Walter was already heading up into the branches."Good night, madam.Sleep well."
"Good night, Walter."
She closed the shutters, sealing out the darkness and the sounds.The lantern plant cast its gentle glow, and the oven warmed the space.Her bed of blankets looked impossibly inviting.
She changed into a fresh silk nightgown, applied a bit more heal-all to her wounds—they looked so much better already—and climbed into bed.
The blankets were soft and warm.The treehouse creaked slightly in the wind, a comforting sound.She was safe here.Fed, clothed, sheltered.
Tomorrow she'd have to go out there.Face the grass and the monsters and gather the blue bulbs that would keep her alive.But tonight, she was warm.
She pulled the blankets up to her chin and closed her eyes.Sleep came quickly.
Day 2
––––––––
WREN WOKE TO WATERYlight and the sound of rain.Again.
She lay there for a moment, cocooned in blankets, listening.Steady rain, the kind that would last all day.
Her body ached.Muscles she'd forgotten she had were sore from all the planting and running and surviving, but her hands felt better.She examined her palms in the dim light.The scrapes were still there but healing remarkably fast.Pink and closed instead of raw and open.
The heal-all really worked.
She sat up slowly, stretching.The room was cool but not freezing—the sunflower in the oven had burned through the night, though its glow was fading now.She'd need to replace it soon.
Outside, fog pressed against the windows.She could barely see her small grove of trees through the gray.
Walter appeared at her doorway, whiskers twitching."Good morning, madam!Quite the weather we're having."
"Is it always like this?"
"The rain?It comes and goes.We're entering the wet season, so expect more of it for the next few weeks."He hopped onto the counter."Will you be attempting the blue bulb harvest today?"
She looked at the foggy windows, at the rain."Can I even see the bulbs in this?"
