Willow awoke the following day to find that Li Wanyu was already gone. She was a bit sad that her rescuer had left, but was more relieved that she had fully gotten away with binding the spirits he was looking for without being caught. He had even left his dark silken outer robe as a souvenir from the encounter, which was neat. She still felt awful, her whole body ached, and the pain felt more than physical.

  She was also surprised to find her sister scolding their father about a destroyed cooking pot, while he held his head in obvious discomfort. When her sister noticed his headache she got much louder for some reason. Willow didn’t understand why she was yelling about someone drinking him? Or whatever being “drunk” meant in this context. Maybe that’s why he had a headache, someone drank all the water out of him. She still didn’t know why that caused her sister to yell at him for it, but knew better than to get in her way when she was on the warpath.

  Maple’s tirade continued when a sheepish Yew came in later that morning. He first tried to brush off his dereliction of duty by saying it wasn’t that big of a deal. However once the full extent of the situation had been explained to him he seemed suitably chastened. He even came into her room and gave her a hug, which was a rarity, and apologized. The sincerity of the apology was slightly tarnished when he started pestering her about the mysterious binder that had saved her. Stupid Yew.

  Most of the community came by when they heard what had happened and wished her well. Aunt Jieun and Aunt Sarah, the two mothers of the group, fussed over her a great deal. Both had brought soups, teas, and other remedies to help Willow feel better. It mostly just made her full of liquids.

  Some of the men who visited had amusing anecdotes from yesterday to share. Apparently Mister Joaquin had seen a moon with a flask tied around it go into the communal well some time in the afternoon and fly away soon after. Also Uncle Lucius had seen the same moon moving erratically across the sky last night as it orbited a mysterious figure dancing through the air.

  When paired with the story of what happened with Willow and the clan binder who rescued her it cleared up the mystery of the situation. It did however cause some chuckles when they realized the young man was probably quite drunk when he started his moonlit dance.

  Uncle Lin was surly about her Da drinking “The Good Stuff” without him. Which at least clarified to Willow that being drunk was caused by drinking something, not by something drinking you. However if it caused such noticeable discomfort afterwards, the young girl wasn’t sure why anyone would call it The Good Stuff.

  The children who were brought along by their parents were more happy about the impromptu gathering disrupting the daily chores than they were concerned about Willow’s well being. Mostly because when they saw her she just seemed a bit under the weather and slightly scratched up, not like she had been through anything particularly harrowing. Xin Bai and Romulus Faber mostly spent their time with Yew, though Rom would also try to bother Maple from time to time. Meanwhile Rom’s little brother Remy, who was around Willow’s age, was mostly clinging to his mother’s skirt and staring at the currently unwell cause of everyone’s visit.

  She had tried to be his friend a couple of times since no one else around was close to her in age, but the wide eyed lad hadn’t liked any of the games she tried to play with him. Games such as Heroes versus Monsters, Can you Sense what I’m Feeling, and her personal favorite, Chase. It got to the point that Willow felt like she was just making the poor boy miserable and decided it was for the best if she left him alone.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  It was part of why she had been so eager to make spirit friends. Sissy and Da weren’t always available to play, and while the stories her mother left behind were nice they weren’t a substitute for companionship. They gave Willow windows into distant ideas and concepts that she had no frame of reference for in her small and isolated community, but they couldn’t be her friend.

  The candle flame spirit she had met all those months ago was the first friend she had ever made. She missed them a great deal. She had gotten used to the little flame flickering and burning by her heart. Their warmth and pulses of encouragement or concern in regards to whatever task she was doing. Frankly, she missed her spirit companion more than her spirit sense, and she felt practically blind without that.

  Thinking of her friend reminded her that she needed to give them a name. She still wasn’t sure why it was important, little flame hadn’t complained, but the fact that multiple people said it must mean that it was true. She even had a ready source of names on a shelf in her room.

  Decision made, she attempted to wriggle free from her sister's lap. Maple stopped stroking Willow’s hair and looked down, her talk with Aunt Sarah interrupted. “Where do you wanna go little gnome?”

  “M’room.” She mumbled, wriggling some more.

  Her sister laughed and shook her head in amusement, causing her chestnut curls to bounce. “You shouldn’t be moving too much in your condition. Let me carry you to your room.”

  “Wanna move.” Willow whined, but was promptly ignored as her sister stood up while holding the girl in her arms. She excused herself to Aunt Sarah and walked to Willow’s tiny part of the home. Brushing aside the curtain in the doorway separating she entered her sister’s room holding its occupant.

  A small bed was opposite the entrance, long side flush with the wall, the currently open window above it let in light and fresh air. There was a small dresser next to the head of the bed, and multiple shelves built into the wall next to the entrance of the room, with every one of their surfaces covered in scrolls and various knickknacks Willow found interesting.

  Maple placed her in the bed and wrapped her snugly with a blanket.

  Willow grunted a thanks for the transportation, and pried free one of her arms to make a grasping motion towards the shelf full of rolled up scrolls.

  “Want me to read you something?” Her sister asked while grabbing one.

  The girl shook her head. “Wanna lookatem.”

  When Maple handed her one, Willow continued to make the hand grasping motion until her sister understood she wanted to look at them all. Amused and slightly confused she continued piling up the scrolls until they were all sitting in a little mound on Willow’s lap.

  “Just be careful with them. You know these were important to Ma right?”

  “I know.” The girl replied, already carefully opening one of the scrolls.

  Shaking her head at her sister’s eccentricities she returned through the doorway to the gathering outside.

  Willow started studying her mother’s scrolls.

  Time to find a name for her friend.