Chapter 1798

He stared at the wooden roof above him before turning his head toward the people surrounding him.

He didn’t appear frightened.

He simply looked at them.

Jude moved closer.

"Hello. Can you hear me?"

The boy’s gaze settled on him.

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Then the child blinked.

"Where am I?"

His voice was quiet and strangely calm.

"You’re somewhere safe," Jude replied. "We found you on the beach."

The boy looked around at the faces surrounding him.

"Beach?"

"Yes. Do you remember how you got there?"

The child said nothing.

Susan offered him the cup.

"Would you like some water?"

He looked at it, then at her.

After a moment, he accepted the cup with both hands.

He drank a little.

Then he looked back at Jude.

"What’s your name?" Jude asked.

The boy hesitated.

"Sol."

The name was so soft that Jude almost thought he had misheard it.

"Sol?"

The child nodded.

"That’s my name."

"I’m Jude. These are my friends."

He introduced the women one by one.

Sol listened quietly, watching each person as they spoke. He didn’t smile, and he didn’t seem particularly curious about the village.

When Jude finished, he asked the boy another question.

"Do you know where you came from, Sol?"

The boy looked down at his cup.

"I don’t remember."

"Do you remember your family?"

No answer.

"Were you travelling with someone?"

Sol shook his head.

Susan exchanged a concerned glance with Rose.

"Perhaps we shouldn’t ask too many questions right now," she said. "He needs rest."

Jude agreed.

"Of course."

He looked at the boy again.

"You can stay here until you feel better. We’ll find a place for you to sleep, and we’ll make sure you have food."

Sol stared at him.

"Stay here?"

"Yes."

"For how long?"

"As long as you need."

The child looked around the circle of people.

Then he lowered his eyes.

"Thank you."

His voice was polite, but there was something unsettling about the way he said it. It sounded less like gratitude and more like a sentence he had repeated many times before.

The news of the mysterious child spread quickly through the village.

By midday, everyone had gathered near the central firepit at least once to see him.

Sol was given a small portion of bread and fruit. He ate slowly, taking only a few bites at a time. Susan prepared a warm vegetable broth, but he barely touched it.

"Doesn’t he like it?" Grace whispered.

Jude looked toward the boy.

"Perhaps he’s not hungry."

Sol sat quietly on the blanket, watching the fire.

Stella approached him with a small wooden toy she had carved several weeks earlier. It was shaped like a bird, with simple wings and a rounded body.

"Would you like this?"

Sol looked at the toy.

He didn’t take it immediately.

Stella placed it beside him.

"You can keep it if you want."

The boy picked it up and turned it over in his hands.

"Did you make this?"

"Yes."

He examined the little wooden wings.

"It’s beautiful."

Stella smiled.

"I’m glad you like it."

Sol placed the toy beside his blanket.

Lucy crouched nearby.

"Do you like the island?"

The child looked toward her.

"I haven’t seen it."

Lucy frowned.

"But you’re on it."

Sol looked at the ground.

"I mean... not all of it."

"There’s a forest, a river, mountains, farms, and a waterfall," Zoey explained. "You’ll see them eventually."

The boy didn’t answer.

Scarlet appeared with a small plate of sliced fruit.

"Here. Try these."

Sol accepted a piece.

"Thank you."

Scarlet sat down beside him.

"Do you like fruit?"

He nodded.

"Which one?"

He looked at the different pieces.

"The red one."

Scarlet pointed to a small round fruit.

"This?"

"Yes."

"Good choice. That’s my favourite too."

Jude watched the exchange from nearby.

The child was beginning to speak a little more, but he remained unusually quiet. He rarely asked questions, and whenever someone mentioned his past, his expression became distant.

It was as if he had no memories at all.

Or as if he had memories he didn’t want to share.

Later that afternoon, Jude decided to take Sol on a short walk around the village.

The boy had been sitting beside the fire for hours, and Jude thought some fresh air might help him feel more comfortable.

"Would you like to see where you’ll be staying?"

Sol looked up.

"Where?"

"We have several empty cabins."

The child stood.

Jude offered his hand, but Sol didn’t take it. Instead, he followed a few steps behind.

They walked past the central firepit, the storehouse, and the flower garden. The rain had left the paths damp, and sunlight reflected from small puddles between the stones.

Sol stopped beside the new bench.

"What is this?"

"A garden. We planted flowers here yesterday."

The boy looked at the little wooden markers.

"Are they growing?"

"Not yet. It takes time."

Sol crouched and examined the soil.

"Will they grow?"

"If we take care of them."

The child looked at Jude.

"Do all things grow if someone takes care of them?"

Jude considered the question.

"Not everything. But most living things need care to have a chance."

Sol looked back at the garden.

"Even if nobody remembers planting them?"

Jude frowned slightly.

"I suppose so."

The boy stood and followed him again.

They passed the cabins near the central path. The village had twenty wooden houses in total, each built by the people who had once made this place their home. Some stood on the ground beneath the trees, while others were raised among the branches, connected by rope bridges and wooden walkways.

Jude pointed toward a small cabin near the edge of the village.

"This one is empty. It was built for guests, so you can stay there until we decide what would be best."

Sol examined the little house.

"Alone?"

"If you prefer. But everyone is nearby."

The boy looked toward the treehouses.

"Do people live up there?"