Chapter 29: The Picnic Continues
The meadow was alive with sunlight, golden beams spilling across the endless stretch of folded-space grass. The faint shimmer of the system sky arched overhead, scattered with wisps of clouds painted in soft pastels. The world here had a way of feeling both real and not—like stepping into a memory one wanted to hold onto forever.
Blankets had already been laid out in a patchwork across the field, woven with bright colors that popped against the fresh green. Baskets sat brimming with food—sandwiches, fresh bread from the farm, jars of honey and jam, cartons of eggs boiled and painted with cheerful doodles. The faint scent of grilled meat drifted from the portable cooktops Brian and Liam had insisted on bringing, while Mildred arranged vegetables with the precision of someone who had probably been planning recipes in her head all week.
It was a picnic, plain and simple. Yet, in the context of the looming countdown, it felt like a treasure.
