With the Stars and Us - Chapter Four

Spring turned into summer. The whispers of winter that still lingered in the air had melted away as the skies grew brighter and the breeze warmer. With how warm and clear the weather was, you could still see heavy storms on the literal horizon. Intense black clouds stained the cheerful blue like an ink blot on fresh parchment. Despite that, the residents seemed to be a little more energized. Though, that might have not been the case with Toby, who Mary had seen dozing as his rod threatened to be yanked into the lake.

Mary had been here for about a season.

She had never been away from home, at least on her own and for so long before. It was a little nerve wracking and exciting. It wasn’t the most grand of adventures, she knew that. It was just another quaint town full of lively and friendly people like her home. Perhaps that was what made things feel not as scary. Everyone was so accepting of her, plus, Elli was here.

Waffle Island would be missed if she ever left. She had made some friends here; Elli, of course, the clumsy Maya and headstrong Kathy who worked at Sundae Inn and Angela, who would accompany her more often than not in the mines. There was, of course, the doctor whom she was helping.

He wasn’t the most talkative but neither was she. There were a lot of silences between them. The comfortable kind. It reminded her of those days in the library back home, when Gray or even Claire would pop in and read a couple books. It felt wrong to go a day without seeing Jin. There were days where Mary didn’t make much progress at all with the notes or the typing but simply came in to see how he was doing. He’d put on a pot of almost eye wateringly strong tea and they’d sit there, either reading their notes or books they had brought in, while the faint hum of the fluorescent lights mingled with the muffled waves of the ocean outside.

Even as her drafts for her novels sat ignored on the desk in her hotel room, the drafts for their upcoming encyclopedia grew more detailed. She wasn’t sure what they would do for pictures, the general shop didn’t have the means to develop her photos–she thought that they mentioned a ‘nearby’ community called Castanet–and neither of them were particularly good at drawing. She considered asking her father for help. It’d be an option for the two of them once the storms had cleared up and she could be sure that packages or letters wouldn’t be destroyed or lost on the trip.

Mary watched as Jin scribbled down a few more notes. The fact that he took the time to make his mysterious runes a little more legible for her, especially with hands as shaky as his were, made her smile. The hum of the flickering fluorescent light above them, the rhythmic clacks and dings of her fingers blurring across the typewriter and the bubbling of a tea kettle had lulled the two into that familiar comfortable silence.

It was hard to believe that the two of them had a go at each other just a few nights ago. Mary still felt a little guilty and embarrassed about it. Their ‘fight’ wasn’t over anything serious. Well, overwork was something that needed to be taken seriously.

She had invited the doctor to see the fireworks and then maybe get a couple drinks later with her and her friends. He declined, stating that he was too busy to do such a thing. Mary understood that on some level. Though, something in her snapped. It wasn’t like she screamed at him or anything. She was sure that her voice was barely any louder than her regular mumbling. It was about the tone and the iciness of her words.

“Wasn’t it you that insisted that breaks were important, Doctor? How can one expect to listen to someone who doesn’t take their own advice?”

The look in his eyes and how he stepped back slightly made her instantly regret it… but he conceded. The night was fun, if a little awkward. Half because of the slight heaviness that lingered even as colors exploded in the sky… and when it turned out that Jin was an even bigger lightweight than she was.

Things were good.

Mary was on her way home from Praline Forest when it happened. A beam of intense color shot into the sky. It was impossible to miss. At first, she, and the carpenters, had thought it was just a strange bird or maybe something else that couldn’t be explained. When it began to arc into the distance and still hung in the sky, it was obvious what it was.

A rainbow.

A rainbow had returned to Waffle Island.

The townspeople ran into the town square, looking for the source and to just bathe in disbelief and the pure joy that something was happening. As clear as day, there was the rainbow at the base of Darren’s Tree.

Mary couldn’t believe she was here for such a historic event. She was hardly a local but she had heard and read the stories. Even Elli, who had been here for a few years, never dreamt of seeing such a thing happening during her tenure.

It was beautiful and filled everyone with a hope for the future.

As inspired as the rainbow made Mary, so inspired that she picked up one of her non-romantic works in progress and wrote a few pages, it made her wonder about her own future. Money wasn’t going to last forever. She still had quite a bit saved up and the owners of Sundae Inn were happy to keep housing her for the time being, even letting her pay week to week as she tried to figure out her stay.

When was she going back home?

Was she ever going to go back home? Or would she go somewhere else?

Similar thoughts plagued her mind as she took up a couple part-time jobs around the island. Partly to pass the time between The general store and hotel were her most common spots. They paid as well as they could but it was a struggle to find things for her to do about halfway through her shift. Every few days, she found herself helping out at the clinic or the town hall. Both places desperately needed help with bookkeeping and general organization. It made sense in the town hall’s case. Hamilton, as well-meaning as he was, was a bit of a scatterbrain and Gill breathing down his beck probably aggravated that. It also made a bit of sense in Jin’s case. As well put together as he appeared, Mary knew how caught up in his work he could be. It swallowed him whole and left him completely blind to the bigger details.

The bigger details being his cabinets and notes.

She didn’t mind helping him out.

Though, it felt strange to be working under your friend and collaborative partner… so as happy as she was to help out, it wracked her with guilt that she was getting paid for it. She was sure that it made him feel a little better about accepting her help but… Still.

So, she found herself at the town hall more often than not.

“Mary,” Gill called out to her one evening. “I won’t keep you for long, I just wanted to ask a few questions.”

“Oh, of course…!” She smoothed out her skirt and turned towards the blond. “What do you need to know?”

“...I’m sure you’re sick of hearing this question, but, how long are you staying on the island?”

“...Erm…”

“Have you considered living here?”

“E-excuse me?”

“I don’t need an answer right now, of course. I just think that you really have become a part of the community. Of course, I don’t have a lot of experience with tourists but… I’d imagine that not a lot of them step up to help out around the community like you have. You may think that it’s just because you’re not from here and we’re just being hospitable. I can assure you that I, and a few others, really do enjoy your company. I’d be happy to help you find employment. Perhaps right here at the town hall. Of course, we can build you a home in Maple Lake almost immediately. I think Dale would be up for the project now that Angela’s home has been extended–”

“I-I… This is a lot.”

“Sorry. I don’t mean to overwhelm or pressure you,” he said. A hand ran through his pale locks as his gaze fell upon her shoes. “I let myself get carried away. Whether or not you choose to live here or not is perfectly fine, I just want you to be com–”

“I-it’s alright. I’ll definitely give it some thought! I… I’ve really come to love it here. Even if it turns out that I’m not staying here forever and I leave… Waffle Island is a place I definitely want to return to again and again. I’d bring my family and friends back here with me if I could, heh.”

Gill smiled. “Whatever you choose, we’d be happy to have you back. Thank you for listening to my rambling, Mary. I’ll leave you be.”

“It’s no problem. I’ll try not to take too long.”

As more people began to move into the island over the next few days, Mary found herself seriously considering Gill’s offer more and more. The waters around the island were safe. Letters were now pouring in. Houses were starting to be built and filled up. But she wasn’t sure. Most of the people moving in were people who grew up here once upon a time. Who was she to just take up space?

“You may think that it’s just because you’re not from here and we’re just being hospitable. I can assure you that I, and a few others, really do enjoy your company.”

Gill’s words rang in Mary’s head as she shuffled through Jin’s notes about laver seaweed compared to green herbs.

“Is there something the matter?” Jin asked, plucking the woman from her thoughts. He placed a cup of tea on the desk next to her typewriter. “I know we aren’t the most talkative during our sessions, but you seem a little lost.”

Mary flushed. “I… I’ve just been thinking about my stay.”

He tilted his head to the side. “Oh?”

“I’ve been here for a while. Elli’s been able to focus on her baking again since I’ve started helping out at Town Hall and I’ve made some great friends here… But…”

“Are you wanting to go back home?”

“...I’m not sure. It’s. Well. I do miss my parents, our weekly hikes, Mineral Town itself and my… childhood friends. But I was never the most social there. It wasn’t as if I didn’t like anyone. Far from it. I was just content to keep helping my father with his books and library and to lose myself in my stories. Here… I think I’ve done so much more.” Her fingers drummed on the desk. “Gill asked if I would consider living here.”

“...Would you like to?”

“...Mmmm…” She bit her lip. Yes, she did. She really wouldn’t mind living here in a perfect world. It just felt so strange. She came here on a complete whim. Waffle Island and its people were a perfect distraction from… That pit formed in her stomach again. She shook the thought from her head. “...I-I’m not sure.”

“If… if it means anything, I’d be happy to see you stay here, Mary.”

Warmth blossomed inside her chest and lit her up for the rest of the day.

Once their writing session was over and the shops began to close, Mary dashed up the stairs and into the square. Gill was on his way out of the building, his back turned towards her as he locked the front door.

Out of breath but full of light, she placed her hand on his shoulder. “I-I… I’d love to move here!”

Gill blinked and smiled. “We’d love to have you stay, Mary.”

True to his word, construction on Mary’s house was somehow finished within a week at the most. Her savings had taken a massive hit but she was happy to make such a big step. Her parents were shocked, to say the least. They were shocked but supportive. Whether or not it was genuine support coming from pride about their little girl making such a big step or because they didn’t really have a choice in the matter and they were finding out through a staticky phone call… was something that Mary didn’t want to find the answer to.

She was happy that she was making such big steps on her own, but it was hard to ignore the reasons why she was making these steps in the first place. Desperately, Mary clung onto the positives. Privacy, a stable but flexible job, inspiration galore, and friends who encouraged her. Of course, these were things she also had in Mineral Town. There was no denying that Popuri, Karen and Ann weren’t outgoing and encouraged her to have fun too. Things changed as they all grew older, Mary felt. She was always a bit of a loner, one who appreciated her peppier friends bringing her along on adventures but…

Mary hummed.

She loved them all the same even if things weren’t the same as when they were kids. She hoped that one day, they could visit the island and her home. Sooner than later, ideally. With the seas being calm and people coming into town, it was very possible.

Her home was rather bare at the moment. She’d have to send for her things and slowly work on buying new furniture. Graciously, Dale had given her some with the home. He even asked what her preference for style was. Of course, things were pretty bare bones for now but that was okay. Things were simple but Mary was a simple woman. It all worked out.

Progress was being made on so much. Research on the summer plants were coming to a close with some notes needing to be taken on Angela’s blue herbs–Jin had wondered if there was a difference between wild or farmed strands–and honeydew for completionist’s sake. Mary took on gardening as well. The summer market and Angela’s business brought in some rarer seeds. She picked up lavender–though, they weren’t as nice thanks to being off-season, as it turned out– and blue herbs and pinkcats, like the ones back home. The former made for some good tea while the latter reminded her of halcyon days.

With Mary helping out at the Town Hall, Elli was able to pick up on her training with Yolanda a little more as well. It felt good that her friend was able to have more time to herself and make progress on what she came to Waffle Island for. The air had never smelled so sweet and fragrant. Every few days, Elli came into work or during Mary’s shift with a new container of a new recipe she was trying to perfect.

A slice of rich and perhaps a little too decadent chocolate cake was placed onto the desk as Mary sorted through the town’s mountain of mail. With the seas safer, Pascal was able to make more trips out. People had sent so much in that it was hard to get through them all! She understood that the water was why her letters and packages to and from Elli were delayed but she had no idea that it was this chaotic!

“Thank you, Elli,” Mary said with a smile. “I’ll have some once I finish finding all of Barbara and Simon’s letters. Phoebe sent out a lot while she was gone.”

“Take your time. Have you gotten anything? I’m sure it would’ve been delivered to your room at the inn, but we haven’t had the time.”

“I’ve found a few! I-it was a bit hard to not open them right away but it didn’t feel right taking a break when we’re this backed up.”

“Oooh, who’d you get letters from?”

Mary tucked a loose hair behind her ear. “Mmm… my parents, of course. Karen, Popuri, and Ann as well. I saw some from your family too. I’ve set your pile by Gill’s desk.” She shuffled through a few more envelopes. Lots of promotions from local businesses to Angela, who was making some astounding progress of own on the farm. A name stuck out on the new stack.

Gray.

A jolt ran through her chest at the sight as she stared at the name in the corner. She reread the line a dozen times before it sank in. No, this wasn’t Mineral Town’s Gray. It was from Flowerbud. She relaxed, somewhat. It was to be sent to Brownie Ranch. So she put it in the pile where the Ganache District deliveries were going to be sent.

Elli joined in on the organization even if it was her day off, as did Gill eventually. He mused about asking one of the new residents to take up a mail person position but it didn’t get very far. Most people came to Waffle Island with a goal and job in mind, after all. It still took a while for the three of them to finish but they got it done in the end. Hopefully, the next batch of mail wouldn’t be so backed up.

“Oh, there’s one left for you, Mary. Can you handle another parcel or should I give it to you tomorrow?” Gill asked as he held up a blue envelope.

“I-I can take it, thank you. Please put it on, ah, the top.”

He walked over to her and tucked the letter into the sides of her box instead of the top. It was something she appreciated. “Let me get that for you,” he murmured before holding the door open for her. “Have a good night, Mary.”

“Thank you! You too!”

With enthusiasm, Mary made her way to her new home with her parcels in tow. Opening the door with full hands was easier said than done but she managed in the end. She placed the box onto her table and immediately got to work. She plucked out the letter that Gill had given her.

Gray and Claire.

Her blood ran cold.

‘I’ll… look at this one last,’ she thought to herself. Guilt panged in her chest as she placed it to the side. It had been nearly two seasons, maybe three since the couple had gotten married in the winter. Why was she still bitter?

She started with the letters from her parents. The two of them shared an envelope but wrote two separate letters. While they had caught up on the phone whenever they could, most of the big updates and details were kept to letters. Basil had mused in the earlier letters about how dull organizing the library was and left a few cheeky apologies about putting her through it. Over time, he seemed to grow a fondness for it but her mother had taken over the library duties. The wives of the town had taken their daily gossip sessions into the library instead of the town square, it seemed. Anna had taken up teaching of a sort. She was teaching the town her recipes for baked goods in between sessions at the library. It was going well! Karen was a complete mess though but eventually made muffins that weren’t horrifically burnt–something Mary would see contested in Karen’s letter later on–in the end. Her mother asked if Elli would be interested in taking these classes if she ever came back to Mineral Town… assuming that Yolanda hadn’t taught her everything. Mary hummed. She’d have to ask Elli tomorrow about it.

Relationships were about the same as far as her mother knew. Mary tried to ignore the small pangs of… something whenever the newlyweds were brought up. With each letter, there was something new.

‘Sasha believes Claire has been overworking, she’s been seen at the clinic more often than not. I don’t think that’s the case and neither does Manna.’

Mary gulped. With each letter from her mother, more and more obvious details about Claire’s condition grew… well, more obvious.

‘She’s pregnant! When I saw her in the shop, she was radiant…’

She put the letters from her parents down and tore open the envelopes from the others. It was a lot of the same.

Karen had taken up baking lessons though it was at her own mother's insistence. Though she insisted that her eggplant and orange shortcake was inspired and not that bad! Mary grimaced at the thought. Would she have tried it? She wasn't too sure. Karen later conceded that her chocolate muffins were the most successful though. She was probably going to try making them for the cooking contest if possible. Then came the comments about Claire and how she was swelling up.

Mary skipped to Popuri. The farmer had started practicing her flute every day after collecting the eggs every day. She was apparently still pretty embarrassed about her performance at the music festival the year before. There were updates about Rick and Karen’s relationship, something that Mary raised her eyebrows at since that was missing from Karen’s letter, and how annoying they were still being even after the wedding…

Mercifully, Popuri skipped right to talking about Kai. They were dating seriously now. The librarian didn’t know how to feel. As she chewed on her bottom lip and read about how Popuri finally came out to Kai about her feelings, Mary tried to figure out how she felt. She was definitely happy for Popuri. She liked Kai for years. To the point where she and the other girls thought that he was a blind idiot who needed things literally spelled out for him. Mary rubbed her eyes. Ugh, she read that sentence six times by now.

With a sigh, she placed the letter aside.

Yes, she was happy for her friend. She was happy that Karen and Rick were making progress even if they weren’t admitting to it. She was happy that Popuri, more or less, told her brother to shove it and leave Kai alone. If she read that section right, anyway. It was always something that bothered her about Rick, if Mary was being honest with herself. He was always kind of a stick in the mud and hassled his sister but he was ultimately a nice guy… when it came to anything but Kai, anyway. She always wanted to ask him what was going on but it wasn’t her business.

Outside of that happiness, Mary felt… something. Something dark and oily. She didn’t like it.

She really would have been left all alone if she stayed there.

Tears pricked at her eyes.

‘Okay, Mary, get over yourself… Let’s keep reading.’

Ann’s letter talked about life at the hotel and how mundane it was. She asked if the inn Mary was staying at was like her father’s or closer to the ones in the big city with horror stories about how dirty it was.

Mary felt like she should have laughed at that.

Ann brought up Popuri’s flute practice and how they even started doing them as a group. She sounded awful, apparently, but she kept at it and it was inspiring. Karen nearly poisoned Gourmet at the cooking festival with a pickle latte? No wonder why she was so vague. Ann happened to win with a strawberry latte. She even included the recipe in the envelope in case she wanted to try. The inn was apparently lonelier without Gray there. However, she and Cliff grew a little closer. They were always pretty close, if Mary remembered correctly. Ann constantly asked if anyone hung out with the former drifter or dragged him around town after sermons. Things got better once he got a job at the winery.

‘He can stay with me us forever now.’

That white hot sensation burned behind Mary’s eyes once again.

Ugh.

Her eyes drifted towards the final letter. A voice at the back of her head told her to not read it, at least right now when she was feeling like this. She was already hurting so much. There was no need to make herself feel worse. However. There was another voice. If she was already feeling this bad, what could reading more do? Wouldn’t it be better to rip the bandaid off?

‘Dear Mary,

I hope this letter finds you well.

Goddess, that is a weird thing to say to someone, isn’t it? I’m not really sure what to say in letters. I just go off of what I remember in movies or books. I’m also not sure if talking over the phone would be any easier, as happy as I’d be to hear your voice again.

I really do miss you. We all miss you but I think it’s different with us? You had left so suddenly that I wasn’t sure what to do. Were you planning on taking this trip before the wedding and wanted to wait? Or was it really as sudden as Mr Basil said? Mrs Anna tries to not talk about it. She does talk about you a lot though. Especially now that you’re living there now, that’s incredible. I hope Waffle Island or whatever is a good fit. I struggled a lot when I first moved to Mineral Town, if you remember. You were one of the few things that made living here worth it. In the beginning anyway. You and the library provided an escape and distraction from how rough my grandpa was. I can’t thank you enough for that. I’m glad that you gave me book recommendations that day.

Are you still writing? I think your mom brought up that you’re working on something there. It sounded like the sort of thing you’d help your dad with. I’m glad you’re writing but remember to keep working on your own things too. I wanna know how the story ends. I joked about how Tori should be with Raguna back then but I know you were thinking about him with Mist or Lynette in the end. I don’t know if it was intentional or if I was just reading too deep into it or something. But when you’d show me the latest versions or chapters, there’d be a lot more Tori in it. If you were writing it because you genuinely liked them then I’m happy. I just didn’t want you to do things because someone else might want you to. I regret not telling you that back here. I know writing is a lot of work. I was happy to see a relationship I liked get focus but if it sacrificed the story you had in mind, then is it really okay? Is that thing you’re writing with the doctor there something you really want to work on? Are you pushing yourself?

Please take care of yourself, Mary.

It’s something that I and Claire have to remind ourselves of every day. She actually got in trouble with Dr Trent because of it. You’ve probably heard by now and I’m sorry that I couldn’t be the one to tell you. Claire and I are having a baby. We found out late spring. It might be born before Starry Night. If it’s a boy, Claire was thinking about Silver or Coriander. I didn’t think she would be the type to want to name a kid that sort of thing. I kind of like both, though. It’d be embarrassing to name him Silver though since I’m a blacksmith. Coriander can be shortened to Cori/Cory/Whatever. Would it bother you if it turned out to be a girl and we named her Tori? Claire asked where the name came from and I told her about your book. I left out the details and such. I know you were trusting me a lot when you first showed me it. I’m sure she’d rather hear about it once it’s published though since it’d be your ideal version. Then, she asked if I’d rather name her after you, Mary. I’m not sure. It feels a little weird to do that despite us being friends.

You are my best friend even if you’re not here right now. Even if we haven’t talked very much since the engagement and you haven’t been able to write or call. Maybe you only have enough time to call for a few minutes to update your folks? Whatever the case, don’t be a stranger. I want to catch up with you. I miss you.

Write back to me if you can’t call, please. Ideally, you’d come and visit and we could chat then but it sounds like things are rough over there. Let me know if you’re okay, whether it’s about the book you’re writing with the doctor or us naming the baby after your character or just if we’re okay?

This was probably too long and too weird. Sorry. Hopefully if you visit, we’d have a name for the baby. Or maybe we could go there. I’m rambling again, sorry.

Love, Yours truly, From,

Best Wishes,

Gray (and Claire!)’

Mary sighed.

Without bothering to turn the lights off or draw the curtains, Mary flopped onto her bed and closed her eyes.