In the house, Dione had already gotten up and was preparing breakfast. The pod was emitting a pleasant aroma. Ivy greeted her and offered to help.

  “That would be appreciated,” Dione smiled softly, inviting him into the kitchen. The soup in the pot was different from the one the night before. He served himself a bowl and wondered if he should prepare one for Tabby, who didn’t seem to be awake, when he heard footsteps.

  “You’re already down here,” Tabby remarked.

  “Tabby, you woke up?” Ivy replied, surprised, thinking Tabby would still be asleep after being so exhausted.

  “Yeah, I slept well. You got up really early.”

  “Yes.” Ivy hesitated, not wanting to mention that he had stayed awake throughout the night in the shrine.

  Everyone gathered in the guest room for breakfast, which consisted of fresh fruits, bread, and hot soup. The meal was similar to last night’s supper, except for the soup. A strange birdcall sounded from outside. Through the now-opened window, Ivy saw the grass field bathed in morning sunlight and the bright sky beyond. White clouds scattered across the blue sky cast their shadows over the deep green mountains. Under these clouds, they were safe, he thought to himself. He felt as though yesterday’s events had been a dream and was sure that his parents, Tesus and Alma, and everyone else were safe. Suddenly, he realized something important.

  “They must be worried about us,” he murmured.

  Tabby looked up and grimaced.

  “The matron will scold me. She must think I’m wandering around.”

  “Aren’t you supposed to do something like that?”

  The priest said in amazement. Tabby stuck out his tongue mischievously.

  “I also called the phone office in Wilder when I arranged the car last night. By now, your matron and Ivy’s parents should have received the message.”

  Hearing about the Wilder phone office, Tabby and Ivy exchanged a bittersweet smile. Relieved, Ivy took a bite of his bread. The bread was slightly dry but still tasty.

  “It’s preserved bread delivered two weeks ago; it’s not as good as your bakery’s,” Lansberge remarked.

  He had been concerned that it might be difficult for Dione to bake bread due to her condition, so preserved bread seemed practical, though it still tasted quite good to him.

  “We receive deliveries twice a month. If you have special requests, tell the driver, and he will bring them. The priest can purchase anything he wants on expenses; I’m envious.”

  Lansberge smiled wryly.

  “It’s not a well-paid job, but we can buy whatever we need if it’s approved, including personal items for our families. Of course, it’s not that the officials allow us to purchase anything and everything, but well, most things.”

  “And still, all Mr. Lansberge buys are books.”

  “That’s a priest’s nature.”

  Dione listened to their conversation with a tender smile. It looked like a real family, which made Ivy glad.

  “You can take a train at Shaw. I suppose you’ll be home today.”

  “The train fare will be covered by the shrine’s expenses.”

  Tabby grinned at Ivy and patted him on the shoulder.

  After breakfast, Ivy helped Dione tidy up. He also offered to help clean the house, but she declined. He was concerned that the house was so large it would take her the whole day to clean.

  “Since I left, it must have been hard for you to do everything,” Tabby said to Dione.

  “Mr. Lansberge usually does almost everything. Besides, since you’ve left, we haven’t used upstairs.”

  Tabby responded with a nod. Ivy looked up at the front stairs, trying to imagine how Tabby had been in this house. Despite spending much more time here than in Parkhill, Tabby seemed more like someone raised in Parkhill.

  Using the time to wait for the car to arrive, Tabby showed Ivy around the property. Behind the house, there was a stream running, and as they walked along the stream, the trees became thicker, leading to the forest.

  “I met a herd of deer down there, not far from here.”

  Ivy felt he could meet deer in such a place. They sat on a rock by the stream together. Looking at the clear blue sky through the treetops and listening to the rustling sound of the stream, he was enraptured and almost lost track of time.

  “This is a really nice place.”

  “Yeah.”

  Tabby said this proudly. Just behind the shrine, there was a flat area surrounded by walls.

  “This is the burial ground.”

  Unlike the cemetery in Wilder, which had a grand gate, this one was smaller and quieter than he had expected. The walls were low enough to overlook inside, but he refrained from looking, feeling it was not appropriate. At the back of the house, a pebbled path was visible.

  “That’s the path leading away from Perm. It’s rarely used because there’s no major city this side. I haven’t gone along that road.”

  That meant it was the road to the town where his mother lived. Tabby picked some wild berries in the yard and ate them, let a butterfly land on his finger, and looked more joyful than Ivy had ever seen him before. When they returned to the front, two large vehicles entered the property with their wheels rumbling.

  “Two vehicles? They are supposed to bring necessities.”

  Tabby ran towards the vehicles. One was a passenger carriage, the other a wagon. The older driver of the passenger carriage got off first, greeted the priest who had just come out of the house, said something to the younger driver, and they began unloading the cargo together. The old driver noticed Tabby, turned his face with delight, and patted him on the shoulder. Ivy watched them talking when Tabby turned to look at him and gestured for him to come over.

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  “I felt sad because I heard that you would never come back. I’ve only heard that you’ve been doing well.”

  The driver, who was balding with a touch of silver hair at his temples, laughed cheerfully.

  “You’ve grown a lot since I last saw you, little one.”

  “Don’t call me ‘little.’”

  Ignoring Tabby’s protest, the driver turned to Ivy.

  “This must be his new friend.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Ivy from Wilder.”

  “I’m Capella, a driver from Perm.”

  Capella extended his hand, and they shook hands.

  “It must’ve been tough. Well, there’s a prodigious thing in the world!”

  Capella exclaimed loudly, slapping his forehead with his hand. He didn’t seem particularly astonished by the ‘prodigious thing’ he mentioned.

  “We need you to take us to Shaw station.”

  “No problem at all.”

  Capella smiled broadly, revealing his healthy teeth, and turned to the young driver who was standing near the cargo, looking somewhat lost.

  “Yuq!”

  The young man looked up, gave a quick, shy bow, but remained rooted to his spot.

  “That’s my grandson. He’s training in place of my son, who didn’t take over the business. He’s a bit shy, but a good lad.”

  Capella scratched his head with a humble smile. They then began unloading the cargo together. Tabby frequently spoke to the reticent Yuq.

  “Please take care of Dione and Mr. Lansberge.”

  Tabby said to Yuq, who nodded in acknowledgment.

  All the cargo had been carried to the house—it was time to say farewell. Yuq was already in the driver’s car with the emptied wagon. Capella stood by the door of the passenger carriage, holding it open and waiting for them to get in.

  “Well, take care, then. I’ll write to you. Dione, don’t push yourself—take care of your back,” Tabby said.

  Dione smiled at his words.

  “These are for your lunch. They’re humble, I’m afraid—we didn’t have many ingredients this morning. These are for you two, Mr. Capella.”

  “Thank you, as always.”

  Capella smiled, scratching the back of his head.

  “Take care. If you ever run into any trouble, get in touch.”

  Tabby nodded, then opened his mouth as if he had just remembered something. After a short pause, he asked:

  “Where did you learn to play the guitar?”

  Lansberge looked a little surprised by the unexpected question, then let out a gentle smile.

  “That’s kind of a long story. I’ll tell you next time you visit.”

  Now Tabby looked surprised, gazing up at the priest.

  “I mean, I’ll be waiting—come visit us anytime,” Lansberge added.

  “Can I?”

  “Only if you have time. Don’t feel like you have to, especially if you’re busy.”

  “I will. Every year.”

  Tabby’s eyes sparkled.

  “Was I not supposed to come back, or something?”

  “I only said that because I thought this house wasn’t a place you needed to come back to… and that I didn’t have the right to ask you to visit.”

  “How come you think that way?”

  Despite his words, Tabby looked happy. He stretched out his hand and patted Lansberge, who was much taller than him. Lansberge patted Tabby back on the head, and the two shared a small, somewhat awkward laugh.

  Then the priest stepped closer to Ivy, who had been standing apart, watching. He whispered:

  “Thank you.”

  “I didn’t do anything.”

  Ivy quickly shook his head, flustered. Lansberge narrowed his eyes.

  “Like I said—if there’s something you want to do, chase it. But if you ever want to become a priest… just let me know.”

  Hearing that, Ivy looked a little nervous and gave only a faint nod.

  ‘“What are you whispering about?”

  Tabby, already seated in the carriage, complained.

  “I’m asking him to take care of you — to make sure you don’t skip school.”

  Lansberge said with a smile as he approached the carriage.

  “We go to different schools, remember? And that’s not necessary anyway.”

  Tabby frowned and scoffed. Capella laughed at that, and so did the others. After Ivy climbed into the carriage, Lansberge closed the door.

  Capella rang a bell, and Yuq’s car began to move with a low rumble. Capella’s car followed, leading the carriage with Tabby and Ivy inside. The two twisted their waists to look out the rear window. Dione was waving at them; Tabby and Ivy waved back. As the car descended the hill, Lansberge and Dione grew smaller in the distance. In the air, purple chrono leaves fluttered. Lansberge’s tall figure remained visible the longest, and just before disappearing completely, he raised his hand in a final wave.

  Tabby turned around and fell silent, as if deep in thought. Ivy continued gazing out the rear window as long as the tall shrine tower was visible. The shrine, glowing purple, stood out against the backdrop of dense trees. In the sky above, the blue moon still lingered.

  Though he intended to stay awake for the entire ride, Ivy fell asleep without noticing. When he woke up, the car was traveling along a wide road in the city.

  “We’re arriving soon.”

  Ivy was lying across the seat, knees bent. Tabby, who had been sitting next to him, was now on the opposite seat with an empty lunch box in his lap. The sun was setting, casting the early light of evening. Ivy hurried to finish his lunch.

  “You fell asleep the moment we started going downhill,”

  Tabby said with a small laugh. Ivy gave an embarrassed grin. He had never stayed awake through the night before, and although he hadn’t felt tired, it seemed he couldn’t help but doze off.

  The car continued along the wide, gently sloping road that led to the station building. Beyond the station lay the sea. Shaw Station was also by the sea, like Wilder Station, but the atmosphere here was noticeably brighter. He wondered why that was, and then realized — there were no factories between the station and the sea. Sunlight reflected off the ocean and shone directly into the town.

  At the port, he saw crowds of people — some sailors, others dockworkers, busy unloading cargo from a ship. Turning his gaze back to the road, he saw shops lining both sides and a bustling street filled with passersby. From the sea, the whistle of a steamer echoed.

  “The view is different from Parkhill or Wilder, don’t you think?”

  Ivy got excited by the things he saw for the first time.

  “That’s natural. Every town is different,” Tabby replied indifferently.

  Capella pulled the car up in front of the station. The red building with a large clock looked like a school.

  “Where’s Yuq?”

  Only then did he realize Yuq’s car—once ahead of them—was no longer there.

  “We parted ways in Perm. He’s got work there.”

  Even though they had only just met and barely exchanged words, Ivy still felt a pang of regret at not being able to say goodbye.

  “Thank you for everything.”

  Tabby got out of the carriage and shook hands with Capella.

  “Take good care of yourself, little one. Don’t push too hard—whether it’s work or study,” Capella said.

  Then he stepped down from the driver’s seat and gave Tabby a big hug. Tabby wrapped his arms around the old man’s back.

  “Whenever you come back, call me. I’ll come pick you up.”

  “I will. Thank you.”

  Capella then hugged Ivy.

  “You take care, too. And please look after this little one.”

  “By all means.”

  “Why do I need looking after?” Tabby muttered with a complaining look and a shrug.

  “See you soon, then.”

  They watched the car until it disappeared from sight, then headed upstairs to the ticket booth. Tabby bought two tickets to Wilder with the ease of someone used to the process.

  “The next train will be here in a few minutes. Hurry!” said the station attendant.

  They rushed to the platform. The setting sun was a deep red, hanging above the sea alongside a strikingly bright blue moon.

  On the platform stood a well-dressed gentleman, a young mother with her daughter, and people of various ages all waiting for the train. Ivy overheard some of them talking about the blue moon. Was it in the newspaper? He wanted to know, but couldn’t see the headline the old man nearby was holding.

  “It’ll be late by the time we get to Wilder.”

  “How many stops are there from here?”

  “I’m not sure. Last time I was on this train, I slept the whole way. Three stops, I think?”

  A whistle blew, announcing the train’s arrival. Ivy felt the ground tremble under his feet.

  The familiar red engine approached, its gold nameplate glinting in the setting sun. It rumbled past in a cloud of smoke, followed by a green carriage that slid into the platform. The door marked with a bold “3” stopped right in front of them.

  Tabby gestured for Ivy to board first. He grabbed the handrail and stepped up, catching the scent of the wooden floor.

  Inside, he opened the door to the passenger compartment. Pale sunlight filtered through the windows, casting a soft glow on the seats to the right.

  Ivy took a seat, and Tabby sat across from him. There were only three other passengers in the car.

  In contrast to the bustle outside, the interior was quietly somber. Two more passengers entered, the door closed, and the train began to move.

  Tabby rested his chin on his hand and gazed out the window.

  Ivy, weary and sleepy, stared at the pink clouds racing across the sea’s surface.

  “It’s still there—the blue moon,” Tabby murmured.

  “Yeah. Mr. Lansberge said it would stay for a while.”

  “Is it a dead star?”

  “And also a baby star.”

  They chuckled.

  “I can’t believe any of it.”

  Tabby nodded. It had really happened. The blue moon glowed brightly in the sunset, as if proving it was real.

  What would become of it? Does the priest—the one they called the Bird—know?

  This soft sunset had reached both Wilder and Parkhill now, and people everywhere must be talking about the blue moon.

  He wondered how he could explain what had happened.

  I’ll write to Cobe, he decided. About what I really want to do.

  Near the horizon, a ship floated on the sea.

  Is that going abroad? he wondered.