#berrypastelrainbowcy

Huck:It’s so unfair, why am I the only one stuck in here all day?

Melora:Because you’re the one who stole all the trees from school property.

Huck:Borrowed!  I put them back.

Melora:Didn’t you lose one?

Huck:I didn’t lose it, I just put it somewhere…better.

Melora:Where’s Huck this morning anyways?

Alfredo:Where mom can’t see him.

Daylily: He’s at work with your father where he can see him.

Melora: Oh is he still serving out his punishment for the tree thing?

Puck: He’s going to be working to pay off that debt until he graduates.  

Alfredo:He forgot my stuff to return this morning too.  So now I have to go down there after lunch.

Melora: I can do it, I was going to go for a walk anyways.  I wanted to get some photos of the new wildflowers down by the creek.  

Heir and I have published a book together, but I’ve also begun a solo book of my own. It’s called “The Garden,” and it’s long and winding, and pretty sad, and I don’t really know if it’ll have a happy ending yet. Who knows if it’ll ever get published, who knows if I even wantit to be published, but I know that I need to write it, even just for myself. 

Things feel peaceful, for now at least. I try not to think back on the Garden too much, but I know that one day I’ll get to see Howlite again and tell her all about my daughters and my wife and my books, and just… everything. I hope that day’s not for a long, long time, though. But I also like to think that maybe she’s keeping an eye on us in the meantime.

As of right now, we have two little girls– a set of twins, actually! Callista and Venus. They’re both just brimming with energy and curiosity, but they’re extremely different from each other, too. Callie’s a little wild; she’s always running around outside and exploring everything the world has to offer her. Vee, on the other hand, would rather stay inside and play with her blocks, or look at her books, or follow Dosi and I around asking infinite strings of “but why?” questions.

Our life that we’ve built together is nice. It’s easy. Not in the sense that everything just falls into place and we never struggle with anything–we do– but being together is easy. It just feels right. I love her more than anything else in this world, and I know she feels the same for me.

We didn’t waste too much time between getting engaged and getting married. I think we both were just excited to start the rest of our lives. Our wedding was a simple little event out in the woods; neither of us really wanted anything too big.

Right after we finished school, Dosi and I bought an old house out in Henford and fixed it up to make a home for ourselves. Dosi got a job at a little, family run restaurant over there, and since I’m a writer and can work anywhere, it just made sense for us to move there. It’s a quiet little town, but it’s our home. I was a little slow about it, but I proposed to her two years after we moved here.

EPILOGUE: 8 years later…

End of Gen 2 

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Hollyhock:I’m glad we could spend it together.

Dosinia:Me too.

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Hollyhock: Yeah, it is really nice. I never really thought about it much, I guess. It’s just how things have always been around here. My mom had to kinda build her family from the ground up when she was even younger than us, so she’s always happy to welcome everyone into our home. “Friend” and “family” really tend to mean the same thing around here. 

Dosinia:I really love that. This has been the best Winterfest I’ve had in… well, as long as I can remember, I think.

Dosinia:I’m serious! Back home with my parents it was always dead quiet; they were always working, and too busy to invite people over for holidays. I love how close and massive your family is. And how your “extended family” includes all your moms’ friends and their kids.

Dosinia:I like it. Your house is so… lively. 

Hollyhock:*Laughing* That’s one way to describe it!

The next day, back at Star and Petal’s house

Dosinia:Thanks for inviting me to stay with you for the holidays.

Hollyhock:Oh, it’s no problem, sorry that my family is so loud though. It’s kinda hard to get a moment of peace around here.