Our Mother the Mountain

4. Goodnight

Ethan noted that the Lords kept the conversation very far away from the situation that had brought them to the castle in the first place. One by one, they grew tired, and the air of melancholy rose when Moreau finally confessed that they should retire soon. Donna agreed, and Alcina seemed even more ready to say goodnight. Ethan checked his watch; it was nearly 1 in the morning.

He was proud of the group. He was sitting cross-legged on one of the chairs while Alcina took a full couch, and the other three crammed onto the other couch, Karl's legs dancing from energy and continually hitting the coffee table. The roaring fire was now low, and the room otherwise dark, when Donna asked, "Will you read the passage about the garden, before we go? From Bird by Bird."

Alcina obliged Donna with her reading–Ethan had learned it was one of the dollmaker's many comforts–from the small, well-worn book by the mantle. As Alcina turned the pages of the book delicately, she mused, "I always wanted to read this book to my daughters. I don't know why I never did...I...." She trailed off, and Ethan felt as she recited the passage, that Alcina was speaking to ghosts within the castle walls, not to any of the current listeners.

"The garden is one of the two great metaphors for humanity.

The garden is about life and beauty and the impermanence of all living things.

The garden is about feeding your children, providing food for the tribe.

It's part of an urgent territorial drive that we can probably trace back to animals storing food.

It's a competitive display mechanism, like having a prize bull, this greed for the best tomatoes and English tea roses.

It's about winning; about providing society with superior things; and about proving that you have taste, and good values, and you work hard.

And what a wonderful relief, every so often, to know who the enemy is.

Because in the garden, the enemy is everything: the aphids, the weather, time.

And so you pour yourself into it, care so much, and see up close so much birth, and growth, and beauty, and danger, and triumph.

And then everything dies anyway, right?

But you just keep doing it."

It was awkward, though perhaps not new, that the mood after the passage was somber. Even Heisenberg had nothing smartass to say. It felt strange, as though the group would never be together again. It felt heavy. The Lords said their goodbyes, fumbling as they'd never been like this toward each other before. How ironic, mused Ethan, that getting rid of the psycho who had brought them all together was the key to their bonding. So it maybe always went with toxic parents.

Heisenberg surprised everyone by extending a hand to Alcina after he stood. Ethan and the others stared, but Alcina drew back in surprise. She looked suspiciously at his hand, and Karl supplied, "Don't worry, I don't have a buzzer."

She pursed her lips at this, but shook his hand without further comment. Ethan could sense the trepidation between both, and he remembered Evie's words from earlier. Was Karl afraid in this moment? His face was a mask in the shadows, his glassless eyes still hiding whatever thoughts flickered behind them. The engineer dipped his head at Dimitrescu before waltzing toward the others, who stood at the entryway.

He turned back and stared pointedly at Ethan. "You comin'?"

"I'll catch up, go on ahead."

The blond began to untangle his long legs, stretching, as the sound of footsteps on marble faded. Alcina was still staring after the group, but she finally turned back to Ethan.