"Where the hell did that come from?" I blurted out in my thick Swiss accent, my words a sharp contrast to the quiet focus that had enveloped our small group. The suddenness of my exclamation seemed to startle the Owens, who were crouched beside the tent, their attention riveted on several tiny seedlings that had miraculously sprouted from the barren ground.
"There's a thick crust beneath all the layers of dust, and there appears to be living soil beneath that crust," Chris explained patiently, his words deliberate and clear.
I couldn't help but be captivated by the revelation, my curiosity driving me to crouch beside them. My long fingers gently brushed against the delicate, green leaves that reached for the sun. "Fascinating," I murmured softly, awe colouring my tone as I marvelled at the resilience of life in this harsh environment. "And the plants?"
"Coriander seeds," Karen answered, her voice filled with a mix of wonder and intrigue, as she waved a small zip-lock bag in the air for emphasis.
I regarded the couple with an inquisitive expression, my curiosity piqued by their revelation. Chris and Karen had stumbled upon something unexpected, and I couldn't help but wonder about the story behind their find.
"She's always carrying some sort of seeds… or bugs," Chris remarked, his words tinged with a hint of amusement, as if he had grown accustomed to Karen's peculiar habits.
"They're not bugs," Karen interjected flatly.
The tiny seed Karen held in her hand beckoned my attention. "May I?" I inquired, extending my palm toward her. My interest in the reasons for Karen's seed collection was minimal, but I was acutely curious about the rapid transformation of a seed into a seedling. I wondered if that was indeed what had happened.
"Glenda, grab the pole!" Jamie's urgent shout interrupted my thoughts. Impatience welled up within me, and I couldn't resist joining in Jamie's exhortation. "Yeah!" I yelled impatiently, not turning my attention from the small coriander seed that Karen had placed in my hand.
With a sense of anticipation so palpable it felt like an electric charge in the air, I pressed the small seed into the soil in Chris’s cupped hands and stared at it, my eyes unblinking, as if willing it to reveal its secrets.
It didn't take long for the magic to unfold before my eyes. A gasp escaped my lips as I watched the seed crack open, small roots sprouting and eagerly anchoring themselves to the soil particles. A tiny stalk emerged, adorned with the first delicate leaves, as the coriander seed rapidly transformed into a seedling.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Jamie's angry voice cut through the air as he approached us, his frustration palpable.
"Come take a look at this," I responded, unfazed by his harsh outburst, my excitement overriding any concern for his anger. I waved him over with exaggerated enthusiasm, eager to share our discovery.
"What is that?" Jamie demanded, his gaze fixed on the coriander seedlings in Chris's hands. Frustration still etched deep lines on his forehead, refusing to dissipate.
"They're coriander plants," Karen answered, her tone lacking the same level of enthusiasm that had infected me.
"Did you bring those plants here?" Jamie pressed, his voice tinged with suspicion.
"In a manner of speaking, yes, I did," Karen admitted.
"In a manner of speaking?" Jamie echoed, clearly puzzled.
"We found the soil beneath the hard crust hidden beneath all the dust and sand," Karen elaborated, her words delivered with a sense of justification. "A few seeds accidentally fell out of my pocket and landed in the soil."
"And look what happens," I interjected, eager to demonstrate the wonder of our discovery. I reached into the bag and retrieved another coriander seed, placing it in Chris's trembling hands.
"My hands are getting a little tired," Chris complained, his palms slightly shaky as he held the seedling.
“Last time," I assured him, and Karen reached under her husband's hands to provide additional support.
"Just because you've planted something doesn't mean it's going to grow," Jamie retorted impatiently, skepticism etched in his tone.
"Just watch. It's incredible," I whispered, my gaze unwavering as I fixated on the small ecosystem taking shape within Chris's hands.
A wide, exhilarated smile stretched across my face as the coriander seed cracked open, just like the previous one, and rapidly began to form tiny roots, a delicate stem, and its very first leaves. The miracle unfolding before me filled me with a sense of wonder, and for a moment, the harsh reality of our situation seemed to fade into the background.
"This is great news," Chris remarked, his gaze lifted towards the vast expanse of empty land that stretched out around us.
My eyes widened with a sudden influx of thoughts and possibilities. "Perhaps this might help explain Joel's condition," I ventured, looking up at Jamie, my voice tinged with a newfound hope. Maybe my father's stories still held some truth, and there was indeed a place teeming with life somewhere out there.
"I'm not sure that Joel was buried in the dirt," Jamie responded bluntly, his skepticism unwavering.
"Maybe not," I conceded, my optimism tempered but not extinguished. "First, it was the lagoon water, and now the soil. There is definitely something different about this place," I mused, my thoughts racing as I contemplated the mysteries hidden beneath the desolation of our surroundings.
"Chris and I will make the study of the soil our priority. It may be possible to get a controlled ecosystem up and running," Karen declared, her energy surging as she spoke, her eyes bright with newfound determination.
"Hold up. Don't get too ahead of yourselves," Chris interjected, his cautionary tone slicing through the buoyant atmosphere. "We should still exercise a great deal of caution. Sure, these plants are a great sign, but we don't know what the conditions here are really like. You and I have been here for less than a day, and the others not much longer. We have no idea what dangers we might yet face. Cracking the surface could release more than we realise."
"With miracle soil like this, it can only get better from here," I chimed in eagerly. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I acknowledged the wisdom in Chris's warning, but the thrill of bringing life to our dreary settlement quickly overshadowed my caution. I looked up at Karen, my eyes ablaze with enthusiasm. "I'm ready to paint that masterpiece with you, Karen," I declared, fully embracing the possibility of transformation and renewal in our challenging new world.
All four heads snapped in unison towards the roaring sound of an approaching vehicle, the sudden intrusion shattering the moment of hope and excitement that had enveloped us.
"I'll go," Jamie declared with a disgruntled huff, turning on his heel and striding away towards the source of the disturbance.
"What do we do with these plants now?" I inquired, my gaze shifting from the approaching vehicle back to Chris and Karen.
"We keep them safe," Chris replied, lowering his cupped hands and carefully planting the fragile seedlings. "The tent should provide a little shade and protection from the sun."
"We had better finish putting it up," I suggested, pushing myself to my feet and extending my hand to Karen, assisting her in standing.
Karen cast an expectant look toward her husband, awaiting his decision.
"I want to see how far this soil spreads," Chris declared after a moment, his voice carrying a mix of curiosity and determination. He rose to his full height, placing his hands on his hips as if to physically brace himself for the vastness of the task ahead. His gaze swept across the landscape, taking in the expanse that surrounded us—a sea of dust and dirt that seemed both oppressive and oddly liberating in its boundlessness.
