With the Stars and Us - Chapter Three

“Thank you so much, Mary. You’re a real lifesaver,” Elli huffed as she lowered a dusty box of books onto the ground. “I kept meaning to do this but I didn’t know where to start!”

Mary nodded as she continued to log the collection. She tried to fight back a laugh at the realization she traveled miles away just to do the same thing she did back home.

Waffle Island was a lovely place. A lovely but terribly lonely place if the residents were any sign of that. They were upbeat and extremely accommodating, after all, they haven’t had many tourists in the last decade or so. It was overbearing at times. She explored what she could of the island, mostly the town and what she could of the coastline and someone was always there to ask if she needed anything. Even Toby, a fisherman with a reputation for being ‘very, very laid back’, had asked if she was lost and needed help getting back to the inn. She found herself at the Town Hall more often than not. No one seemed to go there but the staff. The library upstairs was even emptier. Even if the shelves and tables were immaculate, not a speck of dust to be found, Mary could tell no one had actually touched any of the books in years. Each volume of outdated encyclopedias and novels were packed tightly in those old, creaking shelves and made a loud ‘CRACK’ that echoed in the quiet building whenever she’d pull them out. Not even the books at her family’s library had been this neglected. Mary took it upon herself to help out with the library, feeling that it was her duty as a librarian.

Hamilton seemed reluctant to update the collection. Gill, however, pushed his father’s opinions aside and gave her the go ahead. Something about wanting to be ready for the future of the island and its possible youth in the future. She swore she heard him mutter about the books being old even when he was a child. Despite his griping, Mary found that there were some treasures in the collection such as mythology about Waffle Island’s own Harvest Goddess, the history of the island, fairy tales that she desperately wanted to devour the pages of when she had the chance, and a collection of old romance novels. All of it, even the outdated stuff, were amazing sources of inspiration for her own stories. She’d have to give them a proper read soon!

Hours passed.

They got through half the collection before giving up for the night. The next few days, the two of them would finish up the log then decide what to do with the ‘undesirables’. It felt wrong to just throw them out. They were a part of history, after all.

Mary stretched as she got out of her seat. The vertebrae in her back and neck popped as she did so. Huffs and groans escaped her, as if her body was thanking her for finally moving. Her eyes fell upon the last book on her desk.

‘Fauna of Waffle Island’

She blinked. A wave of nostalgia washed over her as she picked it up. A sturdy hardcover book, its corners rounded and dull with age and its pages also yellow. She flipped it around, taking in all the rest of the details. The spine was threatening to split in places, possibly showing how well loved this old text was once upon a time. Her fingers ran along the front cover. It was a plain deep green with embossed gold, or a material that looked like it, in the title and an unfamiliar flower. Or a possible herb from the area. Carefully, ever so carefully, she opened it and flipped through the pages. The faintest scent of lavender struggled to swim in the overwhelming scent that old books had, but she was able to pick up the notes nonetheless. The pages were mostly illustrated with some handwritten notes and typed up dictations under them.

It looked like something that her father would have written with her help.

She smiled. As she slipped it into her bag to take back to the inn, she made a mental note to properly take it out with Elli. There was serious doubt that this book would be of any use to her but…

It felt good for the soul.

THUMP!

A frustrated sigh tore itself from Mary’s throat as her bottom hit the ground. Pain rattled her tailbone as dull yet somehow still white-hot sensation ebbed in her cheeks. Despite all the hikes she took with her parents every week, she really wasn’t cut out for outdoorsy stuff, she felt.

Today, it was another day of exploring the island. She had explored the town and even what she could reach in the Caramel River District. She would’ve liked to slip between the large root and the boulder at the very edge of the farmer’s district but the thought of getting stuck and Angela finding her worse for wear was not worth it. Of course, she made work of Ganache Mines, or rather, the area surrounding it and the shops. There were only two places that Mary hadn’t been: Mount Gelato which was trapped behind an impossible boulder and Brownie Ranch. Apparently, there was a rock slide that kept the ranchers locked away from the rest of the island before she and Angela had arrived. The town spent days clearing up what they could. She swore she saw the ranchers around town every now and then, but it was rare.

Now she had a pretty good idea of why.

While it was perfectly manageable to climb over rocks that were too heavy to push or pull or too sturdy for Owen to handle… they were so out of the way and carrying anything above the wreckage must have been a major pain.

With a huff, Mary got onto her feet, dusted herself off and began to wander. The scent of the ocean and the nearby animals was overwhelming but welcoming. She didn’t hang out around the farms back home or anything. Memories of her and the other girls giving Claire surprise visits played in her mind. As did the memories of her family or her walking past Forever Ranch or by Yodel Ranch on their way to Mother Hill or when she was going to visit Gray at home. Wind whipped through her hair the closer she got to the cliffside. The sight of the sky and ocean melting into a brilliant azure beyond the horizon stole her breath away as did the realization that she had managed to walk this far out. Mineral Town was so small in comparison to Waffle Island, she felt. The town itself was smaller, she felt, but everything was so spread out on the island. There was so much space here. How could people not appreciate it? Why weren’t there more families here?

She bit her lip in thought as she continued to walk.

It was possible that she was just in the honeymoon phase.

Honeymoon.

Did Gray have a honeymoon?

Her stomach dropped. It was as if a blackhole had somehow fallen inside of her body and it was trying to suck every drop of her being inside of it.

No. She… wasn’t going to think of it. She sucked in a shaky breath, feeling her eyes growing hot, and dashed towards the hill. Her calves ached in a familiar way but she continued to march and march and march… before collapsing under a large tree.

It was a tree that looked familiar, well, as familiar as one could be in a town you had only been staying in for a short time. She laid on her back and stared up at the sky. Or what she could see of the sky through the gaps of the dancing leaves that scattered sunlight across her and the long grass. She hummed.

Oh, right.

There was a tree just like this near the town square… and maybe by Maple Lake. She hadn’t had the chance to take a look by Toby’s home. She swore she saw Angela wandering around there once or twice with her watering can in hand.

The flash of something red in the very corner of her eye caught her attention. Reluctantly, Mary sat up and crawled towards it. A lone red flower. A red flower that resembled a… crocus, perhaps? If it was, it definitely wasn’t a breed she was familiar with. She shuffled closer towards it. Pushing up her glasses, she leant over it and took in as many details as she could. This certainly didn’t look like any of the local flora on the island that she was aware of. It was so strange that it was growing all on its own here. Could someone have planted it?

She opened up her bag and pulled out the book from the library. Flipping through the pages, Mary scanned each page she could, probably skipping every second sentence, to find out what this was. That is, if it wasn’t something someone had planted recently.

Nothing.

Defeated, Mary dropped onto the ground again with a huff, taking care to not let the book get scuffed or dirty.

Her stomach growled. Oh, she had been walking all day. When was the last time she ate? Did she bring lunch? No. Of course not. That’d be called being smart and well-prepared. Her father’s voice called out in her head.

‘You’re surrounded with plenty of food and nutrition, my girl! Look around you!’

She snorted.

When she came to Waffle Island, she wasn’t expecting to have to settle for herbs torn out of the ground or wild fruits of potential dubious origin like when she was a little girl on a hike. Sighing, she got up and began to search for her next meal… or snack of desperation, if she was being honest. Sure, she could ask the ranchers if she could steal something to nibble on… but it left her feeling strange. Part of her knew that they probably would invite her to lunch if the way the other townsfolk treated her was a sign. But… She wasn’t even sure if she had a proper conversation with these folk until now.

So, blue and purple herbs it was. Was it like the wild grass back home? Oh Goddess, what did what again?

She groaned.

“Oh, Mary, are you feeling unwell?” Jin asked after taking a long swig of something and then chasing it down with his tea.

Mary shook her head, trying to avoid staring at the label of the Bodigizer. “Mmmm, no, nothing like that, Doctor.” She pulled out the book once again, dusted off the cover and held it out to him. “I, ah, I was wondering if you had a copy of this?”

Jin pushed up his glasses before reaching for it and taking a hard look. “...Ah, yes. Mine was a hand-me-down from my grandfather. It doesn’t look quite as nice as this one does.” Mary balked at that information. Was his copy even attached at the spine anymore for this one to be ‘nice’ in comparison? “I’m assuming you found this at the Town Hall? It’s quite a find.”

“Oh, um, I… I was wondering how… up to date or accurate it was?”

“...Out of date? That doesn’t feel too accurate to say but it could definitely use an update. I used it as a starting off point in my research,” he mused before taking another long sip of his tea. “Why?”

She tucked a loose hair behind her ear and gave him a sheepish smile. “I was… on a hike and neglected to, ah, bring a… lunch with me.” The librarian tried to ignore the frown he gave her. “I made sure to eat once I was back in town. Until then, I was picking herbs by the tree and coast in Brownie Ranch and…”

“Are you familiar with foraging, Mary?”

“Yes, actually. My father was a botanist–er, Naturalist would be the best way of putting it. He never got a degree in it officially but wrote plenty of books on fauna. We’d… take walks and hikes every week ever since I was old enough to walk… and collect flowers, herbs and whatever else for him to study.”

“Ah, good. So you knew what to look out for.”

“Yes… and no. While a lot of plantlife is similar to Mineral Town… there’s still quite a few differences that I couldn’t be sure about,” she said. She stepped towards the desk and hesitantly took the book back from the doctor. After a few seconds of flipping, she had found the section dedicated to herbs. “Back home, ours resemble… weeds. Weeds with a dandelion leaf like texture. They’re not too pleasant to eat, in my opinion, hah. I could never get quite used to it unless they were prepared in a certain tea bl–A-anyway. Here, they’re more… well, you’re probably aware.”

“I would compare it to eating raw spinach.”

“Yes! They’re more floral in scent and taste as well. On Mother Hill or in the woods back home, they’re bitter and plain in scent. Green and blue were best for your stamina. Others were good for if you were weak or ill or outright made you sick. There were more colors than here, unless I’ve missed some. I’ve only been here for not even a season after all–oh, forgive me! I’ve been rambling…”

Jin chuckled. “No, it’s fascinating and refreshing, actually. Save for my grandmother and I, I think Anissa and her family are the only ones who have any real knowledge in botany. Anissa more so–have you met her? I think you’d get along well, actually.”

Mary hummed. “I… I think we may have spoken a few times. I mostly stay in town and talk to Elli, though I'll make more of an effort to talk to her if I see her though.” She wasn’t sure if she would. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to socialize. She just wasn’t the most… social person to begin with. Anissa did come off like the kind of person she could get along with.

The doctor gave her a smile. “Good, good… Forgive me for being rude however, but, could you continue your story? You were by Alan’s Tree?”

“Alan’s Tree?”

“The large tree on the hill in Brownie Ranch’s fields. It has a red flower at the base, I believe…”

Mary’s eyes lit up. So the flower and the trees were of significance? Was that why there were similar trees in town? She cleared her throat. Focus, Mary.

“Ah, yes… With this book, I was able to figure out what would be good to tide me over until I made it back to the hotel. But, I was worried about if… I would get sick or worse later in the chance that someone discovered that blue herbs cause… something undesired.”

He shook his head.

“No, you should be fine. Most of the herbs are mostly harmless. I do have an updated copy of sorts,” he said as he got up from his seat and made his way to his shelf. He opened a cabinet and shuffled through it. He turned towards her with a messy three ring binder, loose pages threatening to fly out at a moment’s notice. A grimace flashed across his features when he noticed how unorganized it was. “Mmm… it’s kind of a mess. But here’s some notes I’ve collected during my career here. If it’ll give you peace of mind, you’re free to borrow it and look through the information inside. But rest assured, you’ll be fine.”

With hesitance, Mary took the binder and placed it on top of ‘Fauna of Waffle Island.’ She cracked open the cover and arranged the pages as neatly as she could inside. Oh, this would be a nightmare to carry around. If only it were a proper journal or a …

“...Doctor, would… Would you be opposed to…” She bit her tongue. “This isn’t me trying to impose… I’ve just had experience helping my father with his own books and my own stories. I occasionally binded my own–Sorry, I was wondering if you’d mind if I organized this into a proper book.”

Jin blinked. His arms crossed themselves as his eyebrows furrowed. She felt a flush wash across her face. Oh, Goddess, she definitely stepped on his toes with that offer–

“If… If it really isn’t a problem… I would appreciate your help. I haven’t had the time to, well, you can see right there. Are you sure though? You are on vacation after all. I’d hate for you to waste your t–”

“No, I don’t mind. I’m in the library all the time anyway. There’s some copying materials there and I brought my typewriter with me from back home. It can be something I do while Elli is at work. I’d be happy to take on this project.” She puffed out her chest. “I promise.”

A sheepish smile spread itself across the doctor’s face. “Well, thank you, Mary. It’s greatly appreciated.”

“I… might need your help with certain things though.”

“Oh, yes, of course. Like what?” He asked, eyes sparkling as he grabbed his now cool cup of tea and took a sip.

Mary sucked her teeth. “Dictation, if possible...Y-your handwriting is, ah… Well. It… It is a doctor’s handwriting.”

Jin choked on his tea.

Mary felt as if she had a purpose. At least for now. As monotonous as typing out Dr. Jin’s scattered notes could be, they served as a nice distraction from her own projects. Her… long neglected projects.

It just didn’t feel right working on that romance anymore.

That aside…

Progress on the encyclopedia was still good however. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever get over the doctor’s amazement with her typing speed. It was something that everyone back home seemed to be amazed by. As they came closer to the end of his current notes, Jin noted that some of his notes might have been out of date themselves. He also needed new illustrations or photographs for reference.

Mary stepped up again.

So now, here she was, disposable camera in hand, as she wandered the island with the first draft of the book in her bag for reference. Jin once again tried to decline her offer. ‘She was already helping with so much. He couldn’t possibly ask her to collect reference materials too.’ But, he did in the end.

Helping people is what she did all the time back home.

It was just rare for her to feel this kind of passion about a project like right now.

“Pontata root…” she murmured. That was in the mines… Judging by the way he’d sigh and how intense the scribbles in the margins of his original notes were for the tuber–no, that’s not what this particular type was called. She sighed. ‘If only Gray were here to help…’

No.

She’d manage.

Nervousness ate away at her when she acquired a mallet and small shovel and as she waved to Chloe and Owen on her way down the creaky steps in the mine itself. Owen yelled something at her but she was already out of earshot. The darkness was overwhelming. As was the cold dampness. She was expecting it to be hot and muggy down here… though, she was only one level down. She gripped on the handle of the mallet and the strap of her bag.

Okay, she could do this.

She wandered the level and found the steps down in the middle. Rinse and repeat for a couple of floors. There was something in the notes about how the roots could only be found every few floors. Ugh, no wonder why Jin seemed so… frustrated about this thing. It was probably rare to find because of how much of a pain it was to just have a chance of finding!

Every so often, Mary had to crush a rock to get to the stairs. It was easier said than done. There were times she simply climbed or jumped over the smaller rocks. That was also easier said than done. She wasn’t exactly dexterous or agile after all. Still, the fact that she was doing this at all was amazing. A little amazing, anyway. While she wasn’t above getting her hands dirty, she had never been so deep within any mines before!

Pride swelled in her chest.

She could definitely do this!

If only Gray could see her–

“Ugh! Sh-shut up!” She cried out. Her foot stomped on the ground as heat welled up in her eyes and swirled in her stomach. Huffing, she stomped towards the ladder. ‘Stop thinking about him, stop thinking about him, stop thinking about him–’

The feeling of the ground shifting–did something crack?–under her tore her from her thoughts. Her mind raced as she scanned the ground. Dirt rose from the ground and left trails in its wake. Before she could even try to decipher the sight, the ground rose once again under her feet. She wobbled and was sent crashing to the ground. Another crack echoed in the air. What was that?!

She squinted in the darkness and saw the earth coming back around and dashing towards her. A squeak escaped her as she scrambled to her feet. The too-heavy-for-her mallet was now raised and ready to strike. The earth split apart and…

A mole popped out.

Disbelief washed over her features. “Oh Goddess, of course that’s what that was!” she giggled. She then huffed and walked over to the mole, who was still blindly surveying the area, and gave it a small tap. It squeaked and dove back into the earth… but not without leaving something.

A small, pale bulb half-buried in the dirt.

Was that…?

She bent down and picked up the bulb. The texture reminded her of ginger. Her hands brushed along the sides and along the small leaves at top. This had to be it. The elusive pontata root. Excitement bubbled inside her as she shoved it into her bag. If she could find one of these on her first try…

Maybe it was naive of her to assume that she could find more.

No, it definitely was but she wanted to keep going. The more roots she had, the better it’d be for the doctor, she assumed.

Patiently, Mary waited for another mole to scurry across. The sounds of moisture dripping from stalactites rang in her ears as did the distant crackling which she assumed was just the ground slightly shifting. She wished she brought a flashlight with her. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark a long time ago, but, more light would’ve been nice.

Finally, the ground rolled and shifted again. A trailing mound swirled around her feet and then around some rocks in the distance. Mary dashed towards it, raising her mallet and getting ready to strike. The mole peeked out from it’s hole…

And she missed.

The mallet struck the rock beside it. Perhaps it was the wind up or simply because the rock was brittle, it immediately shattered under the weak pressure. A cloud of purple, almost glowing and neon in shade, shot from the earth. The scent of sulfur punched her in the face. The purple gas rushed into her senses. Her mind swirled as her body felt like she was walking into the ocean on a particularly windy day. Confusion took small, neat bites of her lucidity before utterly devouring it all.

She swayed in her spot.

“G-go… go… go t-there…” Her tongue felt heavy and too thick for her mouth. It was as if she swallowed an entire beehive. She stepped towards the direction of the stairs… or, so she thought.

Confusion led her in the opposite direction.

Then… the earth cracked under her feet. She wobbled in her spot. Panic pulsed through her veins as she tried to figure out what was going on! The crack grew wider and louder. She took a step forward… only for the ground to collapse under her.

A scream tore itself from her throat as she fell and fell and fell…

If she thought the tumble she took in Brownie Ranch was intense, she really had no idea. Stars of every hue exploded in her vision once she finally hit solid ground. Air expelled itself from her chest as she tried to collect herself. Light filled her eyes. She gasped and gasped and gasped. Her hands scrambled across the ground as she coughed and hacked. Ugh, oh Goddess, was she going to die?!

Adrenaline rocketed through her veins and sent her straight up onto her feet. Pain split itself through her right leg but she hobbled forward. Confusion, different from the one from before, still racked her sore body as she tried to figure out where she was.

It… looked like a ruin?

A ruin this far down? How far down was she even?

Oh… oh, she remembered hearing about someone they found down here just the other day.

She collapsed onto the ground in an exhausted heap once the adrenaline began to fade. It looked like she’d be stuck down here for a bit. Owen had seen her come down. Maybe he or someone else would find her?

Mary sniffed.

She was so stupid. What was she thinking?

Eventually, the former librarian was found and quickly escorted up the mines by Owen who carried her on his strong back. The gentle giant babbled about something. His tone was light and apologetic but she didn’t really pay attention. Humiliation had completely drowned out everything. She chewed on her bottom lip as she was brought to the clinic.

“What were you thinking?!” Jin cried out. His hands, shaking with either anger or in a way that reminded her of her mother’s when they ran out of coffee and it was Wednesday, stayed on his hips. “Going into the mines? Especially on your own? No escort? Miss Mary, with all due respect–”

“I-I’m sorry,” she forced out. Her voice shook as tears welled up in her dark eyes. “I… I know it won’t make… It won’t make up for my mistake. I. I remembered in your notes that the pontata root was hard… t-to come by. So…”

“I…” He sighed. “I… I’m sure you meant well. Really, I…”

“...Th-there’s… there’s one in my bag. I-it’s not… It’s not much b–”

Jin held his hands up as he sighed once again. “...Mary, thank you. The… the research and my gripes about the unavailability of certain herbs and medicinal materials is in no way worth getting hurt over though. I… I’ll be sure to use what you’ve given me though, it’s the least that I can do for the trouble you’ve put yourself through. Perhaps we should put the encyclopedia on hold or end things here, I’ll just have to take time to–”

She sighed. “...Please let me keep helping.”

“Mary–”

“No, Doctor, I realize that I pushed myself too far, but, I’d feel much better seeing this project to the end. You have your work cut out for you already here with the clinic. I really don’t have anything bett–I mean, I’d rather be working on this instead of wasting the day away at the hotel or the town hall library.”

“...Alright. But… Please take it easy. Maybe stay out of the mines–”

“There’s still specimens down there, isn’t there? What if… I ask Owen or Ramsey or even Angela to accompany me on future treks? I’m sure they wouldn’t mind collecting any plantlife they see for us if we tell them but I don’t want to distract them from their day job.”

Another sigh escaped the doctor. Then, he smiled.

“Alright, but remember to take time for yourself. Breaks are important. While it’d be nice to get this project finished before you leave whenever that may be… Your health and safety are more important than an encyclopedia.”

Mary nodded. “Of course.”