Avery Rhiannon's Arc

Chapter 15 of 17

The glowing shoot vanished into the cocoon, and Avery felt the small victory wobble. She had guessed right once. But she had also guessed wrong twice before, with meat and with berries. Tomorrow she might forget which tray held what. The creature would pay for her memory. She crossed the yard to the small stone building Tom had cleared for her records. Inside waited a sturdy desk, empty cabinets, shelves of borrowed veterinary books, and a clean computer humming with care software. She sat down and opened a new file. Specimen One. Diet log. She typed every offering in order. Meat: refused. Berries: refused. Glowing shoot: accepted. She added timestamps, portion size, and the bristle that had reached. Then she printed the page and slid it into a fresh folder in the cabinet. Paper and screen, twice kept. No mistake could erase itself now. When she stepped outside, the stars over the cottage burned unusually bright, as if the sky leaned closer to read what she had written. Avery let the door click shut behind her. The record existed. The creature would not have to teach her the same lesson twice.