Page 84 of May: Bloom & Bane

He lets out a relieved laugh. “I’ll grow you a whole garden,” he murmurs. “Anything you want.”

I reach out and pluck one of the gold-taffy fruits. “I want these ones.” I reach for the dark violet clusters.

“Luváel, you don’t have to take all of⁠—”

I hand him a bunch of berries. Then three or four more. And more.

“I can grow more,” he chuckles. “You don’t have to take all of them⁠—”

“Sage! These are incredible. Why are they fizzy?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugs, his arms resembling the world’s most confused farmer’s market. “I just thought about you, and they bloomed.”

We start walking toward the house, and I continue popping the little fizzy berries into my mouth. After a few minutes, my shoulders drop in a way they haven’t since waking up.

“Sage.”

“Mm.”

“Do you ever feel like everything is so—” I gesture vaguely at the meadow. “—much.”

He tilts his head.

“Everything in the meadow?”

“Not just the meadow. Colors and sounds. All of it.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m good.” I giggle. “I’m sooo good.”

He watches me as I take another cluster from the pile and eat them all.

“How many of those have you had?”

I hold up my fingers and start counting. “One, two, three, four, five, six, eleven. Oh, whoops hahaha. Let me try again.”

He nods.

“One, two, three, four, five, seven, eight, ten. Hmm. Not many.”

He stops walking. “Eden, I think those ones might…I think I may have accidentally⁠—”

“I feel amazing!” I sing, as I skip through the meadow.

He closes his eyes for a long moment. “Oh no.”

“Oh yes!” I correct, pointing at both of him.

“Sage, when’s the last time you just stood in a field and felt the ground?”

“I—frequently. I’m literally made of⁠—”

“Feel it though! Squish your little green toesies in the grass.”

“I think you might be drunk, Mí’aevúna.” (My little sinner)

“Ohh. That’s a new one. What does it mean?”