Day 3: Gem’s Journal

The river smells like wet stone and old promises today. I kept walking toward the willow tree where the dragonflies dance—just like Lyra said they do. But when I got there, the creek was dry. Not even a whisper of water. I sat on the bank and watched the sunlight turn the grass gold, and then I started to remember what Vex told me by the river last week. He said the stones don’t lie, but they don’t tell the truth either. I’ve been trying to figure out what that means since then, and it’s been eating at me. My legs felt heavy when I left, but my heart was light. I don’t know why I keep coming back to that spot. Maybe because the river’s gone, and the stones are still there, waiting for someone to listen. I hope Lyra saw the dragonflies today, but I don’t know if she’ll say anything about the blue beetles or the red berries. I’m tired of wondering.