8

The morning after Adaline visited the temple, there was a sack of potatoes outside of the cottage door. There was no name on it.

“It’s from the God of Agriculture,” Milo claimed. “I visited him yesterday.”

Silas looked through the sack, taking out and inspecting the contents with his one good hand. “Well, we should visit him again to tell him thank you.”

“He said that we’re welcome to come get food from him any time! We should go tomorrow,” Milo said cheerfully.

Adaline and Silas both abhorred this idea, but only in secret. The three of them visited the God a few days later.

Milo led them both along a winding forest path that seemed like it was going nowhere. Sometimes he would lead them off the path entirely, until they came upon a different one (or it may have been the same one--they couldn’t tell).

Adaline quickened her step to walk next to Milo, then whispered in his ear: “It’s okay if you stole the potatoes, Milo. I won’t tell anyone.”

Milo glared at her. “I didn’t steal them,” He said, and then they all broke through the trees, stepping into the biggest potato field they’d ever seen.

Adaline shielded her eyes from the sun and looked out across the field, which stretched to the horizon. There were actually multiple fields, with wheat, carrots, and strawberries, and even an orchard in the distance. In the middle of it all was a small cottage. It had smoke coming out of its chimney.

Milo led the way between the rows of crops. Silas was enamored by the field; it would take great dedication to maintain a crop like this, even for a God.

As they neared the cottage a man came out to greet them. The man met Silas’s eyes. Silas felt his heart rate rise; every nerve in his body seemed to course with electricity, making his muscles tense and his mind race. The man, however, didn’t hesitate for a moment.

“Milo! Hello! And you brought Adaline and Silas too. Welcome!” He said, waving enthusiastically. “Come on in!”

Adaline and Milo stepped forward. Silas stayed planted to the spot.

As Adaline passed through the doorway she couldn’t help but notice the tools lined up on one side of the cottage. They were all unassuming farm tools--hoes and scythes and hatchets--but the way their edges caught the light showed that they had been sharpened to a fine point.

The God of Agriculture took a kettle off the stove and poured tea into four mugs. Milo took a seat at the table, but Adaline didn’t.

“We can’t be staying long,” She said.

“Of course, of course, but Tea doesn’t take very long. You can leave as soon as you’re finished.”

Adaline sat down, took a hold of the teacup, and drank the entire thing in one gulp.

The God of Agriculture chuckled. “You’re just like Milo described,” He said. He glanced out the window, bringing the teacup close to his lips. “Is your father coming in?”

Adaline and Milo looked out the window to see Silas still standing in the field. “I’ll go get him,” Adaline said quickly, and left the cottage.

No matter what Adaline said to him, Silas wouldn’t come inside. Milo and the God of Agriculture chatted merrily over tea, but every once in a while, Milo would catch the God glancing out into the fields at where Silas was standing.