Page 34 of With the Potion in the Courtyard
"Let's rest while he works," I proposed. "Take turns."
"Sounds good," Jessie settled down on a crate.
Robbie sketched diligently. His movements quick and focused.
I blinked away the grogginess as Jessie's wand flickered brighter, castinga warm glow over us. Robbie hunched over his notebook, the map taking shape under his steady hand. I leaned in closer, trying to make sense of the lines and shaded areas he had recreated.
"Think Jaylyn could've headed toward one of these outposts?" Jessie said, her finger hovering over a particularly dense cluster of marks.
"Maybe," I squinted at the map. "If she did, it looks like rough terrain between here and there."
"Try the finding spell and see where it points, maybe then we’ll be sure about her being at the outpost," I suggested.
"Good idea," Jessie said. She waved her still-glowing wand and moved about, but the wand simply made that weird electrical sound. Putting her wand down, she shook her head. "No go."
"Darn."
Jessie found a blanket on a shelf and laid it in a corner. "Proper rest?" She asked.
"Good idea," I said. "You go first."
She laid down on the blanket on the ground, a blanket that looked dusty, leaving her wand on a boxbeside Robbie, and I sat quietly watching Robbie. Within minutes, Jessie was snoring away. I smiled, glad she’d managed to get comfortable in such an uncomfortable place.
As time ticked by, I got tired of sitting and went back to the storage room. I found a can that said, "Spagetti-O-Soooo-Good," and cracked it open. Inside were little circular noodles and sauce. With no other choice, I ate them at room temperature, with my hands, then used a small amount of water to wash my hands. When I was done, I felt better, full and happy.
Returning to the room, I went back to sitting and watching, deciding not to wake Jessie. Time passed, I don’t know how much, but I startled awake, realizing, belatedly, that I’d drifted up.
"Was I snoring?"
"Don’t worry about it," Robbie mumbled, which meant I was.
Jessie snorted herself awake, wiping drool from her chin. "I-I wasn’t asleep."
Robbie didn't look up from his work, just nodded. "Almost done," he said. His pencil danced across thepaper, capturing every detail of the original with impressive accuracy.
Jessie slowly rose to her feet, stretching, and I focused my attention on Robbie’s sketch. It was absolutely amazing. This man was talented beyond what anyone knew.
"Your skill is something else, Robbie," I complimented him. He shrugged, focused on his task.
We discussed our next move, weighing the distance against our supplies and the unknown variables of the land. The closest outpost wasn't too far, but in a world sketched by childhood imagination, distances were deceptive, and landscapes unpredictable.
Once Robbie put down his pencil, we all crowded around his masterpiece. The sketch was more than a copy; it breathed with potential paths and secrets hidden between its lines.
"So, now what do we do?" I asked.
Jessie stood up straighter. "My vote? Head for the closest outpost and hope she showed up there. If not, at least we might be able to reach some people that could helpus get home."
"Good plan" Robbie said.
"Alright, let's take inventory and bring anything that might be useful," Jessie said. We rummaged through the provisions room, finding canned foods. 'Yummy Beans', 'Sweetish Fish', and 'Spicy Tomato Magic'. We filled our bags with these and bottles of water that thankfully seemed normal enough.
"Got a Swiss Army knife, some rope, and this... flashlight-looking thing," Robbie held up a device that glowed at the tip when he clicked it.
"Could be useful," I said.
"Let's not forget the first-aid kit," Jessie added, her practicality shining through as she packed bandages and what appeared to be healing salves in bright, mismatched jars.
Before leaving, we stood before the large map on the wall one last time, absorbing the fact that we had a direction now, a plan. The map was more than a guide; it was a promise of discovery and possibly a route to find Jaylyn.