10 - Gathering Herbs

John nervously wiped his hands on his trousers. He didn’t know what to do with his hand now that he no longer wore Susan’s sweater. He loudly, purposely, knocked on the door to the healers’ hut. He was determined not to show his concern about how the day would work out.

Aliza was equally as nervous on the other side of that same door. She had been checking the pots of herbs, putting together the satchels for her pack, and going over the list in her head of what they should try to find. What would they talk about? Susan wasn’t coming and her joyful chatter had carried most of their time together.

Aliza opened the door and invited John in. John thanked Aliza for letting him in and went to greet Eleanor. John had been taught to always respect the Elders and he didn’t know why it was so difficult with Eleanor. After John’s failed attempt to exchange pleasantries with Eleanor, Aliza hustled him out the door. Aliza knew Eleanor’s feelings towards the valley folk and she didn’t want the outing to get off on a bad foot.

Aliza led the way out of her village, only slowing when they reached the edge of town. She then reached around to her pack and pulled out a few cloth satchels.

“Here , let me show you what we are looking for. These leaves come from a plant about knee height. It grows in the shade of taller trees, near water.” Aliza handed the leaves to John.

“This moss grows on trees, also by the water. We should be able to find the two together. “ She repeated the process with the other ingredients. She explained that she had already picked the plants close to her village, they would need to venture out to find more. Aliza had a difficult time convincing Eleanor to let her go gathering and she wanted to return with a bounty. Like Susan, Aliza felt the two villages could be friends and work together. She wanted to share more with John but didn’t know how and thought she should just stick to the plants.

“I recognize some of these plants and know of a place by a stream. It’s near one of our higher pastures. I sometimes have to take the flock in for water.” John was matching Aliza’s tone and focusing on the job at hand. He wasn’t sure what he had expected but he sensed her need to get the herbs. Had she given them more than her village could spare?

John handed the herbs back to Aliza and set off down the switchbacks. They hiked with a steady pace, both lost in their own thoughts. They hadn’t been out on the trail before.

Aliza realized that she didn’t need to fill the silence, while hiking they didn’t need to talk. She relaxed a bit and was hopeful the day would turn out well.

John was wracking his memory to find places for all the herbs. There were a few he didn’t recognize from the dried leaves. He was hoping Aliza would spot them.

Halfway down the hillside, John stopped and pointed past the meadow to the woods, “The stream is just inside those trees.” He stepped off the path and led the way. Aliza followed and started scanning the meadow for the plants she would need.

“John, please stop. Let me check this one.” Aliza bent down and showed John a plant. “Yes, this is one we need, but this plant has been munched. We need bigger leaves.”

John tried not to look guilty, he had been in this very meadow earlier this week. He was sure the mules had eaten Aliza’s plant! “I think there will be more when we get closer to the trees.” He knew the mules were afraid to get too close to the trees because of the bears so he thought there may still be some larger plants. The mules only went in with the big group when John was leading them to the stream. With the cooler weather, they hadn’t been to the stream the last few times.

They stopped hiking when they reached the taller grasses and weeds near the trees. They split up a few feet apart and started brushing their hands in the plants looking for the right one. “Is this it?” John had spotted a likely candidate. Aliza rushed over, “Yes, it is. Here let me show you how to cut the leaves.” John produced a small knife from his pack just as Aliza pulled hers out.

“We match.” Aliza happily announced. She wasn’t sure why that was important, but it made her feel special. She showed him where to cut and how to strip off the stem, “We need to leave the smaller ones so it can grow again next season.” She pulled an empty satchel from her pack, “I put the new leaves in a separate satchel so they don’t spoil the dried leaves. Do you think we can find enough to fill this? This plant is used in the pain tea.” They hunched over and walked slowly along the tree line and found the plants they needed.

“This is great. I can’t believe we found so many plants so quickly. You are right, this is a great location.” John wasn’t sure he deserved all this praise but he was still happy to hear it. “Thanks, I’m just glad we found it. Let’s go on to the stream, hopefully we’ll be as lucky there.”

“I really like it back here under the trees. The flock doesn’t like it, but I enjoy listening to the quiet sounds of the forest.” John stopped and half closed his eyes. Aliza almost bumped into him before she stopped. She watched him listen to the forest, then also closed her eyes and tried it herself. She had never really listened before, the forest was just where you went to get plants, no one spent any time in it.

“Do you hear them?” John was smiling. “You can’t sneak up on us.” John turned around and pointed at two squirrels looking down at them from a tree branch. “Hi little fellows, we’re just going to the stream for a few plants.” Aliza grinned up at the squirrels, how had he heard them? The larger one twitched it’s tail when John waved good-bye.

After a few more steps, he brushed her arm and quietly pointed out a rabbit chewing on some grass. “Oh, it’s lovely. “ Aliza whispered, she didn’t want to break the spell he was weaving. She had never truly focused and listened, but how could he have heard the rabbit? The forest was more alive and amazing that she had ever realized. John seemed to fit in seamlessly, he was so confident and at ease.

Aliza heard the stream before they reached it. Without John’s guidance, she never would have really appreciated the different sounds the water makes as it moves across the rocks. She wished they could take more time but they needed to keep gathering to get back before dark, the days were short.