thought I'd give you more of these." She reached out to hand it to him since there wasn't exactly anywhere to put it at the moment. "I thought you'd like it, just in case," she added with a hint of a smile.

James took the roots with a smile and a nod. "Thank you. I'm sure these will be helpful."

He found himself clipping his sentence short there. He could feel their time running short as the sunset started painting the sky through the windows. He knew she was busy, and she had a life of her own, and she needed to get going.

He didn't want to rush this. But she'd come with no intent to stay around for long, and he didn't want to waste her time. Not if she was busy. Not if she didn't want to stay.

But he wished she would stay. Just a little longer.

Evaline nodded, reaching in for her bag again. She thought about giving James instructions on how to make the tea again, but it was so straightforward, she figured he would be able to make it again without a problem.

"Almost done," she said as she prepared the next items. She glanced up at him. "I did say I'd provide the resources for cooking, didn't I?"

She pulled out a few small jars of spices, all labeled with her handwriting. Salt, black pepper, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes. She handed it to him one at a time, but didn't stop there.

"And also just a few fresh ingredients I saved for you in case you didn't have access to it here." She pulled out a cloth bag and briefly untied it to show fresh rosemary, thyme, basil, and a garlic bulb. She tied it back and handed it to him.

"And that's it," she announced, patting her now-empty bag that now felt weightless. "Hopefully this all helps."

About halfway through the gifting process, James had to pause to set things down on his cot to free his hands to receive the rest of the spices and herbs. He looked down at all of them with the strangest empty feeling. Somewhere in there, there was gratitude, and something else. But it all seemed dulled.

"I guess I don't have any excuses now. I'll have to start making real food," he said as a joke.

"Glad my plan worked," Evaline said with a small smile as she looked over at his kitchen. At least, it was supposed to be a kitchen. There was only a wood stove in there for now.

"Considering there aren't any tables, looks like you'll first have to start on the floor," she said.

James laughed a little. "I'll have to make a table, then. It would be useful for more than just cooking, anyway."

Evaline looked around his cottage again. It wasn't like the place was particularly big, but it felt like it since there wasn't much in here. It was almost comical that all the items she gave him were on his bed.

"And maybe a little shelf to put all the items in," she said. "Unless you want to sleep with the books."

James looked around the cottage, trying to visually see where things would fit, and he nodded slowly.

"I'll make it work," he said softly.

Evaline slung the empty bag around her back and then looked out the door.

"Well, that's it then," she said, pausing for a moment before looking back at James standing beside the cot. "Is there anything else you need or want? Anything I should know to make your stay more comfortable?"

Stay a little longer.

That was what he wanted to say.

"No," he said. "But thank you. Evaline."

"It's my pleasure," Evaline said as she glanced out the window again.

If she left now, she'd be able to ride back and get past the gate before dark. She'd have to walk a bit in the dark before the next campsite, but the moon provided enough light for her to see.

"Okay then." She opened the door, stepping out. "I'll stop bothering you so you can get back to your farmer duties. See you next week?"

She looked back at him for confirmation.

James smiled.

"I'll see you then," he said. "Travel safe."

Evaline returned the smile weakly, then stepped away and untied Ellie's leash, leading her down to the open area before hopping back on her. Evaline looked over her shoulder, watching James as she gave him a little wave.

"Bye, James."

And then she was off.

For a minute, James watched as Evaline disappeared along with the setting sun, and for a minute, he sat with the gaping hole in his heart where an emotion was supposed to be.

And then he went off to take care of Elliot, and put him back in the shed for the night. Then Bubby, and then he put all of his gifts away, he washed up, he made tea, and he went to bed, and pretended that all of this was normal, because that was the only way he knew how to hold everything that had been placed in his hands without ruining it.

Over the next few days, he started to divide his days into portions. In the mornings, he would wake up before the sunrise, eat, then feed Bubby. He'd put on his shoes and head out to the shed, where he'd feed Elliot, let him out, and then go out with him for a morning ride around the property. When they came back, the sun would just be over the horizon, and James would get to work on the fields.

Before noon, he would pause to eat something small, and then he would tend to the smaller garden he was starting beside the cottage. An hour past noon, he would reserve the next few hours towards planning, drafting, and building furniture.

The first day was mostly about sketching out the dimensions and plans for the table, bench, and bookshelf he was looking to make. It wasn't going to be anything ornate, but he wanted it to be sturdy, clean-cut, and functional. Collecting wood and hauling it back became a group effort between him and Elliot, who helped tow a chopped tree back to the cottage. He ended up setting up a makeshift wood shop outside the shed, where he had easy access to the tools he neede to get everything done.

When there was an hour or so left of daylight, he would clean up, board Elliot back up, bring one last bucket of water back to the house from the well, and settle into the cottage for the night. He'd make a simple dinner, experiment a little with the herbs and spices Evaline supplied, and read one of the books she'd given him while he ate while Bubby sat on his shoulder, usually picking away at some food scraps he supplied him.

Then, he would wash up, make just enough tea for himself, read some more, and finally turn in to sleep.

It was always once he lied down that everything seemed to catch up to him. He found that if he pushed himself as much as he could (physically) in the day, then he would fall asleep sooner, with less time for things to sink in.

Despite Evaline's warnings to read slowly, James found himself speeding through the books. But this was not an issue, as he would reread chapters, sections, and whole portions of the book to let the information sink in. He was learning the history of an entire planet, and though he knew he wasn't expected to know more than the average person on earth, he knew he had a lot of catching up to do to get to that point.

It was helpful to learn what life was like in the past. They numbered their years, and he was supposed to be (approximately) the year 2050, and now it was year 2200. The Genetic War & Rebellion that was often referenced didn't happen until after "his time," but he still found it useful to know how the world had changed and had been shaped throughout history. According to his cover story, he traveled to the future just before the war occured in the latter half of 2050. So essentially, he missed it.

Would people think he was lucky? It wasn't like he time-traveled intentionally to escape a war, since it hadn't happened yet. But would people ask him if he might've seen it coming?

He read on, and in his readings, discovered that, just as it was in Nye, the people who survived were the ones who shaped history with their personal bias as it was retold. He was only getting the perspective of those who were powered - and their take on the war was essentially: "Non-powered humans are greedy, we had to go to war, and they lost." The addendum at the end seemed half-hearted at best. They tried to recognize "the contribuition nonpowered humans made to mankind" and how it would not be forgotten, but seeing as he was only reading the story from a powered human's perspective, it had been forgotten.

Then again, maybe he was just bristled by the idea of people like him not existing anymore. People without magic, or powers.

Though... he didn't know if he fit into that category anymore. He hadn't had any dreams since he'd been around Evaline, and that was five years ago. She was right to wonder if he still had them or not. And it seemed like he didn't. He hadn't dreamt of throwing grass on her face...

Though he had dreamt of other things. Things he would forget as much as he could after a long day of work.

In any case, the books were helpful. As far as history after the Genetic War & Rebellion, the people with powers won, peace was established, and there were no wars for a century until the most recent uprising that Evaline played a part in that aimed to overthrow the governmental establishment that was built in the sectors.

As he suspected, the majority of those in government in the sectors were people with time-related powers. There apparently was a long history of trial and error in establishing their government so it was a "perfect balance" and "established peace." Of course, he was skeptical, and read the information critically. Any form of government that warranted any kind of uprising likely had underlying issues. Often times peace only meant appeasement. That, or the alternative was to silence those who had a quarrel with fear and/or violence.

So he wasn't surprised when he read about their governing system in more detail. A lot of the things he'd already learned from Evaline, but reading it helped him understand it more. Jobs were based on powers, males were given infertility shots at birth, marriage was a series of compatability tests due to children with "uncontrollable" powers being born as the result of an "incompatable" match. Apparently they'd discovered a way to remove people's "violent gene" before they were born by whatever scientific means the earth had... but he didn't quite believe that.

If there was a recent war, there was no way there was actually a "violent gene." Bullshit.

Only three days had passed, and he had already plowed his way through all of the books. And it was fine. It wasn't like there was anyone around to know he was spending more time reading than he was sleeping.

It was about midday, on the fourth day of the second week since he'd arrived at Terra, and the fourth day of the third week since he'd been on Earth. That amounted to a little over half a month of time. James was sanding the top of the table he'd been building outside of the shed. He was grateful for clear skies, so he didn't have to worry about the wood getting wet or morphing. As he bent over the surface of the table with a piece of sandpaper, he was humming to himself, until he heard a voice.

"Psst. You. Hey, you!" he suddenly heard. The voice was coming from the fence nearby.

He paused and looked up, pulling down the bandana around his nose that he'd had to keep himself from breathing in sanded wood. He squinted into the distance, seeing what looked like a woman in a dress leaning on the fence, with her arms crossed on one of the beams. She was staring at him.

For a moment, he paused, looking down at his table, then up at her. He didn't really feel like yelling, so he set his things down, wiped his hands off on his pants, and walked over towards the fence. She noticed this and walked up the fenceline so they would meet faster. When he made it over, they were both standing on either side of the fence's opening - the part where the path cut through it. Where Josiah usually drove through with his... wagon. He still wasn't sure what to call it.

"So I finally meet my new neighbor," the woman said, looking him up and down. "I thought you'd be taller and older."

James glanced back at the shed, then looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. "I don't know what gave you that impression. I thought you'd be - oh, I don't know - more likely to tell me your name first, upon first meeting. But what are we if we don't subvert expectations? I'm James. You are?"

The woman stood there, blinked, and then grinned. Now that he was closer, he got a better look at her. She looked to be around his age - though probaby a bit younger. She was a bit shorter, and she looked like was strong from working on a farm. Her skin was tanned from the sun, and she had brown hair, tied at the nape of her neck, and partially hidden by a straw hat. Her sundress was maroon, had buttons all down the front, and the sleeves went to her elbows. It was flowy, and caught the faint breeze as it rippled around her shins.

"Isabel," she said with a little curtsy as she lifted the side of her dress. "But hey, no hard feelings that you're not as tall or old as I thought." She gave him another look-down.

"You sound disappointed," James said, going up to the fence to lean on it with one arm as he stuck his other hand in his pocket. "But it's nice to meet you, Isabel."

Without prompt, Isabel lifted herself over the fence, sitting on the wider part of the beam so that she'd be facing his farm. She dangled her legs over, kicking the air slowly.

"To be fair," she said as she stared at his cottage, "the last person who lived in this farm was probably like a hundred years old. So I was expecting the same."

"When did they pass?" he asked. "I'm assuming that's why they don't live here anymore."

Isabel grinned, shifting her attention back to him and putting on a fake spooky voice. "Ooooh, they didn't. Old man Hank haunts the land." She then dropped the act and laughed at her own joke. "What, you don't see him around your land at night?"

James turned to look out at the farm and shrugged. "I must've scared him off," he said.

She paused and pursed her lips. "Yeah, what's your deal?" she asked. "I think you're scaring off all the people here, but I'm not afraid of you." She narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. "Didja do something?"

James looked up at her, narrowing his eyes back for a moment. "Oh, I don't know," he said nonchalantly. "What have you heard?"

"That you came in with the time witch and that you jumped in line to come here," she said. "Something something about how you don't know how to farm? Oh, I heard this one rumor that you have a pet donkey. And that you're big and scary, but, ehhhh. False."

James hummed. "No big, scary, old men here. Just me. And my pet horse. Not donkey. And I do know how to farm."

"Huh," Isabel said as she paused for a moment to think. "What's the difference?"

"Between a horse and a donkey?" James asked. "Quite a lot more than you'd think, actually. Though they are both beasts of burden, anatomically there are some very obvious outward differences. Like their tails, and their ears, their skeletal structure, and their size."

"That's nice," Isabel said, but it became clear that she didn't pay attention. "So anyways, what are you growing?"

"Potatoes and carrots at the moment," he said.

"Ah," she said, then sighed. "I'm growing beans. Ya know, bean farmer Isabel. That's me. Growing all the beans."

"You don't sound very excited. Are you tired of beans?" he asked, looking up at her as she sat on the fence post.

"Maybe I wouldn't be..." She then took a deep breath and put her hands around her mouth. "If I got to grow anything else since I've been here!" she yelled out in the open air. She then dropped her hands and shrugged, smiling as she shifted her attention back to him. "But ya know. I keep the beans happy, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, of course," James said with a small smile. "Someone has to keep them in high spirits. It's an important job."

"Thank you," she emphasized as she threw her hand up in the air. "That's what I've been saying. People think I'm weird for singing to my plants, but isn't that why I'm the BEAN FARMER? People these days."

"They really just don't understand," James said. "I'm sure you sing them lovely bean songs."

Isabel nodded eagerly. "Yeah, maybe I'll sing your plants carrot or potato songs. They need their own melodies."

"I would be honored if you taught me a song to sing them," James said. "Though I'm sure you'd carry a better tune, with all of your experience."

"Oh, I can definitely do that," she said as she gazed out to his field. "But your plants haven't sprouted yet, so I'll have to come back to this later."

"Fair enough," James said with a nod.

"So anyways." She kicked her legs up in the air again, going back and forth between the two legs. "You're not as scary as old man Hank, so far. Although... hm... we'll see."

James raised his eyebrows. "Having doubts?"

She shrugged. "Maaaaaybe. Why, you gonna surprise me?"

"I can't imagine with what. Unless seeing a horse--"

"THINK FAST!" Isabel suddenly said, leaping off the fence and jumping towards him.

James's eyes went wide, and although he hadn't been expecting her to throw herself at him, his reflexes kicked in. His arms went out, and he widened his stance, and he just managed to scoop her up before she collided with the fence or hit the ground. As her weight rammed right into his chest, he grunted, and he started lowering her to the ground slowly.

"Congratulations," she said with a big grin as she face him. "You have muscles."

James let go of her, letting her stand on her own two feet, and he pulled away, standing up straight and shaking his head a little.

"And you have..." he said thinly. "Spontaneity."

"I hear that a lot," Isabel said. She shrugged as she took a few steps back, doing a twirl as she did. Her skirt fluttered around her legs as she repositioned her hat. "So, this is your land, huh?" She gestured to the open space around them. "Kinda sad, not gonna lie."

"I'm slowly working on it. I've only been here a week and a half," James said. "Give it some time."

"A week and a half?" she echoed. "I've been here..." She paused and then looked down at her hand, her fingers counting up like she was trying to count the time with it. "Six years," she finally said. "And let me tell ya, it's so booooring sometimes."

"I can imagine so. Do you live alone out there? On your bean farm," he asked.

"No," she said like it was obvious. "I live with my beans."

"Oh, my mistake," James said with a small grin. "With any other humans, I mean."

She shook her head. "Nah," she said, looking like she wanted to say more, but didn't.

James only looked at her expectantly with his brows slightly raised, waiting to see if she would spill or not.

Instead, Isabel smiled and pointed at the barn. "So, you said you have a donkey?"

James scoffed, but smiled. "Horse," he said. "And you can meet him if you want. His name is Elliot."

Isabel's face seemed to brighten up a little, but then she scrunched her face. "What do you even do with a horse? Milk it?"

James laughed. "Oh, god--" he almost said gods. They didn't have gods here, right? "No. But you can actually hook them up to a plow, and you can ride them, and play with them, and well, you know. They can pull things."

He started walking towards the barn and waved his hand for her to follow. "Come. See."

Isabel skipped up to him, then walked next to him with her hands behind her back. "Sounds neat," she said. "I don't know why there aren't more around here. Sounds like they can be kind of useful."

"Very much so," James said, deciding not to be the one to break the news to her that horses were apparently extinct on earth since, as far as his backstory went, he probably wouldn't know that with certainty anyway.

A brief silence passed and suddenly Isabel poked his side. He had to intentionally tell himself not to flinch or lash out, because he could feel his brain telling him to do so.

"Soooooo?" she said. "You didn't answer my question earlier. Like, what's your deal, mystery man?"

James laughed loosely. "I - well, I don't know. It's not like I did anything, really. I don't know why no one else has come by. Apart from Josiah, anyway. He stops by in the mornings."

Isabel hummed this over, hands around her back again. "Do you live alone?" she asked instead.

James looked at the shed door as they approached, and stopped in front of it, setting his hand on the door handle.

"I think Elliot would be offended if I said yes," he said, pushing the door open.

Inside, Elliot was standing in his stall, with his head over the door, looking at them. His head bounced up and down when he saw James.

Isabel's eye lit up as she looked Elliot up and down. "Oooh, he's like a weird... muscular... cow."

James tried to suppress a laugh. "I suppose that is one way to describe him," James said. He looked at her, then in the shed. "You can go to him, if you'd like. He's tame as long as you don't antagonize him. He likes--"

Before he even finished saying everything, Isabel was already briskly walking forward towards Elliot, but then stopped in front of him. She set her hand out in front of her then gave him an abrupt poke on the side of his neck. Elliot didn't seem to react, only staring at Isabel with curious eyes. Smiling, Isabel slowly started to give him some pats.

"Yeah," she said casually. "He's basically a muscular cow, but with more hair."

James followed in behind her, watching as Elliot seemed to enjoy the new attention.

"Yes," James said. "And he likes the pets. If you keep that up, he'll love you forever."

"Ohohoho," Isabel mockingly laughed, suddenly using both hands to pet him at two different spots. "Hear that, big cow?" she said to Elliot. "You can live with me instead."

"Careful now," James said teasingly. "Elliot will always love me most."

"For now," Isabel said with a sneer as she looked back at him.

"Does this mean you'll be coming by to visit more often?" James said

Isabel slowed her pets and smirked. "Why, want me to?"

James looked away with a small shrug. "I wouldn't mind it. Like you said. It gets a little boring out here, sometimes."

She laughed and gave one last pat to Elliot, but kept her hand on his neck as she looked back at James. "Sure. But you'll have to come to my farm too so you can hear me sing to my beans."

"Naturally," James replied, glancing out the window of the shed. "I assume you're the house I've been seeing through the grove of trees over there. Yours is the one with the pointed roof and the brick chimney?"

Isabel smiled, looking pleased that he guessed right. "That's me alright. I'll wave at you through my window."

"I'll be watching for that, then," he said. "I don't know if I'll be by today, of course, but... I might stop by tomorrow. I've been trying to keep myself busy. As you can tell, the farm needs a lot of work."

"Ew," Isabel said as she casually walked away from Elliot and skipped past James. "Work. That's boring."

James glanced back at Elliot, and while Isabel wasn't looking, briefly scratched behind his ear before following Isabel out of the shed. He closed the door behind them.

"I actually quite enjoy working," James said. "I find it fulfilling."

Isabel gave the farm one final look. "Hey, that's good to know," she said. "I'll just ask you any time I don't feel like doing something."

James laughed. "Tempted to discover the limits of my generosity, I see," he said.

She flashed him a grin and started to walk backwards towards the fence. "Yeah. See you tomorrow?"

"Sure."

She nodded and gave him a big wave. "Have fun with your boring work!" she said before turning around and running back to her farm even though there was no rush.

James shook his head and walked back to his half-sanded table.

At least he got to meet one of his neighbors.

Over the last few days, Bubby's health was showing great promise, and on the fifth day of the second week since James had arrived in Terra, he finally took off the little bird's splint, letting its healed wing free.

James had set the little bird on his table. He'd finished it yesterday, and the stain had dried in the early morning sun. Bubby flapped his wings rapidly, bouncing on the table. Hopping, at first, then catching some air, tumbling, and rolling across the wooden surface.

"It's okay, little guy," he said softly. "Sometimes it takes time to regain the strength to fly again."

Bubby, however, was quite persistent. He fluttered his little wings and made it a few inches up, and then a little higher, and a little higher. James didn't know much about the birds, so he didn't know if Bubby was overexerting himself, but it seemed like he was getting the hang of flying again. Bubby buzzed over to James, and started squeaking a high-pitched tune as he started flying around James's head in circles.

Bubby was better.

James tried to turn around without distrupting Bubby's pattern of flight, but then Bubby seemed to get excited, and he started flying all around the cottage. Up, down, into the rafters, and over to the window. He bumped against the glass a few times, and James walked over.

"I want you to be free to fly wherever you wish," James said. "But you need to be with your own kind, not on your own. I'll need to find a hive for you. Or a nest. Whatever you'd call it."

Bubby was still trying to get through the glass, bumping his head against it over and over. James sighed, and held out his hand. Bubby had come to learn that the motion often meant food or pets, so he plopped right into James's palm.

"I'm going to visit Isabel," he said. "I need you to be good."

Bubby rolled around in his palm, sticking his feet up in the air, and he chirped.

"I'll have to ask her if she knows of any nests nearby. You've been spoiled for too long. You need to find a home again, and not just with me," he said as he made his way to the door. He hoped that Bubby wouldn't fly off.

When he stepped out, Bubby did take flight, but he seemed a little lost, and without direction. Fortunately, James had planned for this. He pulled out a berry from his front pocket, and waved it in Bubby's direction. Bubby came swooping back down into his hand.

"There we go. Now let's see Isabel."

The walk to her house wasn't very long. Once he passed the fence that divided their land, it was maybe half a mile to the grove of trees, where he found a small dirt path that carved through it. It looked well-worn, like Isabel probably used it often.

When he came out of the thick of the trees, the land before him was clear. The house was the closest thing to him, but beyond it, he saw the fields stretching across her land.

Many, many beans.

Her house was simple as well, but it looked less worn, and it was bigger than his. It looked like it had at least three rooms, as opposed to his single-room cottage. The walls of the house were made of brick, and the roofing of the house looked like clay shingles, which would well withstand all types of weather.

At the moment, there was no smoke coming from the chimney, but he did see one of the front windows open up as he approached. He stuck Bubby on his shoulder, and Bubby stayed there, nestling up against his neck.

As he approached, he could see Isabel lean forward out the window, waving at him. He was about a minute away from being within earshot.

"Jaaaaaams!" she yelled at him from the distance. "Is that yoooou?"

James did not think they were remotely to the point of friendship that warranted nicknames, but he'd long since passed the point of caring what other people called him. He'd gone by a dozen different aliases. This was hardly that much different.

He waved back as he approached, speeding up his pace a little until he was only a handful of feet from the front of the home. Isabel had a small dirt path leading up to her front door, and small flower beds on either side that sat under her home's south- facing windows.

Bubby started to chirp by his ear when Isabel disappeared from the window and reappeared coming out the door only seconds later, dramatically opening the door and leaning against the frame.

"Welcome to the Isabel Residence," she said as she gestured around them. "Much better than your farm."

"I feel so welcome," James said with a small, wry grin. "It's only my first time here and I've already been insulted."

"Yeah, well." She grinned and walked towards him to poke his stomach. "Better get used to it."

James tensed just a little at the poke - though not noticably so - even though he saw it coming. As he inched back just a little, Bubby decided to make himself known with an excited screech. James looked down to his shoulder and scooped Bubby out of his collar, so that he could be seen, now held in his hands.

"I suppose you should meet this little bumblebird," James said. "Since he's so vocal about existing."

Isabel leaned in, staring at the bumblebird before looking back at him with a smirk. "Bumblebird?" she echoed. "That's cute. I'll remember that. Sounds better than bug bird."

James watched as Bubby started walking in circles in his hands, chirping a little song.

"I'm guessing you're not familiar with them?" he asked.

She gestured to the thicket of trees behind her farm that lined the fencepost separating her farm from her distant neighbor. "There's a noisy swarm over there, probably. Why do you have one, anyways?"

James's eyes lit up a little and followed where she pointed. "It found me," he said simply, fixing his gaze on the thicket. "I think it got separated from its swarm. I was looking to return it."

Isabel stared at Bubby again and then reached her hand out like she was going to poke him, but instead rolled him out of his palm.

"There," she said matter-of-factly. "All done."

James twitched, and watched as Bubby tried to break his fall with a flap of his wings. James knew Bubby still needed to work up his strength more. He didn't know if he could just let him go free and trust that Bubby wouldn't get scooped up by a predator before he even made it to a hive.

James bent down and offered his hand to Bubby, who gratefully hopped back into it.

"I want to make sure he actually makes it there," James said, not revealing his concern, but feeling it twist up in his chest as he looked Bubby over. His wings were fine.

"Awwww," Isabel said as she bent down with him. "You didn't tell me his lil wings were broken! Being a bird without flappy wings..." She gave Bubby a gentle poke this time. "Sad little bug bird."

"They're not broken anymore," James emphasized. "But he's still getting his strength back. Which is why I wanted to bring him to a hive myself. To make sure he gets there safely."

Isabel pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at him for a second. "You're kind of weird," she murmured as she stood up. "But sure, as your guide to the Isabel Residence, I can show you around some trees."

James stood up, and Bubby tucked up his legs and rolled around his hand, like he was playing. James carefully cupped his hands so Bubby wouldnt' roll out again.

"Thank you," he said. "I appreciate it."

"Sure thing," she said as she started to make her way behind her house. "First we'll find this birdy's family. And then I'll show you my beans."

"Sounds like a plan," James said, closing his hands around Bubby for a second before opening them again. Bubby seemed to enjoy the little game. Every time he'd trap him, Bubby would go quiet, and when he opened them again, Bubby would chirp happily.

"So, what," Isabel began after only a few moments of silence between them as they walked towards the trees. She glanced at Bubby every time he chirped. "Bumblebird show up at your doorstep or something?"

"Something like that," James said, suppressing a smile as Bubby tickled the inside of his hand with fluttering wings. "I found him in my pocket. He was already hurt."

"Heh, what'd you do, sit on it?"

James looked up at her. "What? God, no. I only -- it was my coat pocket. I don't know how he got hurt. But I figured it was probably my fault anyway, so I wanted to make sure I saw through to his recovery."

Isabel hummed this over, thinking. "What's that mean? You give it some bugs to monch on and show it how to fly again?"

"More or less," James said. "Though I discovered it will eat just about anything."

"Not my beans, though!" she said defiantly.

"No, no, he would never do that," James said, looking down at Bubby. "He's more interested in berries and squealing in the middle of the night."

They neared a few trees, but Isabel kept walking forward. She seemed to have a place in mind.

"Oh, I know that," she said. "Sometimes in the middle of the summer, it's like, deafening. They won't shut up."

"Sounds about right," James said.

"Why do you even care, anyways?" she asked. "They're basically pests if they, ya know, didn't eat pests."

James hummed, opening his hands again, watching Bubby dance and chirp.

"I don't know..." he said. "I couldn't just leave him."

Isabel stopped for a moment but then resumed. "Lemme guess. You're from the sectors too, and they brainwashed you to think that we can talk to animals or something, and the circle of life doesn't exist."

She didn't wait for him to answer.

"Well, let me tell you something!" She stopped to point at him accusingly. "You're Farmer Jams now, and you gotta accept that bugs are bad."

James looked up at Isabel innocently. "Most bugs, yes. But some bugs are helpful."

Isabel shivered at the thought and turned back to keep walking. "Anything with more than four legs is creepy."

James grinned, and sped up his pace a little more so he was walking beside her again. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah," she said. "What, you hiding more legs from me?"

"If I was, I don't know where I would hide them," he said. "I'm pretty sure you would be able to tell."

She hopped over a small boulder instead of going around it. "Okay, but if I hit you upside the head one day, it's because I found your extra legs."

"And not for any other reason," James said, sticking Bubby on his shoulder as he hopped over the boulder behind her.

"Ehhh. Probably other reasons too." She pointed ahead of them at a specific tree in particular. It was large and weathered, and there was a hole in the middle of the trunk.

"There's a tree, by the way," she said. It was hard to tell if she was referencing a random tree or if she was saying that was where the bumblebirds were hiding.

"Oh, yes. I see. There are many trees," James said with sarcasm.

Isabel nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yeah. And that one's real nice."

"It's got a nice, hive-shaped hole in it. I hope it's only bumblebirds that live in there," he said.

"I dunno, let's go ask it."

She sharply inhaled. "HEY!" she yelled. "COME OUT! WE HAVE YOUR FRIEND!"

Normal, bigger birds first fluttered from the trees nearby and up into the sky as she abruptly yelled, and there were a few more noises as other critters seemed to run away.

Her plan seemed to work though, because a few bumblebirds lazily flew out of the hole and flew around the tree. Even from a short distance away, James could tell that these bumblebirds were different. They were brown instead of white, slightly bigger, and flew faster. James glaced at Isabel, and then decided to take a page out of her book. He scooped Bubby up into his hands and started running for the tree, leaping over tree roots and rocks until he approached the base of it.

Isabel grinned and bounded after him, also running until she approached the tree too. "You gonna release it?" she asked.

"I was thinking something more direct," James said. Then he opened his coat pocket, where he had several berries hidden. When Bubby noticed them, he nose-dived into James's pocket. Then, James looked up the tree. He quickly noted branches, hand-holds, and which parts looked sturdier than others, and then he grabbed onto the lowest branch and started climbing.

"Ohhhhh," Isabel sounded out as she watched him climb. "I get it. You're going to release it at the top branch and force it to fly again."

James laughed a little. He was climbing quickly, weaving his head through the branches.

"Actually, I figured I'd go easy on him," he called back.

"What does that mean?" she asked loudly from the ground.

"Sometimes," James said, rounding up towards the tree's hole. "You just have to watch to find out!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" she suddenly said.

James paused, looking down. "What?"

She looked like she was thinking really hard, but then her face brightened up and she grinned. "You're wingin' it."

James stared at her blankly for a solid second before letting out a weak laugh.

"Brilliant," he said as he pulled himself up towards the hole. He balanced himself with one arm gripping a branch above him and his legs holding tension beween two lower branches. With his free hand, he scooped Bubby out of his pocket - along with the remaining berries - and gently set him at the edge of the hole. When he peered inside, he could see what looked like an overdeveloped bird's nest, with several little holes and movement from the many bumblebirds inside. There were several that came out as he set Bubby in, but they weren't hostile. They mostly seemed attracted to the berries. They swarmed around Bubby, and Bubby didn't hesitate to join right in, eating as much of the berries as he could before the rest was eaten up by the others.

A few of the brown bumblebirds started squeaking and coming out around him, like they were curious if there was more food, but when it became clear he had no more food to offer, they seemed to lose interest.

James stayed just a moment to watch as the bumblebirds backed away from Bubby. Bubby was okay. In fact, he looked at home, as he immediately started following some of the bumblebirds deeper inside the hive, beyond where James could see.

"Heeeeeey!" Isabel yelled from below, interrupting the moment. "How's it going up there?"

"He's okay," James said.

"No, I meant like, how's the view up there? Can you spy on the neighbors?"

James hadn't really looked around. From where he was, there were quite a few branches obstructing his vision. He hummed, and climbed a little higher to get a better view. When he poked his head through the branches, he could see other distant farms. The majority of them had bigger homes, and bigger fields, but he couldn't make out people from here. But there was another home not too far off, just beyond the end of the thicket.

The house looked like it was painted a fading yellow, and it looked to be a two-story home with a porch and a balcony. There was a bigger barn a little beyond it that looked like it house animals, and there was an animal pen, but he couldn't quite make out what animals they had. Cows, maybe? Isabel said cows existed on earth.

Their fields were alread sprouting, and if he had to guess from what little he could make out, they were probably growing more roots, and maybe... cotton? He could make out two figures standing in the field. It looked like two men, probably.

He didn't know what Isabel expected him to find, but it was nothing particularly interesting, and surely nothing new to her.

He started climbing down the tree.

Isabel outstretched her arms below. "If you jump, I can catch you," she said.

James didn't want to assume things, but he had a very strong feeling she couldn't live up to that statement. He continued to climb down as quickly as possible.

When he was one branch away from the ground, he felt what felt like small pellets hitting his back.

"See?" Isabel said as she continued to flick bumblebirds towards him. "They just bounce. I think your bird is broken."

James turned to look back at her, but then decided to ignore her. He jumped down and then stood up straight, turning back to face her. She flicked one last bird at his chest, and it bounced off and flew away, seemingly unaffected.

"Boing," she said as the bird bounced off.

"Not all people are the same," James said, brushing the front of his shirt. "I assume birds can be the same way."

Isabel looked like she was trying to let that sink in for a moment, but then shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. I know I can't climb trees like you can. Hurts my hands."

James glanced down at his own hands. His calluses were so thick he wasn't really bothered by the scraping of bark. He shrugged. "Fair enough."

"Okay, bird mission is done, so you know what that means?" Isabel said with a glint in her eye. Suddenly she then sprinted forward. "Race you back to the farm!" she called as she ran.

James hesitated, but only for a second, as he looked back up the tree. Then, he tore away from it, quickly building speed. At first, as they bounded through the thicket, Isabel had the lead. She knew the way out, and seemed to know the easier path to take through the boulders and underbrush. But the moment they came bursting out of the thick of the trees, James was gaining on her. He could feel his ankle tempting to give, but he pushed forward, finally passing her. As she fell behind, he made it to the edge of her bean fields, and finally to the front of her home. He slowed to a stop, turning around with his heart racing.

"Hey, no fair!" Isabel said between heavy breaths as she finally caught up to him, coming to a stop. She smiled as she took a moment to put her hands on her knees, catching her breath. "You're taller, so that's why you won."

"You're the one who started the race in the first place!" James said, still catching his breath.

"Yeah, but I've been practicing!" she said stubbornly, still with a playful smile. "You're supposed to lose!"

"If I just let you win that's hardly a fair race, is it? Don't you want to win fair and square?"

Isabel scrunched up her nose and put on her best mocking voice. "iF I jUst LeT yOu wIn thAt's HardLy a FaIr RaCe," she mocked.

"Oh, real mature," James said with a playful smile. "With that attitude you're in perfect shape to be a winner."

"Thanks," she said with a triumphantly smile as she straightened herself up. "I've also been practicing my mockery."

James rolled his eyes. "Maybe practice a little more," he said teasingly.

Isabel grinned and wiped the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand before placing both hands on her hips. "And that's why I have you as my test subject," she said proudly.

James took in a deep breath and sighed, finally having caught his breath. "Okay. Are you going to show me your beans, now?"

"Yes!" Isabel said a bit too loud and eagerly, clearly excited. She started to walk towards the fields, beckoning for him to follow as she started talking with a million words per minute.

"This first row is the oldest. Three years. Three years I got them to live! The other ones aren't as strong. They wilt out and I have to harvest the bean seeds and replant in the spring, but for the most part, they generally live for a year. I try to space it out so I don't have to do alllll the work in one month, you know? One row at a time. But it's not so bad!" She finally looked back at him to make sure he was following, and he was.

"This one's the tallest one," she said as she pointed at the one in front of her at the front row. "Probably because I sing to it the most." She kneeled down and touched some of the leaves.

"What kind of songs do you sing to it?" James asked, watching her.

"All sorts," she said, attention still directed at the plant. "Sometimes just little melodies in my head. Other times, actual songs. Maybe something random. Depends on what I think the plants want."

James hummed, looking down at her and the plant with his hands in his pockets. He was quiet for a moment.

"Want to hear a song?" she asked with a smile, turning her head to face him.

"Of course."

She nodded and stood up straight, clearing her throat.



It was a short playful song, and she even did a few dance moves with each line, signaling with her hands that something was small and round, then kneeling to the ground, pretending to water the plant, rise up into the air, and finally poke James as she finished the song.

She finished with a grin, watching his reaction.

James smiled, and then gave her a small round of applause.

"Thank you, thank you," Isabel said as she bowed, looking pleased. "I call that my tall bean song."

"It's quite catchy," James said. "With the rhythm and the rhyme, it works very well."

She shrugged, now walking down the field where the smaller bean plants were. "I usually don't sing words, but it's a nice change of pace."

To demonstrate, she started to hum various melodies. This stretched on for at least a minute as she walked, and it was like she was humming an orchestrated song that seemed more complex than the tune she just sang.

"There," she said as she started to walk backwards down the open pathway of the field, hands behind her back. "Like that."

James nodded as he followed her.

"Do you play any instruments?" he asked.

"I wish," she said. "That's okay, though. My voice is my instrument."

"That it is," James agreed as he looked out over the rows of beans.

"You should sing too!" she suddenly exclaimed. "Oooh, my beans would love that."

James laughed a little. "I don't know about that. I'm not really a singer."

Isabel threw her hands up in the air. "Oh, who cares! Do it for the beans."

James looked at Isabel for a moment with his eyebrows pulled together, but then he sighed.

"Do it do it do it do it," Isabel prodded, almost slurring her words.

"You really want me to that badly?" James asked, egging her on.

"Puh-leeeaaasse?" she sounded out, mocking a beg.

"Okay, okay," James said with a shake of his head as he looked around at the field of beans. Isabel stopped walking, looking eager and excited to hear him sing. This wasn't even close to the stupidest or most embarassing thing he'd ever done, but it did feel a little silly. He hoped that, if anything, it would help secure whatever strange friendship they had. He needed at least one ally out here, and Isabel was friendly. A little blunt, and a lot spontaneous, but she wasn't cruel or demeaning.

Finally, after one more sigh, he started to sing as he looked to the plants.





When he finished, he could see Isabel eyeing him intently, not wanting to interrupt.

"Oh wow," she said when it was clear the song was over. "Did you just make that up? That's pretty good."

"Sometimes I get lucky," he said with a shrug. "This was one of those times. I don't remember all of it now, though."

"You gotta write down your songs, otherwise you'll lose it!" she barked at him. "How else can I remember to sing your song again?"

James smiled apologetically. "I'll have to write it down when I have a chance, I suppose. I didn't expect to be making up a song on the spot today."

Isabel nodded quickly, looking deep in thought. "You know what? You should just write me some songs in general. Yeah. That works."

"About... beans?" he asked. "More bean songs?"

She smiled and gestured around her, spinning slowly. "Or sunshine, or sky, or dirt, or grass, anything! Beans don't discriminate."

"Good to know."

He didn't know what Isabel had just signed him up for, but he hoped she wouldn't pester him about it too often. He didn't know how many more farm-related songs he had left in him.

"Yeah, yeah, that'd be great," she continued to think out loud. "You make the lyrics. I make the melody. This is a perfect friendship."

Friendship. So she already considered him a friend.

She started to walk down the path again, ranting more about the history of her bean plants and pointing out specific ones to talk about. This went on for some time, complete with random bean facts here and there. When she seemed to run out of bean facts to talk about, they made their way back down the path so that she could give him a tour of her house.

She said she had lived in Terra for six years, and it looked to be that way. It was completely furnished, but the furniture looked to be hand-me-downs, rather than handcrafted herself. She had some houseplants in pots here and there, and there were papers strewn about the place. It was overall fairly messy, and she didn't even point it out as she gave him the tour. It must have been a fairly common living space for her.

"And that completes the Isabel Residence tour," she said as they left the house again. "Much more complete and less sad than your farm."

James looked over at Isabel and blinked slowly. "You know. Speaking of my sad farm. I should probably go back to it so I can keep trying to make it less sad."

"Boooo," she said as she stuck her tongue out. "But okay. I guess we're competing for coolest farm now."

"And I have a lot of catching up to do, so I hope you don't mind me leaving for now," James said with a dip of his head as he backed away, starting to walk back to his farm.

"For now," she loudly echoed back to him as he walked away. "Bring your donkey next time!"

"Oh, you want Elliot to come over?" James said back.

"I think it's Elliot who wants to come over since I have the coolest farm right now, so."

"I'll have to confirm that with him personally," James said a little louder, as he was gradually gaining distance, but still walking partially backwards.

Isabel snickered. "See ya later, Jams!"

"Goodbye, Isabel!"

And with that, he turned around and walked away, returning to his farm. Now that Bubby had found a home again, James could focus back on other things. Like furnishing his home, expanding the fields of his farm, and taking care of Elliot.



It was the first day of the third week on Terra. James had expected Evaline the day prior, but she didn't show. He worried for a while that something had happened to her, or that she'd forgotten, or any number of alternatives that his mind began to play through on repeat, but by the time morning came - after an exceptionally long night of tossing and turning - he decided there was nothing he could do about it. He would just have to wait. Either for Evaline, or for news of Evaline. He hoped it would be the former.

After he'd finished the table, he completed a bench for it, along with a small side-table that he set beside his bed. He was planning on making a bookshelf next, but that would take more planning, and more wood. He spent an hour in the morning making measurements inside the cottage for where it would best fit in the small space. Since he was building it himself, he wanted to make it as accomodating as possible.

In the late afternoon, he was back to hauling wood. He'd brought a sizeable pile by his outdoor workshop by the shed, and he started taking a smooth blade to the outside of a long log, peeling off the outer layer of bark. It was tedious, as he didn't have a full set of carpenter's tools, but he was making it work.

He was sitting on the middle of the log scraping against the grain when he saw someone coming down the road. He immediately recognized it as Evaline.

He glanced over at Elliot, who was wandering in the nearby field with a rope anchoring him to the shed. Elliot's head lifted up as well, noticing their visitors.

James hopped off the log, set the blade aside, and wiped pieces of wood and bark off his pants. Before Evaline came up to the cottage, he hurried inside just to make sure everything was neat and clean. He tidied up a little, putting his books in a neater stack on his side-table, and reorganizing the herbs and spices he'd put on the table. He also hastily dusted off the table's surface before going to the door. When he opened it and looked out, Evaline was just riding up on Ellie.

"Sorry I'm late," she said quickly as she hopped off Ellie and briskly walked up to the cottage, leash in hand. "I -- well..." She paused in front of the wooden beam in front of the cottage, focusing on tying the end of the leash. "Good to see you again," she said instead.

"Is everything alright?" James asked as he walked up to her, stopping a few feet away.

"Of course," she said as she finished tying up the knot. She stood up and faced him. "And you? Everything alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," James said. "Oh, and uh - Bubby got better. I found a hive to return him to a few days ago."

Evaline tilted her head, studying him. "Is that so?" she murmured then tore her gaze away and looked out into the fields. "There was a hive in a nearby tree, I assume?"

"Yes," James answered. "I met my neighbor over beyond the fence." He pointed with his thumb. "She was able to point me to a hive."

Evaline looked out to where he pointed and gave him an approving nod. "I'm glad your neighbor was able to point you to a hive," she said, then paused. "Did you only meet the one neighbor?"

James pursed his lips and looked off to the side. Then he shrugged.

"She came to meet me, not the other way around," he said. "I haven't gone out of my way to meet anyone, and no one else has come besides her and Josiah, the head farmer."

Evaline nodded slowly. "I've talked to Josiah a few times. I haven't talked to anyone else here, though. But I've heard that people generally keep to themselves here. I should have warned you ahead of time."

"I don't mind it," James said. It was a partial truth. James didn't know what he minded anymore.

She looked out into his fields again. "Been busy farming this week?" she asked instead.

James followed her gaze. "I have been farming, yes," he said. "But for the time being I diverted some of my energy to -- well, maybe I should just show you." He looked back at the cottage. "Would you like to step inside?"

Evaline flitted her eyes between him and the door before giving him a smile small and shrugging. "Sure," she said as she held the bag's strap slung across her chest. "I brought you a few more items, so you'll have to place it somewhere."

"I think I'll have less problems with that," he said with a small grin as he strode over to the door, opening it for her. She hesitated, but then entered, giving him a small nod of appreciation. James let her walk in first before he came in behind her.

Evaline took a few steps forward and immediately saw the new furniture items. "Oh wow," she said, looking impressed. "You weren't kidding when you said you'd make a table."

"I mean, I needed one," James said. "It's a useful thing to have."

She chuckled. "Yeah. Now you don't have to prepare your food on the floor."

Evaline walked closer to the table, touching the wood and brushing it against her fingers. "I guess I just didn't realize you knew how to make furniture," she commented as she diverted her attention to the bench and then the small table by his cot where he placed the books. "Pleasantly surprised, is all."

"I've picked up a number of different skills, here and there," he said. "Of course, this isn't anything near what a professional could craft, but it's functional."

"That's all that's needed, really," she said as she tapped the table and then looked back at him with a small smile. "It's perfect."

James reciprocated the small smile. "I'm glad you think so."

A small silence passed and then she lifted her hand and dug through her bag.

"So, I brought you a few things," she said. "That's one of the reasons why I was late. It took some time to get."

She then pulled out what looked to be a large notepad with squares and numbers. "Last week, I saw that you were keeping track of your days here, so I thought I'd get you a calendar." She handed it to him. "I marked the current day, and I've also translated it to lunar cycles for you so you can best understand it. Hopefully this makes it easier."

James took the calendar, looking it over, and flipping through pages.

"You... you remembered how calendars work on Nye," he said with a small laugh.

Evaline didn't respond right away. "I guess it is kind of odd since I didn't have a calendar to follow back then," she said as she started the sentence with a slight laugh as well. "But I suppose it kind of stuck after I had to translate Earth's system to Nye's."

James hummed, still inspecting the calendar, and the numbered dates, and the named months.

"You were very invested in figuring it out," he said quietly, in thought. "I can see why it'd stick." But after five years?

"It's not much different than you wanting to keep track of the days here," she said back, brushing away his comment. "I'm sure you'll quickly learn and memorize the new calendar system too."

"Well, now that I have one to look at, I'm sure I will," he said. He set the calendar on the table. "Thank you. It... helps to keep track of time here."

"I'm glad it'll help," Evaline said as she dug through her bag again. "Speaking of keeping track of things, I thought maybe you'd like another journal, just in case."

She pulled out and handed him a new hard-covered journal, looking similar to the one he had. Or, used to have.

He took the journal, trying not to meet her eyes until he knew he could hide the sudden pang of something he didn't want to name or think about. He pushed it back.

"This is really thoughtful," he said, turning the journal over in his hands. "I... I hope you're not going out of your way to find these just for me."