Willow's Arc

Chapter 5 of 10

Willow returned to the watchtower three days in a row. On the third morning, she spotted movement in the dark pool below—a creature with silver scales that caught the light. She played her drum softly, and it didn't swim away. The creature rose higher in the water, watching her. Willow tapped the drum again, slower this time. The silver fish circled once, then disappeared into the depths. She climbed down from the watchtower with her heart beating fast. That was progress. The creature had stayed to listen instead of fleeing. Near her grotto, she found a calm pool with clear water and moss growing thick around its edges. A white heron stood at its edge, perfectly still. Willow sat nearby and watched as two more birds landed. The reflecting pool showed their shapes in mirror image. She could sit here between explorations and rest while watching for new visitors. Back at the grotto, she searched through the hollow of a large swamp tree. The space inside was dry and wide enough to hold things she wanted to keep. She gathered smooth stones from the water's edge and arranged them on the hollow's floor. Each stone could mark a creature she'd befriended. The silver fish would be first when it trusted her completely. Above the stones, she hung a piece of bark where she could scratch drawings. This nook would hold proof of every friendship she made. The swamp creatures deserved to be remembered here. She sat outside the tree hollow and shaped wet clay between her fingers. A frog took form first, small and simple with round eyes. Next came a rabbit with long ears, then a turtle, then a duck. She lined them up in a straight row on a flat rock where the sun could dry them. Four figures—four kinds of creatures she'd already seen in the swamp. More would join this row as her friendships grew. Willow looked at her work and smiled. The watchtower helped her find creatures. The reflecting pool brought them close. The tree nook kept their stories safe. And these clay figures showed how far she'd already come. The swamp was teaching her, one creature at a time.