Dear reader, with the warmth of a renewed sun the snow has begun to melt away here in Greenwood. Winter is leaving, and so is my cold, thank goodness! One season ends, a new one begins, I just finished my newest remedy, and… well, it seems a new path has been uncovered too, though I know not where it will lead.
The new remedy I decided to call Caring. It is made with all the sweet Impressions of my friends’ help and kindness, as well as a few little notes from my time resting. They remind a person to show compassion to oneself too; a small but important addition, I think. I also find it pleasantly curious to see that even with the small amount I bottled, a little bit really goes a long way. Caring, I suppose, is unique like that. It was so wonderful when I finally felt well enough to get out and give my friends their gift. They all told me how happy they were that I was back on my feet and it really touched my heart.
But what of the strange gift I received from my little friends of the forest? Well, dear reader, after I showed Lorenz the drawing, we were both eager to visit the stone giant again. Lorenz was concerned for my health and worried the winter weather might hurt my recovery, but the days have been growing warmer and my strength has been steadily returning. So yesterday he agreed I was well enough, and we once more made our way into the trees. Oh, how I had missed them! It seemed like ages since I left my cottage for the comfort of their welcoming boughs. Lorenz and I were careful to take the path nice and slow; I had just recovered after all, and everything was rather slippery with the melting snow.
By around midday we reached our destination and stood for a long time examining the carved figure. Lorenz thought maybe there was another hidden chamber, and waded into the mud around the base to feel along the stone, but there was nothing. I wondered if perhaps there was a hidden message in the carving, but again, we found nothing we hadn’t seen before. I pulled out the drawing as we sat down on a nearby stone to rest. Lorenz noted how well they had captured the face, but as I held it up for comparison, we each saw that something was different. The face was certainly the same, but I pointed out how the arms were placed differently. Not just that, but the vines too. Lorenz saw that while the stone in front of us had one set, the drawing had another design to its leafy pattern. I was puzzled. Had the pair of little old men drawn it wrong? And what of the odd, bumpy line at the bottom of the page? I sighed, as I heard a “hmm” or two from Lorenz.
He stood muttering thoughtfully as I watched. “Different arms…” he said, “hmm…different vines… hmm… Sonya, this is a different giant!” It… it couldn’t be… but, but yes, oh, then it seemed so simple. I moved to look at the sketch more closely with him. Yes, even the stone was a slightly different shape! Oh goodness, and there was still the strange line, marked with little dots… suddenly I realized: it's a map! If there was more than one stone giant then maybe the little dots were markers, were more giants, and the line led to... I didn’t know. Lorenz hurriedly counted the dots, and one, two, three. If we were right, then there were more carved stones out there, and perhaps the key was for whatever was at the last dot, and oh, we were both so excited with our discovery, that we shouted out! Lorenz jumped, but then oh goodness, he slipped, mud staining his clothes all down one side. Oh no! I rushed towards him but I slipped too, and goodness, down I went. He started laughing, and there we both were giggling like little children in the mud. Such a silly thing.
I hope we are right in our discovery. If so, then we have a new path ahead of us. We must find the next stone giant. Lorenz wonders if the map is to scale, if the distance between markers is in strides or leagues? I do not know any more than he, but I feel confident we are heading in the right direction. Dear reader, I am filled with such a sense of anticipation. I can hardly wait for the spring and for our search for the next stone giant to begin!