Two more days passed, and Evelyn Ford knew she had lost. She’d bet the outside patrol would leave within three days, but to her surprise, their numbers had increased rather than dwindled.
Quincy was the happiest of all. He was certain he would win and had already told everyone about the bet.
"Everyone, bear witness! I bet the people outside will be gone in seven days. It’s been three days now, so Evelyn Ford has already lost. All that’s left is the ultimate showdown between me and Ronan Kendrick."
Quincy even started canvassing, encouraging everyone to place bets on who would ultimately win: him or Ronan Kendrick.
"I’m betting on Ronan Kendrick to win." The moment Evelyn Ford voiced her choice, Quincy looked over at her.
"Evelyn Ford, I’d advise you to bet on me. I’m feeling very confident this time."
Everyone chuckled at Quincy’s display of confidence.
"I’m betting on Ronan Kendrick to win, too." Ethan Dawson didn’t hesitate to side with Ronan Kendrick, earning a sneer from Quincy.
"Well then, I guess I’ll bet on Quincy. Poor guy, nobody’s picking him." Officer Graham walked over and patted Quincy’s arm. "Quincy, you’ve got to pull through for me."
Quincy flexed his barely-there biceps at Officer Graham. "Mr. Graham, just you wait. I’m going to win."
In the end, five people bet on Ronan Kendrick to win, while six bet on Quincy. The two contestants themselves were not included in the count.
Evelyn Ford didn’t pay the bet much mind. She and Ronan Kendrick still had rice to plant. Once that was done, they could till the black soil and plant wheat, corn, and all sorts of fruits and vegetables.
’The more she cultivated the land, the more fertile it became. It could never be left fallow. Letting the land go to waste wouldn’t just make a person lazy; the space itself would lose its purpose. If she ever forgot her original intentions, the space would abandon her.’
’The space and I are intertwined. Since I’ve become its master, I must draw out its full potential.’
After all the rice was planted, the work in the space paused for a while. They would rest for a few days before tilling the black soil.
On the fifth day of the bet, just as the two of them stepped out of the bedroom, they heard Quincy grumbling and cursing.
"How can my luck be this bad? Why did the patrol team suddenly pull back? Couldn’t they have just waited two more days? This is so unfair!"
Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick exchanged a look and both of them smiled.
"Quincy, you lost."
Seeing Evelyn Ford, Quincy huffed. "My luck is just the worst."
"It certainly is. That means Ronan Kendrick wins. You have to go clean the toilets... for six months."
Quincy... ’Why am I always the one who suffers?’
"Ronan Kendrick, Evelyn Ford lost too! So what’s her punishment? If you don’t give her one, you’re showing favoritism! That’s not fair to me!"
Ronan Kendrick cleared his throat. "She’s been working nonstop these past few days. She plants the rice and vegetables we all eat, and she feeds the chickens, ducks, and other livestock. If I really have to give her a punishment, I’ll punish her by making her take a good, long rest."
"I was wrong. I’ll go clean the toilets right now." Quincy had only been joking, but when he saw the mud still clinging to Evelyn Ford’s shoes, he felt a pang of guilt.
"I’ll work more and eat less from now on."
Evelyn Ford gave a weary smile. "It’s not like we’re short on food. We all need to eat properly."
"All right," Ronan said. "You don’t have to clean them for six months. One week will be enough. Gambling is a vice; let’s not make any more bets in the future."
Since Ronan Kendrick had actually pardoned his six-month toilet-cleaning sentence, Quincy rushed forward to give him a hug, only for Ronan to deftly sidestep him.
"Ronan Kendrick, you’re my savior!"
Ronan Kendrick pinched the bridge of his nose, looking at Quincy with utter disdain.
The patrol officers outside had indeed retreated. After searching for so long to no avail, the base couldn’t possibly continue to waste manpower and resources on four spoiled brats.
The highway fell quiet once more. In addition to cleaning toilets, Quincy now had to go out on patrol. Meanwhile, more and more small birds began acting as messengers for Evelyn Ford. Word had spread for miles that she provided food and shelter, and they flocked to her to take her up on the offer.
The long veranda behind the cabin had turned into an aviary, with hundreds of small birds taking up residence. Evelyn Ford laid down some ground rules for them: no incessant chirping on the island, and no pooping wherever they pleased.
Although many birds came to roost at the cabin, Evelyn Ford’s management was strict, so the veranda remained fairly clean.
After a two-day rest, Evelyn Ford started planning what to plant in the black soil.
"Besides corn and wheat, we could plant more Dotty—fava beans, peas, and soybeans would all be good. Dotty can be used for sprouting, or to make tofu, tofu skin, soy milk, and fermented black beans."
Ronan Kendrick nodded. "All right, I’ll go till the fields."
Once they had mapped out the planting areas, Ronan Kendrick took charge of tilling the land while Evelyn Ford followed behind, scattering the seeds.
"Ronan Kendrick, I think I’ll plant some more cotton. Even though the space has plenty of fabric and clothes, our group is so large that we go through clothing quickly."
The two of them now handled the planting within the space, while all the external chores had been handed over to the others. Officer Graham and Taylor Vance had organized everything, from cooking and cleaning to chopping firewood and brewing tea. No detail was overlooked. Even Zoe had a job: feeding the flock of birds on the veranda.
***
"Evelyn Ford, something’s wrong!"
As was his habit, Quincy had gone out for one last patrol before bed. He couldn’t sleep without first making sure the island was secure. But as soon as he reached the shore and swept his flashlight beam across the water, he saw six bodies floating downstream.
The sheer number of bodies unnerved him, and he panicked, running back to get Evelyn Ford and ask what to do.
"What’s the matter? What’s all the panic about?" Officer Graham emerged from the kitchen, cleaver in hand. Seeing Quincy panting for breath, he quickly patted him on the back.
"Dad, what’s wrong? Is a ghost chasing you?" Zoe bounced over to Quincy and peered behind him.
"There are no ghosts, Daddy. Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you."
Quincy didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
"Mr. Graham, there are bodies in the water again! And there are several this time, all floating facedown out there. It’s terrifying."
Officer Graham knew this was a serious matter as well, so the two of them rushed off to find Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick.
Evelyn Ford had just finished her work and was relaxing in a chair when she heard a knock. Ronan Kendrick handed her a glass of lemonade before going to open the door.
"What is it?"
Quincy grabbed Ronan Kendrick’s arm. "There are more bodies outside, several of them! They must have floated down from Flumen. What should we do? Are we going to have to move again?"
Evelyn Ford shot up from her chair. "Let’s go. We’ll head to the shore and assess the situation."
Grabbing their flashlights, they prepared to head for the shore. Zoe tugged on Quincy’s pants, fussing to go along, so he had no choice but to carry her on his back as they went.
When they reached the shore, Evelyn Ford switched on her high-powered flashlight, instantly illuminating the water’s surface as if it were day.
Evelyn Ford drew a sharp breath as she saw the bodies scattered across the water before them.
The dead had been stripped of their clothes. From this distance, it was hard to make out any other details.
"What do we do?" Quincy asked. "Push them downstream? Burn them? Burning them won’t be easy, and it’s a waste of gasoline. But if we push them downstream, we’ll contaminate the water supply. The refugees downstream will be in deep trouble."
For a moment, Evelyn Ford was also at a loss as to how to deal with the bodies.
Looking upstream, Evelyn Ford sighed.