Birch and I were on the boat.

The swamp chorus consisted of singing frogs and buzzing dragonflies, accompanied by my friend making a splash as we paddled along.

I love dragonflies.

They eat little gnats or stuff like that, or they'll bite my petals.

We've been paddling through this swamp for a while.

Birch led us to the left, as the river split in two ways.

I remember her hesitation the last time we had a fork in the road. It's on the road, before we take the dried meat from someone else's car.

This time, she didn't hesitate. My friend is like a bird flying home, instinctively knowing where heaven is.

As for the witch and her cat, there is not much to say. I think we can borrow her boat.

It's just another oddity in life. After all, I feel like it's best not to worry about these things. Why are our specific circumstances important?

They don't.

What matters is the here and now, the here and now, and itself.

I spread out my petals and leaves and basked in the sunlight that shone through the swampy trees and pressed down on us on our journey.

-[Sunflower]-

You are bathed in the sun

+ 1 exp

Experience Points: 282/450

The water splashed behind us, and the fish danced in the tepid water, following us.

Very good.

I'm a moist sunflower.

We traveled for a day.

My friend hissed and fussed at the many bugs in the swamp. They flew around her, pestering her as they searched for a warm, nutritious habitat.

- Maybe I should attract some spiders?

(Sunflower) Activated: (Flower Resonance)

I'm sure there are a lot of spiders in the swamp.

Swamps are slow, dreary, tepid places.

- At least for a bystander.

But if you look closely, it's actually one of the richest ecosystems. Water, soil, and even the air itself are teeming with life, both tangible and intangible.

The swamp is an ancient place. But they are also the place where they were born. The warm, humid environment is ideal for many different species of creatures to nurture and shelter their offspring.

Birch noticed what I was saying and looked over to me.

As she stared at me, I noticed that we hadn't spoken in days. She may speak to water, or to insects, fussing about any of them.

- But for me, she hasn't spoken a word for a while.

Birch, have you grown up?

That would be very sad.

Can friends lose love because of each other's growth?

Just like a chick leaves a nest, maybe there will be a period of separation eventually?

If this happens in a common litter, can this happen in a different litter?

I think it must be.

Yes.

How sad.

However, maybe I just got it wrong.

-[Sunflower]-

You are bathed in the sun

+ 1 exp

XP: 285/450

After all, I used to make mistakes a lot.

Birch turned and continued paddling towards the horizon.

Ha ha.

Flying spiders gallop along the embankments of stagnant water.

The trees are moving, and the canopy is swaying in the wind, as if the wind is blowing through the swamp. But that's only because of the weight of the spider.

They are difficult to spot because they excel at hiding in the dark foliage and woods here.

But there they are.

As they followed us, they left thousands of glittering threads along the way, exposing their presence. Their nets sparkle in the sunset towards the end of the day.

I guess that's enough.

(Sunflower) retired: (Flower Resonance)

What a spectacle.

Birch and I watched as the swarm stopped, then dispersed in all directions.

They have made thousands of nets and eaten a large meal of insects, keeping us away from them for a while.

-[Sunflower]-

You are bathed in the sun

+ 1 exp

Experience Points: 288/450

We drifted along the silent river until nightfall.

We have crossed the great river.

We have crossed the Great Desert.

Now, we've crossed the Everglades.

There are so many places in the world, big and big. One can spend one's life in any of these places, and this includes smaller places we've visited, such as cities, caves, or dry wilderness.

But we, my friend Birch and I, prefer to take the time to travel and see these places.

- After all, what can these places be compared to heaven?

Nothing.

We left, drifted out of a river, and came to a sandbank. There are no trees, weeds and swamps here.

Birch grabbed me and lifted me onto her shoulders, and we disembarked.

She tied it to the shore and wrapped the rope around the branches.

Even though we had been walking for several days, when we looked back at the swamp for the last time, in our field of vision, there was a house standing on the water.

There was a witch sitting in the house, and a cat was sitting on her lap.

Birch Wave.

The cat waved its hand as well.

I waved too.

Very good.

Life is interesting.

We left this strange and magical swamp behind and continued our journey to heaven.

Our flame illuminates the warm, gentle nights and we discover ourselves.

The smell of salt fills the air.

The thick sand beneath our feet was hot, and it carried the afterglow of afterglow.

On our side, the water crashes and waterfalls in a repetitive fashion, crashing against the shoreline.

It's very different from the big river we walked across a long time ago.

The air, the land, and the water here are salty. The wind and the expanse of blue were aggressive in front of them, both constantly roaring in and out.

- I never knew that there would be so much salt in one place.

That meant I had to stay in my backpack.

I find it a bit of a hassle. But my hope for tomorrow keeps me going.

Birch lay next to me, huddled in a ball. A fire raged on the beach, separating us from the water.

Thankfully, the West is not separated by water.

If that's the case, I don't know what we're going to do.

She slept.

But I stayed awake and faced east, looking forward to the arrival of the new sun.

I looked up and stared at the stars in the night sky.

I listened to the sound of the water.

I listened to the sound of the fire.

I listened to the sound of the night.

I listened to my friend's nightmares and she fidgeted in her sleep.

I turned around and looked at Birch.

She reminds me of a rabbit entangled in the shadow of an eagle.

The world is such a fascinating place.

I never knew there were so many things that scared me. There are a lot of things that will hunt us and eat us. If a desert or swamp can conquer our passions and efforts, the world itself will swallow us whole.

- But they didn't, we continue to insist.

My roots are in Birch.

That doesn't keep her warm, because I'm not a particularly warm person in the first place.

But she fights less often than she used to because I tied her up and made a little less noise in the night.

It was still dark.

Today before the sun comes out, we wake up.

Birch gasped in horror and lowered his head. We walked along the coastline.

In the light of a full moon, there was a creature lying there, about to fall asleep. It tosses and turns on the sand to lay its eggs.

- A tortoise.

I've never seen a turtle before, so I don't know how I know what it is. But that's life.

We watched as it brought its own children into the world and then buried them with its strange, fluffy appendages.

I was surprised that my friend didn't take the opportunity to attack and eat it when it was in a vulnerable state.

Instead, we can only wait and see.

The turtle finished eating, then slowly retreated into the sea.

Birch ran towards the place, digging out the sand and the soft tuft of eggs.

- They are still hot.

Of the eight I counted, she took four.

For the rest, she gently buried herself under the sand.

Birch, reverting to her snake-like habits, eats the first egg raw, and we continue our journey to heaven.

How interesting.

It seems that my friend is indeed starting to change.

It might be wise to eat all eight eggs now to ensure her own thriving.

But this means that the future Birch will have four fewer turtles to eat on the day of hunger, if it comes.

After a while, we took a break and left the shoreline and returned to the more lush land, where she put me so that I too could drink water and nourish myself.

My roots burrow in the soil, and I speak to the mycelium of plants, worms, and many mushrooms whose species stretch from one side of the globe to the other.

They all told me that there was a big crowd moving towards us.

A group of people, with more feet than a flock of spiders and more teeth than the largest fish in the world, continue to walk towards us, over the desert, over the swamp.

I looked at my friend Birch, who was holding the last two eggs, watching the beautiful sun rise in the distance.

I don't know how to tell her, but the monsters chased us all the way to the other side of the world, and they were almost there.

Birch turned. "Here you go," she said, speaking to me for the first time in days. "I don't know if you like these things or not, but ...... I think it's good for you?" She guessed, squashing an egg that soaked the soil around one of my roots. She turns to face the sunrise and eats the last egg. "It's been a long walk, hasn't it?" She asked, finding her talkative side again. "I think it's the worst. There was a time when it was really scary, but ......" she leaned back, put her hands behind her head, and lay on her back, her eyes fixed on me, not at the sun. "—I think things will be better from now on," said Birch, her smile was warm, I hadn't seen her smile in a long time.

I realized that the crimson sunset, which brought a lot of love, warmth, and hope, gave her this false promise and rekindled a glimmer of light in her eyes.

I never knew the sun could be so cruel.

Oh, Birch.

As long as there is a mouth, I am willing to do anything. If I knew, I could tell you one thing, as your best friend, someone who cares about you very much.

- There will only be terrible moments from now on.