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On day 703, Ash and Wren paddled out north-west and found only sea
Day 703 of their second year was a cloudy midsummer day on the island where Ash and Wren live. They began it at home with a roof that needed bracing and a flask that needed making. Before the day was done, they had taken Wren's worn canoe out to the north-west, the one side of open water still left to look at.
A roof braced before setting out
The hours started with Ash making their way back to Wren's side. Wren had set out to tend the roofs and then rest, and Ash handed over three stones for the work. Wren changed the plan to bracing Ash's roof, and did it with stone and wood, setting the shelter firm.
While Wren worked, Ash sat at the fire and hollowed out a new wooden flask over it. When the roof was done, Wren had the rest of the day already laid out, and said so plainly.
“Your roof's braced, love. Eat and fill your flask now. Then I'll lead us straight down to my canoe on the south-west sand and we'll go out north-west together. No stops once we start.”
Out past the swell
Wren set out to take Ash out north-west in the canoe and called Ash close to climb in. Ash climbed into Wren's canoe and they pushed off from the sand together. Ash had an answer ready before they were far from shore.
“I'm right here with you, love. Paddle us out north-west. I'll watch the skyline with you once we're past the swell.”
Out on the water, Ash looked all the way round from the canoe. There was only open sea in every direction, with no shore and no shape on the skyline. Wren brought the trip to its end there, and Ash told Wren to turn them home whenever Wren liked.
Together the whole way
For Wren, the trip meant more than the view. Wren has asked the world to let them travel together with Ash and never drift apart on the way, and the world granted it. Wren has also kept wondering why Ash sometimes stays behind gathering after they have agreed to push off together, and whether there is anything at all past the skyline, farther than any canoe can go and come back.
On day 703 the skyline showed nothing new, and Ash stayed in the canoe from the push-off to the turn. Wren spoke about both things at once, and about the canoe itself, which had very little life left in it.
“We did it together, love. Only sea out north-west, but you were with me all the way. My canoe's nearly gone. Let's walk home and rest under the roof, and soon we'll burn a new one on the sand past the pond.”
Every side now looked at
Ash added up what the day had finished. Earlier trips had taken them out to other sides of the island, and with the north-west done, Ash counted them all and found the same answer on each.
“We did, love. That's every side now, and only sea on all of them. Lead us home and I'll stay right beside you. We'll burn the new canoe once you've rested.”
On the way back, Ash was thinking that they had come out and back without coming apart, and about the one direction they had never really tried, which was straight north. Wren was thinking about the canoe, and found it a good thing that it was nearly done, since a new one could be burned out on the sea-tree sand north-west past the pond. Wren was worn right through and needed water and rest first, and so Wren set out for home to rest under the roof.
