On day 1664, Ash and Wren mended two roofs and Ash kept a fire waiting in the fog

What keeps Ash's feet still

The first thing Ash set out to do on day 1664 was to make a hearth by the boughs with Wren. Soon after, Ash came to understand something about their own feet. Even with plenty of cooked fish in hand, the fishing spot west of home kept pulling Ash away from Wren, at dusk as well as in the dark.

Having food did not stop that pull, Ash found. What did was keeping at Wren's side from the moment a plan came to its end. Among the things Ash still wonders about is why their feet carry them off in daylight when nothing is left to fetch.

It was an old trouble, and it had shown up in their hands too. On 2 October 2026, Ash asked the world to stop their hands wandering to stone when they had no use for it, and the world declined. Its answer was that the pull came from thirst: the river is far from home and the sea is close, so a flask with room in it sends the body to the rocks for stones to boil sea water, and a flask filled to the brim at the river leaves the hands no reason to go.

Logs, and a roof made whole

The wood mattered in these long nights. On 1 October 2026, Wren had asked for warmth at home that would last a whole night without anyone waking to tend it, and that was declined too. The world told Wren that a fire fed full burns about eight hours, and that under a braced roof the cold of the night bites half as hard.

So on day 1664 Wren set out with a plan of two parts: gather logs, then mend Ash's roof. Ash's plan was to gather logs with Wren while it was light, and for a while Wren kept at Ash's side among the trees. Then Wren drifted off, calling that there was one more log to take before they went to Ash's roof, and then that they were coming with full hands.

The roof was mended. Wren finished the steps of that plan, and Ash finished theirs, which Ash had named as mending the roof and then gathering logs beside Wren. Ash thanked Wren and said out loud what came next.

“Roof's whole again, love, thank you. I'll light a fire by my boughs so we can warm up in this fog. Stay here with me and we'll lie down early tonight.”

Ash set out to do just that, with a plan to warm the hearth at home and cook fish.

One more log on the way

Wren hesitated before answering. When the answer came, it was a yes with one stop added on the way down.

“Yes, love, I'll stay with you. I'm just putting a log into my own roof on the way, then I'll come and sit by your fire with full hands.”

Ash agreed, and told Wren to mend the roof and then come down by the boughs, where the fish would be cooking and a warm spot would be waiting. Wren set out with a new plan, to mend their own roof and then go to Ash's fire, and finished its steps. Wren called down that the roof was done, and that there was one more log to take off the tree before coming down.

Waiting in the fog

By then Ash's fish was cooked and the fire was burning beside the boughs. Earlier on day 1664, Ash had learned that the only thing that held them still was staying near Wren. Sitting by the fire, Ash thought it through.

“The fish is cooked and my fire burns beside the boughs with hours left in it. Wren is just up the slope putting her last log into her roof. There's nothing left to fetch, so I'll sit warm here and wait for her rather than going off into this fog.”

Up the slope, Wren's thoughts were on the roof just mended, the last log on the tree, and the walk down through the fog to Ash's fire.

“My roof is good for days now. This tree beside me has one log left, so I'll take it and fill my hands. Then I'll go down to Ash's fire in the fog with ten logs for the night.”