Chapter 78 Campfire lit for the second time

New York, November 1, 1902 Bailey had no trouble finding the cramped room filled with books.When he was rummaging through the items on the desk, the big crow sitting in the corner winked at him curiously. He flicked through the leather-bound volume anxiously until he found the page signed by Poppy and Wedgie.He carefully tore the entire page from the binding, removing it completely. He found a pen in the drawer, and followed the instructions to sign his name on the page of the book.When the ink dries, he gathers up all the other items he will need, going over the list in his mind so as not to miss anything.

Balls of yarn were easy to find, and one was resting precariously on top of a stack of books. Two cards were mixed among the documents on the table, one was a familiar poker card, and the other was a tarot card with an angel pattern on it.He crammed it all into the cover of the book. The pigeons in the cage above stirred and flapped their wings lightly. Pocket watches on long silver chains turned out to be the hardest to find.He found it on the ground next to the desk, and when he dusted it off a little, he saw the initials H. B． .The pocket watch no longer moves. Bailey put the torn page at the top of the book and tucked it under his arm.The pocket watch and ball of yarn were placed in his pocket along with the candles he pulled from the wishing tree.

When he left, the big crow tilted his head, and the pigeons were still asleep. Bailey walked across the adjoining tent, around the double row of chairs in a circle, because it didn't seem right to go straight through.Outside, it was still raining. When he hurried back to the atrium, he found Yuezi was waiting for him. Celia said I had to borrow a lighter from you.He said. Yuezi tilted her head curiously, her strange appearance was like a bird with a cat's grinning toothy face. I think that's fine.She said after a while, and took out a silver lighter from the coat pocket and threw it to him.

The lighter was heavier than he originally thought. The complex mechanical device was covered in a worn and rusted silver case, and the surface was engraved with symbols that he could not read. Be careful when using it.Yuezi said. Is it magic?Bailey asked, flipping it in his hand. No, but it's old, built by someone close to me.I take it you're planning to re-ignite that thing?She pointed to the towering basin of twisted metal that once held campfires. Bailey nodded. Do you need help? Do you want to help? Moon shrugged. I don't particularly care what the outcome will be.But the way she looked around at the tent and the mud made Bailey suspect she wasn't telling the truth, she said.

I don't believe it, he said, but I care, so I figured I should do it myself. Yuezi smiled at him, and for the first time he felt her smile was sincere. Then leave it to you.she says.Her hand slid over the edge of the iron pot, and most of the rainwater in the pot suddenly turned into steam, rising slowly as a soft cloud, and dissipating into the surrounding fog. She didn't offer any further advice or instructions, and just walked away along the black and white striped trail, dragging a curl of thin smoke behind her.Bailey was alone in the courtyard. He remembered the story Wedge had told about the ritual lighting of the campfire, when it was first lit.Only now did he realize that it was also the night Wedge was born.Wedge told the story in such detail that Bailey thought Wedgie had witnessed it.Archers, colors, and wonders.

Bailey stands here now, ready to accomplish the same feat with nothing more than a booklet, a bit of wool, and a borrowed cigarette lighter.Alone.in the rain. He murmured to himself the instructions given by Celia in his memory, those instructions that were more complicated than finding the book and tying the string.That is, those instructions about focus and intention that he doesn't fully understand. He bound the booklet with a thin thread of wool dyed crimson, the tint of which had been stained darker in a few short passages by something dried and brown. He folded the torn page over the cover, and tied three knots to seal the booklet, with the cards securely pressed inside.

He let the pocket watch hang from the booklet, winding it as many times as he could on the chain. He tossed it into the empty iron pot with a muffled, damp thud, and the pocket watch clanged against metal. Marco's bowler hat lay in the mud at his feet.He threw it in too. He glanced back in the direction of the stuntman's tent. From the atrium, he could see the top of the tent, which was taller than the surrounding tents. Impulsively, he simply put everything left in his pocket into the combination of the iron pot.his banknotes.The dried rose, the one he pinned to his lapel when he dined with the dreamer.Poppy's white gloves.

He hesitated for a moment, turning the miniature glass bottle in his hand, and the version of the tree Wedge had created for him was trapped inside, but he added it too.He flinched as it hit the pan and shattered it. He held a white candle in one hand and Yuezi's lighter in the other. He fumbled and pressed the lighter clumsily, and the lighter finally agreed to spark. Then he lit the candle with a bright orange flame. He threw the burning candle into the cauldron. Nothing happened. This is my choice, Bailey thought, this is what I want, this is what I need, please, please make this work.He made a wish.He had never wished so hard on a birthday candle or a shooting star, for himself, for dreamers wearing red scarves, for a clockmaker he had never met, for Celia and Marco, Poppy and Wage, even makes a wish for confinement, though she insists she doesn't care.

Bailey closed his eyes. For a moment, everything was as still as still water, even the drizzle stopped abruptly. He felt hands resting on his shoulders. There is a heaviness in the chest. Something in the crooked iron cauldron began to burst into flames. When the flame ignited, it was brilliant crimson. When they turned white, they were blindingly bright, and bursts of flames fell like stars. The force of the hot air pushed Bailey back, and rushed through his body like a wave. The air burned in his lungs and fell to the ground. The ground was no longer scorched black and muddy, but solid and dry, covered with black and white swirls. pattern.

All around him, lights beeped along the tent, coming back to life, twinkling like fireflies. Marco stood under the wishing tree, watching the candles go up along the branches. A moment later, Celia reappeared beside him. Did you make it?He asked: Please, tell me it worked. She gave him a kiss in return, the same kiss he had given her in the middle of a crowded ballroom, as if they were the only two of them in the world.