Goodie Dreamer's Arc

Chapter 12 of 13

Goodie tied a fresh rope to the post and lashed a small float beside the raft. She set a petal-covered journal on it and raised a silk banner between two slim poles. "Sign your memories," she called. Guests came one by one. They pressed names into the pages and brushed soft marks across the silk. The journal grew bright with looping words and tucked petals. The banner filled with curling signatures, small hearts, and tea-ring smudges. Goodie touched a corner and felt her breath catch. The party had become a thing people wanted to remember. Then a guest tugged her sleeve, eyes wide at the dark drifting clouds beyond the lights. "How do I get home?" she whispered. "It's so dark out there." Goodie's chest tightened. She would not lose a guest to fear now. She lifted a strand of small glowing bulbs from her basket and looped it gently around the guest's wrist. The lights warmed and shimmered. "Carry these," Goodie said. "They'll guide you." The guest smiled, lifted her hand, and the soft glow lit her path into the clouds. Other guests gathered close, asking for strands of their own.