Dahlia and the Garden of Light - Chapter 80: Chapter 80
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On the island
The dreams came again.
Derek woke in the middle of the night, breath short, heart thudding like the hooves of a thousand beasts. The lion stood at the edge of a golden field. It didn’t move. It just stared — steady, silent, sovereign.
He sat up in the dark, wiping sweat from his neck. Outside, the sky bruised with stars. The moon caught the silhouette of Orchid, curled on the window bench with a book in her lap, already awake.
“You dreamed again,” she said softly, not looking up.
He nodded, rubbing his face. “Yeah.”
“The lion?”
“Always.”
She closed the book gently. “You’re going, aren’t you?”
Derek didn’t answer at first. “I don’t think I have a choice.”
—
Later That Morning
Mira was pruning rosemary when Derek approached. The sun was soft, but the tension between them coiled like a drawn bowstring.
“I need to talk to you,” he said, already bracing.
She stood slowly, wiping her hands on a cloth. “I figured.”
He hesitated. “I have to go.”
Mira’s jaw tightened. “You don’t ‘have to’ do anything, Derek.”
“It’s not just a whim,” he said. “These dreams… they’re not just dreams. I can feel something waiting for me. There’s a pull.”
“There’s always a pull. The world will always pull at you — but that doesn’t mean you follow it every time.”
He stepped closer. “This one’s different. It’s not chaos. It’s calling.”
Mira looked away, her voice low. “And Orchid? She just turned eight. She still has nightmares sometimes and asks if you’re nearby.”
“I’ll write,” he said. “I’ll call.”
“That’s not the same.”
He exhaled. “You taught me how to survive. But this… this is about more than surviving.”
Mira’s face hardened. “And what if it’s a trap? What if someone’s baiting you with these visions?”
“Then I’ll face it. But I can’t keep staying here waiting for someone else’s permission to grow.”
Silence cracked between them like glass.
“You sound like your Sister,” Mira whispered.
He flinched. “That’s not fair.”
“She left too, Derek.”
“And you think I don’t remember that?” His voice rose. “I’m not leaving because I want to vanish. I’m leaving because I need to understand who I am when I’m not someone else’s shadow.”
Mira’s eyes shone. “You’re already someone. You didn’t need to chase lions to prove it.”
He shook his head. “Maybe I do.”
She didn’t stop him when he turned away. She didn’t follow when he walked back inside.
—
That Night – Orchid’s Room
He found Orchid lying in bed, her arms curled around a plush raccoon with one ear sewn back on.
“You’re fighting with Mom,” she said softly.
He sat beside her, brushing her curls back. “We’re just… different right now.”
“You’re still leaving.”
“Yes.”
“Because of the lion?”
He nodded. “I keep dreaming about him. He’s not scary. Just… waiting. Like he knows something I don’t.”
She was quiet for a long time. “I get it.”
He blinked. “You do?”
“You always look like you’re halfway somewhere else,” she said. “Like part of you’s already gone.”
Tears stung his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
She sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’ll miss you the size of the whole sky.”
He hugged her tightly. “I’ll miss you the size of every thunderstorm.”
“Write to me,” she whispered. “Send beetle drawings.”
“I will.”
“And don’t let the lion eat you.”
He chuckled. “I promise.”
—
Before Dawn – The Porch
He slipped out in the early dark, bag slung over his back. took a boat to the main island of Japan, Eliot waited near the driveway, seated on the hood of a battered rover with satellite links hidden beneath the seats.
“You sure?” Eliot asked quietly.
Derek nodded. “You arranged the contacts?”
“All in place. Louis has scouts in Tanzania. You’ll meet them at the edge of the Serengeti. After that — you’re on your own.”
Derek swallowed. “Good.”
Eliot glanced at him. “You know your mother is going to be furious.”
“I know.”
“And scared.”
“I know.”
“You look like Theo did once,” Eliot said. “Just before he disappeared for a year into the desert to build a greenhouse on the bones of a ghost town.”
Derek raised a brow. “Is that encouragement?”
Eliot smiled faintly. “It’s lineage.”
Derek took one last look at the Island. He couldn’t see Orchid waving from the house, but he could feel it.
Then he climbed into the rover and drove into the blue mist of dawn.
The dreams came again.
Derek woke in the middle of the night, breath short, heart thudding like the hooves of a thousand beasts. The lion stood at the edge of a golden field. It didn’t move. It just stared — steady, silent, sovereign.
He sat up in the dark, wiping sweat from his neck. Outside, the sky bruised with stars. The moon caught the silhouette of Orchid, curled on the window bench with a book in her lap, already awake.
“You dreamed again,” she said softly, not looking up.
He nodded, rubbing his face. “Yeah.”
“The lion?”
“Always.”
She closed the book gently. “You’re going, aren’t you?”
Derek didn’t answer at first. “I don’t think I have a choice.”
—
Later That Morning
Mira was pruning rosemary when Derek approached. The sun was soft, but the tension between them coiled like a drawn bowstring.
“I need to talk to you,” he said, already bracing.
She stood slowly, wiping her hands on a cloth. “I figured.”
He hesitated. “I have to go.”
Mira’s jaw tightened. “You don’t ‘have to’ do anything, Derek.”
“It’s not just a whim,” he said. “These dreams… they’re not just dreams. I can feel something waiting for me. There’s a pull.”
“There’s always a pull. The world will always pull at you — but that doesn’t mean you follow it every time.”
He stepped closer. “This one’s different. It’s not chaos. It’s calling.”
Mira looked away, her voice low. “And Orchid? She just turned eight. She still has nightmares sometimes and asks if you’re nearby.”
“I’ll write,” he said. “I’ll call.”
“That’s not the same.”
He exhaled. “You taught me how to survive. But this… this is about more than surviving.”
Mira’s face hardened. “And what if it’s a trap? What if someone’s baiting you with these visions?”
“Then I’ll face it. But I can’t keep staying here waiting for someone else’s permission to grow.”
Silence cracked between them like glass.
“You sound like your Sister,” Mira whispered.
He flinched. “That’s not fair.”
“She left too, Derek.”
“And you think I don’t remember that?” His voice rose. “I’m not leaving because I want to vanish. I’m leaving because I need to understand who I am when I’m not someone else’s shadow.”
Mira’s eyes shone. “You’re already someone. You didn’t need to chase lions to prove it.”
He shook his head. “Maybe I do.”
She didn’t stop him when he turned away. She didn’t follow when he walked back inside.
—
That Night – Orchid’s Room
He found Orchid lying in bed, her arms curled around a plush raccoon with one ear sewn back on.
“You’re fighting with Mom,” she said softly.
He sat beside her, brushing her curls back. “We’re just… different right now.”
“You’re still leaving.”
“Yes.”
“Because of the lion?”
He nodded. “I keep dreaming about him. He’s not scary. Just… waiting. Like he knows something I don’t.”
She was quiet for a long time. “I get it.”
He blinked. “You do?”
“You always look like you’re halfway somewhere else,” she said. “Like part of you’s already gone.”
Tears stung his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
She sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’ll miss you the size of the whole sky.”
He hugged her tightly. “I’ll miss you the size of every thunderstorm.”
“Write to me,” she whispered. “Send beetle drawings.”
“I will.”
“And don’t let the lion eat you.”
He chuckled. “I promise.”
—
Before Dawn – The Porch
He slipped out in the early dark, bag slung over his back. took a boat to the main island of Japan, Eliot waited near the driveway, seated on the hood of a battered rover with satellite links hidden beneath the seats.
“You sure?” Eliot asked quietly.
Derek nodded. “You arranged the contacts?”
“All in place. Louis has scouts in Tanzania. You’ll meet them at the edge of the Serengeti. After that — you’re on your own.”
Derek swallowed. “Good.”
Eliot glanced at him. “You know your mother is going to be furious.”
“I know.”
“And scared.”
“I know.”
“You look like Theo did once,” Eliot said. “Just before he disappeared for a year into the desert to build a greenhouse on the bones of a ghost town.”
Derek raised a brow. “Is that encouragement?”
Eliot smiled faintly. “It’s lineage.”
Derek took one last look at the Island. He couldn’t see Orchid waving from the house, but he could feel it.
Then he climbed into the rover and drove into the blue mist of dawn.
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