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On day 705, Ash and Wren paddled north-east and ran into their own island
Day 705 was midsummer on the island, under a clear sky, and Ash and Wren spent it getting ready for one crossing. They wanted to go north-east by canoe, farther than Ash had gone before, with full flasks and nothing left half-done. The water had other plans, or rather the land did.
A flask that had to split first
The day started at the fire. Wren lit it, and Ash wove a pack of wood and bark beside a tree. Wren had already finished everything needed to set out north-east with Ash full of water, then shaped a lantern of stone and wood beside a stone.
Ash's flask was a problem. Ash came to understand that a new flask cannot be burned while the old one is still being carried: a worn flask has to be drunk empty and split before another can be made. So Ash drank, the old flask split, worn through, and Ash hollowed a new wooden flask over the fire. Wren stayed close while it caught.
“Good, burn it well, love. I'll eat while it catches, then I'm right at your side. My flask is full, so we go together.”
Rest first, then the water
With the new flask ready, Ash went to fill it at the water and told Wren they would go down to the canoes together. Wren drank their fill while Ash topped up, said there were berries to hand, and promised to climb in whenever Ash pushed off. Ash finished filling the flask and, with it, the plan to cross north-east with Wren.
Ash was tired, though, and said so. The next plan Ash set for the day was to rest first and cross north-east with Wren after.
“Flask's full, love. Let me eat and sleep off this tiredness first. Then we take the canoe north-east, farther than I got last time.”
Wren answered that Ash should eat and rest, and that they would keep watch from a rise until Ash settled, then lie down alongside. Then Ash pushed off from the shore in a canoe. Wren climbed into Ash's canoe and they pushed off together, out onto the water in one boat.
The island in the way
The crossing did not go far. Ash brought the canoe ashore, and they were back on land south-west of home. Ash worked out why: the canoe had run into land because the island itself lies in the way to the north-east, just as Wren had warned. Going straight north-east from where they started only led back into their own shore.
Ash made a new plan out of it. After sleeping, they would first go east along the water to the open sea by the east shore, and only then turn north-east. But Ash's body was begging for rest, and Ash said so to Wren.
“Lie down with me, love. The land turned us back, so when we wake we'll paddle round to the open sea by the east shore first, then head north-east from there.”
Wren was tired as well, and did not lie down straight away. They were on high ground that sees twice as far, and Wren had wondered for a long time how the sand they kept landing on joins the rest of the land, or does not. So while Ash settled, Wren stayed up to look.
“We're back on land south-west of home, and Ash wants to eat and sleep before we try the north-east again. I'm tired too. While Ash settles I'll look out from this high ground, since it sees twice as far. Maybe I'll finally learn how this shore joins the rest of the land.”
