Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women
Chapter 969

Chapter 969: Chapter 969

In the following days, no direct contact came. But signs appeared: glyph-etched stones buried near saplings, new glowing graffiti on stones that solidified each morning. The watchers returned, now appearing deeper inside the orchard, sometimes watching domestic chores with ivory patience.

That afternoon, Jude took a small group, Scarlet, Layla, Emma, to seek meaning behind the black cloth’s glyph. They followed spirals through mist deeper than before, tracing faded markings on stones near the river’s bend. At a break in the slope they found a flat stone set into the ground, carved with the glyph and surrounded by a half-circle of smaller stones.

The glyph glowed pale on that stone.

EMMA knelt and brushed moss from its surface. "Is this... a door?"

Jude reached out. "It’s a marker."

He traced the spiral, the glyph pulsing like a heartbeat. Then he pressed his hand into the spiral groove. The ground trembled.

Layla gasped. "Earth’s speaking."

Jude withdrew his hand. The tremor stopped. Emma lit a violet candle, and the glyph pulsed brighter.

Scarlet placed a ribbon around the base. They backed away. Mist wavered in the gap.

On the return, they brought the group together beneath the fig–glyph tree. Jude laid out the stones and black cloth. He said, "This marks a place we were not yet ready to cross. But it’s part of the circle. It shows memory beyond watchers."

Grace looked up from touching saplings. "It’s a boundary, then. A marker of training grounds."

Jude nodded. "An invitation. And a test."

They resolved to return tomorrow at dawn, all of them, to honor this stone as well as the previous ones.

That night, they slept in a ring in the orchard, each surrounded by watchers drawn close.

---

At dawn they assembled again. Jude carried the black cloth. Grace brought soil and petals. Each wife carried ribbons, clay tokens, stones, tokens from their home. There was excitement and tension, but no fear. They ascended together, walking toward the glyph stone in quiet reverence.

When they reached it, Jude gently laid ribbons around it. Grace sprinkled petals and soil. Scarlet poured oil around its base to create a ring of light. A low hum trembled through the earth.

Jude stepped forward. "We honor this boundary in memory and promise. We stand at your edge, ready to remember deeper. We vow to speak with open hearts and steady presence." He knelt and tied the black cloth to the center of the spiral.

His voice cracked. "We remember."

Grace knelt beside him and kissed his forehead. "And we release love."

One by one, the wives spoke their names and promises. The earth hummed. The glyph glowed brighter.

A watcher emerged from mist, a tall, slender form that gazed at their hands. It tilted its head. Jude watched as it drifted forward, and instead of judgment, it bowed. Mist swirled, drawing the watcher closer until hundreds of forms hovered around the glyph stone.

The mist pulsed. The watchers circled. Their hum became song, not harsh, but layered and bright.

The wives closed their eyes and sang along. It was a melody of memory: the original offering arc, watchers, mountain, everything woven together. They carried their years, their grief, joy, living.

When they ended, the watchers glowed. The glyph pulsed one final time, then went still.

A hush.

The watchers faded into quiet shapes, drifting back into the orchard. The glyph stone glowed pale. The brides and children watched. Jude touched Grace’s hand.

He spoke softly: "We passed."

The wives hugged. Children laughed and cried and squeezed them. The watcher forms receded but remained visible until twilight.

---

Back at camp, they held a feast far deeper into evening than before. It felt like celebration and exhaustion combined. The watchers remained near, but gently.

Jude walked with Grace ahead of the crowd to the river, where soft lanterns lit shallow pools. She leaned into him.

"We did it," she said.

He nodded, unable to hold back relief.

She pressed her palm to his chest. "The watchers are ours. We are theirs."

He swallowed, voice low: "We cannot stop remembering."

She kissed him again, then rested her head on his shoulder.

---

That night, Jude dreamt again of the orchard, but this time he walked among watchers, no longer mist, but forms of art, spun of light and water. They reached out, each touching him, enveloping him in presence. He realized it was not fear he felt, but belonging. He awoke to the soft glow of dawn and the scent of jasmine again, holding Grace in his arms.

He rose quietly, and by the time the sun spilled across the orchard, every wife was awake, gathering around the fire. The watchers shimmered in the light, each a silent guest at this morning’s gathering.

Jude stepped into the circle. "We are caretakers of memory. We hold watchers, mountain, island, home, and each other. We have said we remember. But now it is time to live it."

He reached into his pouch and pulled out the black cloth, holding it high so the morning light passed through the glyph. The watchers brightened. Then he placed it into a shallow bowl filled with water, gentle petals swirling on the surface.

"This place remembers deeper than any of us. But it lives in our hands, every day, through kindness, laughter, love, creation. We are memory’s keepers."

Grace added: "And our living is our vow."

They ate breakfast in solemn joy, the watchers dipping near, then fading.

---

As the sun climbed, the wives returned to daily life: harvest, craft, fish, build. But everything felt woven with purpose now. Each song, each caring gesture, each child’s laugh, each meal offered, it carried weight beyond survival. They were weaving memory, renewing watchers like strands in a tapestry.

That afternoon, Jude walked with Lucy to prune saplings. She paused, staring at the black-cloth water bowl beneath the fig-glyph tree. "What now?" she asked.

He smiled. "We live. And tomorrow, we do it again."

She nodded, touched a leaf. "I like tomorrow."

Jude kissed her cheek, brushing her hair back. "Me too."