52.1 Cueball Later. 52.2 Megan Bye. 170.1 Megan Wanna swim? 170.2 Cueball Yeah. 175.1 Megan Pffthh cough 175.2 Cueball You ok? 175.3 Megan Just got some in my mouth. 320.1 Megan Any idea where the river is now? 320.2 Cueball Still pretty far out. It actually retreated a little this week. 408.1 Megan I don't understand what the sea is doing. 414.1 Cueball I don't think we can build it much taller than this.

It's been fun, though! 486.1 Cueball Sip 487.1 Cueball Pfffth 488.1 Cueball Pthuh! Yuck 490.1 Cueball I've had worse. 531.1 Cueball Guess one of us should climb down. 531.2 Megan Yeah. 537.1 Megan The sea is rising. 538.1 Cueball Yeah. 562.1 Cueball Sea level rises and falls, right? It's changed before. 562.2 Megan Not this fast. 563.1 Cueball The river hasn't even reached the sea yet. 563.2 Megan The river is small.

The sea is big. 564.1 Cueball How big? 564.2 Megan I don't know. 637.1 Megan Does it rain on the sea? 637.2 Cueball I don't know. 638.1 Cueball If it does, it seems like a waste. 640.1 Cueball It rains in the hills where the river comes from, right? 640.2 Megan Sure. 641.1 Cueball Are there other rivers? 642.1 Megan I don't know. 659.1 Cueball There must be other rivers.

Otherwise the sea would dry up. 660.1 Megan Maybe it's coming out of the ground. 660.2 Cueball Does that happen? 660.3 Megan I don't know. 661.1 Megan I don't know how the sea works 661.2 Cueball I don't know how anything works. 832.1 Megan I don't think it's going to stop. 833.1 Cueball The sea just can't make more of itself forever. 833.2 Megan It can do whatever it wants.

It's the sea. 834.1 Cueball There must be a reason.

There's a reason for everything. 834.2 Megan Yeah. 835.1 Megan But it's not always a good reason. 838.1 Cueball There must be other rivers.

Maybe something is wrong with them. 855.1 Megan I like our castle. 856.1 Cueball I think it's going to go away. 857.1 Megan Yeah. 859.1 Megan Do you think there are other rivers? 859.2 Cueball Something is adding water to the sea. 860.1 Megan Does it have to be water?

Maybe something is adding more land somewhere.

And it's making the sea overflow. 861.1 Cueball Or maybe it's just raining somewhere.

We have no idea what's out there. 862.1 Megan Yeah. 864.1 Megan Want to find out? 864.2 Cueball Yes. 865.1 Megan I'll get some bags. 881.1 Megan bye. 985.1 Cueball Have you ever been this far? 985.2 Megan Not this way. 1004.1 Megan Maybe the sea doesn't end. 1005.1 Cueball We haven't walked very far. 1006.1 Megan Yeah.

But that's what the first part of not ending looks like. 1018.1 Megan If we don't find something today, we'll have to start using the steam bottle. 1018.2 Cueball Ugh. 1024.1 Megan Yes. 1024.2 Cueball Yes what? 1025.1 Megan There are other rivers. 1041.1 Cueball The river isn't moving that fast. Maybe I could — 1041.2 Megan Too dangerous. 1041.3 Cueball Yeah. 1042.1 Megan It's ok.

It was an accident. 1044.1 Megan You're right, though. 1044.2 Cueball About what? 1045.1 Megan The river's not moving very fast. 1049.1 Megan It can't be flowing much faster than we walk.

Even if it's as deep as it is wide, I don't think it's enough water. 1050.1 Cueball Yeah. 1052.1 Cueball And this river doesn't look broken. 1052.2 Megan Yeah. 1053.1 Cueball It's pretty neat, though. 1053.2 Megan Yeah. 1058.1 Cueball Sorry. 1058.2 Megan No, right. Forgot. 1066.1 Megan It's still rising. 1067.1 Cueball It's strange.

Rivers flow to meet the sea.

Maybe the sea couldn't wait. 1069.1 Megan Walk upriver to find a ford,

or turn back? 1071.1 Cueball We can't go back.

We don't understand everything yet. 1072.1 Megan "Everything" is a little ambitious.

We barely understand anything. 1072.2 Cueball Yeah. 1073.1 Cueball But that's what the first part of understanding everything looks like. 1093.1 Cueball If nothing else, I'm glad we found this river.

It's not much farther from home than ours is at its driest. 1096.1 Megan Oh.

The river is even bigger than it looked. 1123.1 Megan Maybe it is big enough to fill the sea. 1130.1 Cueball Our rope isn't strong enough. 1131.1 Megan What? 1131.2 Cueball Hold this or you'll fall. 1142.1 Cueball When our river gets too big, it fills with stuff.

Wood and leaves and things from people in the hills. 1143.1 Cueball This river doesn't look like that. 1144.1 Megan Maybe it only flows through empty places. 1146.1 Megan If this river isn't what's making the sea rise, we need to get past it.

Either way, we continue upriver. 1159.1 Megan I wonder how high the water is now. 1160.1 Cueball I wonder if other people have noticed. It's been days. 1160.2 Megan Not a lot of us by the shore this time of year.

A few kids, maybe. 1161.1 Megan It'd have to rise a lot higher before any tents got wet. 1178.1 Cueball This river flows from bigger hills than ours. 1179.1 Megan If we don't reach a crossing soon, we'll be in them. 1184.1 Megan I wonder if it's possible to swim in. 1212.1 Megan You ok? 1213.1 Cueball Just thinking. 1218.1 Megan Should we follow the river through there? 1218.2 Cueball Hmm. 1219.1 Cueball Let's see if we can go over those and rejoin it further up. 1233.1 Megan It must get windier up here. 1261.1 Cueball Oof. 1261.2 Megan These are bigger than they looked. 1339.1 Megan Neat. 1341.1 Megan (Yawn) 1343.1 Megan The river isn't much farther... 1378.1 Cueball Berries? 1378.2 Megan Ooh, thanks! 1380.1 Cueball There are people here.

Or were.

I found some sort of campsite. 1381.1 Megan Recent? 1381.2 Cueball Looked like it'd been empty for a while. 1383.1 Megan I'm thirsty.

Let's get to the river. 1383.2 Cueball Yeah. 1386.1 Megan They leave anything good behind? 1386.2 Cueball Just some wood.

Not enough to build a raft. 1407.1 Cueball This place is beautiful. 1407.2 Megan Yeah. 1408.1 Megan I'm surprised we haven't been seen by any people yet. 1409.1 Megan If it's this empty, we should live here. 1412.1 Cueball Do you notice the sea tasting better ? 1412.2 Megan ...No? 1413.1 Megan I don't know.

I try not to taste seawater.

Why? 1414.1 Cueball I was thinking.

If a river is putting too much water into the sea,

the sea should get fresher. 1415.1 Cueball I tasted the water back before we left. 1415.2 Megan Ugh. And? 1415.3 Cueball I thought it was a little fresher, but maybe it was just me. 1416.1 Megan Probably.

I mean, how high was the sea then?

The extra water couldn't have been more than a tiny part of it. 1417.1 Cueball Yeah. 1419.1 Cueball Well we may as well continue. Either we'll figure out the sea,

or we'll keep finding beautiful places. 1420.1 Megan That sounds fun. 1436.1 Cueball Are you ok? 1437.1 Megan I found a - 1438.1 Frog Ribbit. 1476.1 Megan Is this like the one you found? 1476.2 Cueball Yeah. 1495.1 Megan Oof. 1497.1 Megan Ok. 1502.1 Megan Wow. 1513.1 Cueball There are markings on the trunk. 1513.2 Megan Oh.

Yeah. 1514.1 Megan I wonder what they mean. 1525.1 Megan I wonder if it's supposed to be like that. 1526.1 Cueball It's a pretty big tree.

It probably knows what it's doing. 1557.1 Cueball Do you think it's ok to take some? 1558.1 Megan Yeah.

It doesn't look like anyone's been here for a while. 1589.1 Cueball This looks like the stuff that floats down our river. 1590.1 Cueball I wonder if these people are related to the people in the hills. 1590.2 Megan Maybe. 1592.1 Megan But the markings on that tree didn't look familiar. 1592.2 Cueball Yeah. 1594.1 Megan We could cross the river now.

We found more than enough wood for a raft. 1595.1 Cueball Yeah. 1598.1 Cueball We're almost in the mountains. 1600.1 Cueball We walked along the sea for days and we didn't learn anything.

Up here we're learning lots. 1601.1 Megan We haven't learned why the sea rose. 1601.2 Cueball But maybe we were never going to. 1602.1 Cueball There's food and water here.

I don't want to go all the way back down, walk along the sea for a few more days, then have to turn around. 1603.1 Cueball Maybe the sea is too big to understand.

We can't answer every question. 1604.1 Megan No,

But I think we can answer any question. 1605.1 Megan Still, I agree.

No need to turn around yet. 1605.2 Cueball Yeah. 1606.1 Megan And those mountains do look neat. 1606.2 Cueball Yeah! 1608.1 Megan Before we go, we should stock up. 1608.2 Cueball I'll get more water. 1617.1 Megan Hi! 1622.1 Megan It's ok!

I won't eat you. 1625.1 Megan Want some food? 1669.1 Cueball I wonder where the people who take care of these plants are. 1687.1 Megan What are you doing? 1688.1 Cueball Making shapes with my shadow! 1689.1 Megan When I stare down at mine for long enough while I walk, it starts to look really weird. 1689.2 Cueball Yeah. 1692.1 Megan Still it's better than when we were following the sea,

walking straight into the sun all morning. 1692.2 Cueball Yeah. 1713.1 Cueball It's prettier right by the river, but it's easier to walk up here. 1713.2 Megan Yeah. 1714.1 Megan Well, it all gets greener further up. 1718.1 Cueball The mountains are farther away than they looked. 1739.1 Cueball Snake! 1742.1 Megan Are you ok? 1743.1 Cueball I think so - 1744.1 Megan Did it bite you? 1744.2 Cueball No. 1745.1 Megan Could you see what kind it was? 1746.1 Cueball Brown and shiny.

Kind of blotchy. 1747.1 Megan Did it have little spikes over it's eyes? 1747.2 Cueball No, not one of those. 1748.1 Cueball It was weird.

Stubby at both ends.

Like it forgot to have a head and tail 1749.1 Megan Hmm... 1750.1 Megan No idea.

But let's go around and watch your feet. 1751.1 Cueball OK. 1758.1 Megan No snakes. 1795.1 Megan I think I can almost see the sea from here. 1797.1 Cueball I don't know.

It's hard to tell what's land and what's sky. 1797.2 Megan Yeah. 1821.1 Megan It's cooler up here. 1826.1 Cueball Are you hearing quiet chirps? 1828.1 Megan No. 1828.2 Cueball I don't hear it now either. 1830.1 Megan I heard chirps from the night sky once. 1831.1 Megan I was looking at the stars one night and I heard peeping.

It was very quiet.

Just a single chirp now and then. 1831.2 Cueball Did you see anything? 1832.1 Megan I thought I saw a few stars flicker.

Nothing else. 1832.2 Cueball Hmm. 1837.1 (Unseen) Chirp 1838.1 (Unseen) Chirp 1839.1 Cueball It's coming from up ahead. 1840.1 (Unseen) Chirp 1844.1 Baby Chirpy Chirp 1845.1 Baby Chirpy Chirp 1847.1 Baby Chirpy Chirp 1848.1 Megan Chirp 1848.2 Baby Chirpy Chirp 1849.1 Baby Chirpy Chirp 1850.1 Megan Chirp 1852.1 Megan Why is it doing that? 1852.2 Cueball I don't know. 1852.3 Baby Chirpy Chirp 1853.1 Baby Chirpy Chirp 1854.1 Megan I guess it's angry that we're here. 1855.1 Baby Chirpy Chirp 1857.1 Baby Chirpy Chirp 1859.1 Baby Chirpy Chirp 1860.1 Baby Chirpy Chirp 1862.1 Megan What's it doing? 1862.2 Cueball I think it gave it something. 1863.1 Megan Oh! Food!

I bet the loud one is a baby. 1863.2 Parent Chirpy Chirp 1864.1 Baby Chirpy Chirp 1864.2 Parent Chirpy Chirp 1865.1 Megan Now they're both loud. 1865.2 Baby Chirpy Chirp 1865.3 Parent Chirpy Chirp 1866.1 Parent Chirpy Chirp 1867.1 Megan It's OK!

We're not going to eat your baby. 1867.2 Cueball I don't think it believes you. 1867.3 Baby Chirpy Chirp 1867.4 Parent Chirpy Chirp 1868.1 Megan That's OK. It's just protecting its baby. 1868.2 Baby Chirpy Chirp 1869.1 Parent Chirpy Chirp 1870.1 Megan Hey--

I think I see water up ahead. 1870.2 Baby Chirpy Chirp 1870.3 Parent Chirpy Chirp 1871.1 Parent Chirpy Chirp 1873.1 Parent Chirpy Chirp 1874.1 Cueball Don't worry! 1874.2 Parent Chirpy Chirp 1874.3 Cueball You're doing a good job. 1876.1 Parent Chirpy Chirp 1877.1 Parent Chirpy Chirp 1878.1 Parent Chirpy Chirp 1885.1 Megan Hi! 1888.1 Megan I found a tiny river. 1890.1 Megan You OK? 1890.2 Cueball Yup! 1917.1 Megan Facebug! 1918.1 Cueball Mrrr gblghx 1926.1 Megan Hey! 1927.1 Megan Come see what I found! 1928.1 Megan This river is flowing towards the big one, so I followed it to see if they're connected. 1932.1 Cueball Wow. 1938.1 Cueball I guess the land goes up, but the river stays at the same level. 1939.1 Megan The river has been going up, too.

But not as fast as the land. 1941.1 Megan Can water really wear away rock like this? 1942.1 Cueball I guess it can. 1944.1 Megan I can't imagine how long it must have taken. 1945.1 Cueball Yeah... 1950.1 Cueball A lot of these rocks are pretty crumbly. 1951.1 Cueball Even down there, between all the big rocks, the cliff walls look sandy.

Water eats away sand pretty fast. 1953.1 Megan Yeah. 1957.1 Megan I wonder how deep it gets. 1958.1 Cueball Maybe it goes right through the mountain,

and it's as deep as the mountain is tall. 1959.1 Megan It could be even deeper.

We don't know how far down the water goes. 1960.1 Cueball Hmm. 1961.1 Cueball I guess it can't be much deeper than the surface of the sea.

If it were, it wouldn't flow fast and cut into the ground. 1961.2 Megan Oh. Yeah. 1962.1 Megan But then, a river couldn't cut all the way through a mountain either.

Because how would it get started? 1964.1 Megan I wonder what the top of a mountain is like? 1966.1 Cueball Let's find out. 2023.1 Cueball It seems we've reached our journey's end. 2024.1 Megan Want to find an easier spot? 2024.2 Cueball No, I can do it.

Let me help you up first. 2034.1 Cueball Oh! 2045.1 Megan Careful! 2045.2 Cueball It's OK. 2048.1 Megan Does it hurt? 2048.2 Cueball It's a little prickly. 2049.1 Megan Careful, it might bite. 2049.2 Cueball Have you seen one before? 2049.3 Megan Never this close. 2050.1 Megan It's really neat. 2050.2 Cueball Yeah. 2051.1 Cueball Okay, we'll stop bothering you. 2074.1 Plant Bop 2097.1 Cueball You OK? 2098.1 Megan Yup! 2100.1 Cueball Maybe it's time to turn around. 2101.1 Cueball The world is too big.

It can go on longer than we can. 2102.1 Megan I'm still going. 2103.1 Cueball But one day we won't be.

And we're a long way from home. 2105.1 Cueball Earlier, I thought you wanted to turn around and go back to the sea. 2106.1 Megan I don't want to go back to it. I want to understand it. 2108.1 Cueball By climbing?

The sea is down, not up. 2114.1 Megan These bugs have such beautiful wings. 2115.1 Megan You could spend a thousand lifetimes staring at water and sand,

thinking as hard as you could,

and you'd never guess the world had things like this in it. 2118.1 Megan I wanna see the top. 2119.1 Cueball What do you think we'll find? 2119.2 Megan More world. Maybe different. 2166.1 Megan Weird. 2171.1 Megan Pfffthh 2182.1 Megan Oh! 2202.1 Megan Hello? 2205.1 Cueball See anything? 2206.1 Megan Just some old furniture.

Shelves

a broken bowl. 2215.1 Megan Oh, hey - 2216.1 Megan There's a stream back here. 2217.1 Megan And it almost looks like there's something on top of the mountain. 2218.1 Cueball Hmm...

Could be. 2221.1 Cueball I think whoever lived here liked building castles, too. 2224.1 Cueball Here. 2225.1 Megan Oh!

You brought a flag? 2225.2 Cueball Yeah, I - 2226.1 Cueball -- LOOK OUT! 2231.1 Megan Hey!

Hey!

Over here! 2232.1 Stick Thwap! 2232.2 Lucky Snarl 2233.1 Lucky Hiss 2237.1 Megan Are you OK? 2237.2 Cueball I, um...

I think so? 2238.1 Megan It didn't bite you? 2238.2 Cueball It had claws. I saw them. 2238.3 Megan But you're not bleeding? 2239.1 Cueball No? 2240.1 Cueball I think it grabbed my bag by mistake. 2241.1 Megan That was lucky. 2241.2 Cueball I was lucky that...

...you chased it away. Did you hit it?

I couldn't really see. 2242.1 Megan Yeah. 2243.1 Cueball That was brave. 2244.1 Megan You grabbed me.

If you hadn't pulled me down and - 2244.2 Cueball Are you OK? 2245.1 Megan Yeah, I'm fine. 2246.1 Cueball No, you're not. 2247.1 Megan What? 2247.2 Cueball You hurt your leg. 2248.1 Megan No, I just banged it on something when - 2248.2 Cueball You're bleeding. 2249.1 Megan What? No, I - Oh. 2250.1 Megan Claw marks.

I didn't see it hit me. 2250.2 Cueball It moved fast. 2252.1 Cueball Where is it...

I thought I had... 2253.1 Megan This is a surprising amount of blood. 2254.1 Cueball Keep your hand tight over where it's coming out.

I'm looking for something to wrap around it. 2255.1 Cueball I can just tear the bag.

It's torn already. Or - 2255.2 Megan Oh, wait. 2266.1 Megan Sorry for ruining your flag. 2267.1 Cueball It's OK.

After all, I brought it for you. 2268.1 Megan Thank you. 2270.1 Megan I like it so much I'm coloring it a beautiful red. 2283.1 Megan It's going to be a long walk home. 2284.1 Cueball Can you even walk?

How are you feeling? 2285.1 Megan Thirsty. 2290.1 Cueball Does it hurt? 2291.1 Megan It didn't at first.

Now it does. 2296.1 Cueball I think you're right.

There's some kind of structure on the mountain. 2300.1 Megan I think I can walk OK. 2301.1 Megan It hurts, but it doesn't really hurt more when I lean on it. 2301.2 Cueball That's good, at least. 2302.1 Cueball But it's a pretty bad cut.

It could get a lot worse in the time it takes to walk home. 2303.1 Cueball We need help. 2304.1 Megan Do you think we should keep going up? 2305.1 Cueball We can't be more than a day or so from the top.

There may be people there. 2306.1 Megan Like the people in the hills? 2306.2 Cueball We're a long way from there. 2307.1 Cueball We don't know what's past the mountains. If we go up a little more, we'll be able to see. There could be villages. 2308.1 Megan And if there's no one there, we won't be much farther from home than we are now. 2308.2 Cueball Yeah. 2309.1 Megan OK. 2310.1 Cueball I'll carry everything in your bag.

Mine's torn anyway. 2313.1 Cueball You tell me if your leg starts hurting too much. 2313.2 Megan OK. 2325.1 Cueball I'll step in and help you over. 2328.1 Megan Ow. 2344.1 Megan It's definitely colder up here. 2354.1 Cueball How are you feeling? 2354.2 Megan Not great. 2355.1 Megan That thing is still out there. Probably others, too. 2355.2 Cueball Yeah. 2373.1 Megan We need to sleep. 2373.2 Cueball Yeah. 2374.1 Megan It didn't seem scary before.

Pausing to sleep wherever we were. 2376.1 Cueball I'll stay awake while you rest. 2376.2 Megan I can stay awake. 2377.1 Cueball No, you need to rest.

I'll wake you if I get tired. 2379.1 Megan Or if something is trying to eat you,

and you need me to hit it. 2454.1 Cueball Hey. 2455.1 Cueball Wake up. 2455.2 Megan Yeah? 2456.1 Cueball I stayed awake as long as I could.

Can you take over? 2456.2 Megan Oh, sure. 2459.1 Megan All quiet? 2460.1 Cueball Yeah. How are you feeling? 2460.2 Megan Still hurts. 2461.1 Megan But I got some rest. Your turn now. 2466.1 Sky Chirp 2470.1 Sky Chirp 2471.1 Megan Do you hear that? 2472.1 Sky Chirp 2472.2 Cueball Yeah. 2473.1 Cueball I wonder what they're doing. 2531.1 Cueball I'm awake. 2531.2 Megan FINALLY! 2532.1 Cueball Did I sleep too long? 2532.2 Megan Not long enough, really.

But it's getting late.

And I was bored. 2533.1 Cueball How's your leg? 2535.1 Megan Looks ok. 2536.1 Cueball It does? 2536.2 Megan Sure. 2540.1 Megan Ok.

We get to the top.

We look for people. 2541.1 Megan If we don't see any,

we start back home. 2542.1 Cueball Sounds good. 2553.1 Megan Neat. 2554.1 Cueball I wonder what it's for. 2558.1 Cueball Careful 2561.1 Cueball Huh. 2579.1 Cueball I guess the mountains don't go back down the other side. 2586.1 Megan I see people. 2587.1 Cueball Where!? 2587.2 Megan Over there. 2588.1 Megan It's far away.

But do you see the dust? 2589.1 Cueball Yeah... 2589.2 Megan And I saw flashes of light.

Something glinting. 2591.1 Megan It's not far.

We can reach them tonight. 2592.1 Cueball Good!

Is walking still not to painful? 2593.1 Megan Walking is ok.

Climbing hurt. 2594.1 Cueball You could have asked me to climb up here for you. 2594.2 Megan But I wanted to see. 2595.1 Megan Have you figured out what that thing is? 2596.1 Cueball It looks like it's supposed to hold something. 2597.1 Cueball You can point it at things.

Maybe it's a weapon. 2598.1 Megan Maybe. 2599.1 Megan But why would there be a weapon way up here?

What's it aimed at? 2600.1 Cueball Right now you're pointing it at our home.

Haven't you launched enough things at our castle? 2600.2 Megan No. 2613.1 Megan Our poor castle.

I wonder what's left of it. 2628.1 Cueball I think that's another tower. 2629.1 Megan I think so, too. 2632.1 Megan Are you ok? 2633.1 Cueball Yeah.

I just need to rest for a moment. 2634.1 Cueball I don't know why I'm so out of breath. 2634.2 Megan I'm feeling it too. 2636.1 Cueball I wonder if the air up here is different. 2637.1 Megan Could be.

It's definitely cooler. 2646.1 Cueball I can see someone on that hill! 2647.1 Megan Oh, yeah!

HEY! HELLOOO!! 2648.1 Cueball Still too far to hear. 2650.1 Megan HEY! 2652.1 Megan Well, they've seen us. 2657.1 Megan Hi.

We're from far away, and my leg is hurt.

Can you help us? 2658.1 Beanie-1 ᔪᙐᖚᐧ ᘛᔭᐤ ( dZL' Ub? ) From where [[are you]]? 2659.1 Beanie-2 ᔪᘝᓄᐧ ᔪ, ᒣᖉ ᖊᐣᖽ ᖽᘛᕋᑦᐤ ( dA'J d, 7X W`N NUq"? ) Did you travel here alone? 2660.1 Cueball Huh. 2660.2 Megan Ok.

Umm. 2663.1 Beanie-2 ᓭᘈ ᘊᒣᓭᐧᖊᔑ ᘝᘊᓭᒣᖊᐣᖗᐨ ( 4M 374'WS A347W`9. ) Get [yarrow] paste. (or onion, or another edible plant useful for first aid and available in a Mediterranean climate; statement implies that some is in the nearby camp or growing wild nearby) 2666.1 Beanie-2 ᙐᖚᐧ ᘊᘖᑫᘖᒣᐣᖚ ᘛ ᓭᑦᐧ ᙐᖚᑫᕋ,ᐨ ( ZL' 32g27`L U 4"' ZLgq,. ) From an animal [[attack]], maybe yesterday. 2669.1 Cueball They seem to know what they're doing. 2669.2 Megan Yeah.

I wonder what that is. 2670.1 Megan That.

What is that? 2671.1 Beanie-2 ᘊᒣᓭᐧᖊᔑ ᘝᘊᓭᒣᖊᐣᖗᐨ ( 374'WS A347W`9. ) [yarrow] paste. 2672.1 Cueball It's some kind of paste.

Does it hurt? 2672.2 Megan Not - ow - not really. 2675.1 Megan Um,

thank you. 2685.1 Megan It's just water. 2686.1 Cueball Yawn. 2687.1 Cueball How do we talk to them?

We can figure this out. 2688.1 Megan We're from down there.

The sea .

We're from the... 2689.1 Megan Yawn. 2690.1 Megan ...We're from the sea.

We're from the sea and we have to sleep. 2692.1 Beanie-1 ᖚᑫᘖ ᓭᐧᖚ ( Lg2 4'L ) Rest here. 2701.1 Beanie-1 ᓭᘖᔭᓄᐨ ( 42bJ. ) Water. 2703.1 Cueball ᓭᘖᔭᓄᐨ ( 42bJ. ) Water. 2703.2 Beanie-1 ᖉᑦ,ᐦ / ᓭᘖᔭᓄᐦ ( Xc,! / 42bJ! ) Yes! — WATER. 2704.1 Megan yAwN 2706.1 Cueball I learned a word.

I think. 2706.2 Megan Oh? 2707.1 Cueball ᓭᘖᔭᓄᐨ ( 42bJ. )

"Water".

Probably. 2708.1 Beanie-1 ᓭᘖᔭᓄᐨ ( 42bJ. ) Water. 2709.1 Cueball Or "Drink!" 2709.2 Megan Hmm. 2710.1 Megan There must be a faster way to... 2711.1 Cueball -Hey. 2713.1 Megan It's ok! 2722.1 Cueball ᓭᘖᔭᓄᐨ ( 42bJ. ) Water. 2723.1 Beanie-1 ᔪᖉᔭᑫ ᙐᖚᐧ ᘊᓭᐧᖚᐤ ᑦᘈᖽᐣ ᔭ ᘝᖽᒣ ᓭᘖᑦ ᖊᘊᐤ ᕋᖗ ᘝᙉᖉᔭ ᘖᐣᖗᔭ, ᘊᓭᘖᔭᓄᐤ ( dXbg ZL' 34'6? cMN` b AN7 42" W3? q9 AQXb 2`9b, 342bJ? ) You came from Balearica? Do you realise that land will all be[come] [great-water]? (implying it is being flooded, i.e. will become a sea) 2727.1 Megan Yes!

The sea is rising! 2727.2 Cueball Why is that happening? 2729.1 Beanie-2 ᖽᔑᐣᘖ ᖚᐣᘖᖗᑫ ᘝᐣᖽ ᘊᒣᑦᖽᘝᐨ (@NS`2 L`29g A`N 37cNA.@) We are going [to go] to [name of castle] (with implicit understanding that means talking with leader) 2732.1 Megan They're going somewhere... 2732.2 Cueball ...and want us to come, too. 2735.1 Cueball Oh, speech!

There's someone we can talk to? 2737.1 Megan I get it -

It's less than a day away. 2737.2 Cueball Then let's do it. 2791.1 Cueball It's good, whatever it is. 2792.1 Beanie-1 ᒣᓭᐧᖊᔑᐨ ( 74'WS. ) [yarrow] 2793.1 Megan Huh, ok.

ᒣᓭᐧᖊᔑᐨ ( 74'WS. ) [yarrow] 2797.1 Beanie-1 ᑕᘊᐣᒣ ᘊᓭᑦᑕᖉᐨ / ᑕᘊᐣᒣ ᘊᓭᘖᔭᓄᐨ / ᓭᘖᔭᓄᐦ ( G3`7 34cGX. / G3`7 342bJ. / 42bJ! ) (pointing to land on map) [this is] Liguria. (pointing to salty sea on map) [this is] [great-]water. (indicating motion from southwest, i.e. from where the flood is arriving) Water! 2799.1 Megan I heard "water". 2799.2 Cueball Is it some kind of map? 2800.1 Megan I guess. But it's just a jumble of lines. 2800.2 Cueball Maybe those triangle things are rivers? 2801.1 Beanie-3 ᘝᘈᘖ / ᖽᔑᐣᘖ ᖚᒣᑕᑫᓭ ᘝᐣᖽ ᘊᒣᑦᖽᘝᐨ ( AM2 / NS`2 L7Gg4 A`N 37cNA. ) [Comrade], we will [now] take you to [name of castle]. 2801.2 Beanie-1 ᖉᑦ,ᐨ ( Xc,. ) Yes. 2813.1 Cueball Wow.

There's a whole city up there. 2813.2 Megan Neat! 2815.1 Gate ᘖ ( 2 ) 2816.1 Beanie-3 ᘝᓄᘈᖉᐣᐨ ( 2JMX`. ) [name of city] (note that the first glyph matches that seen on gate) 2818.1 Beanie-2 ᖉ, ᘝᐣᖚᔭ,ᐨ ( X, A`Lb,. ) Good morning. 2818.2 Hatted Guy ᖉ, ᘝᐣᖚᔭ,ᐨ ( X, A`Lb,. ) Good morning. 2822.1 Cueball I like these little houses.

They- 2822.2 Beanie-2 ᘊᒣᑦᖽᘝᐨ ( 37cNA. ) [name of castle]. 2822.3 Megan Oh. 2823.1 Cueball Oh. 2823.2 Megan Oh wow. 2826.1 Megan A real castle!

I never thought I'd see a real castle! 2827.1 Cueball I wasn't sure there were real castles. 2827.2 Megan Look at it. It's breathtaking. 2830.1 Megan Our castle was too small. 2831.1 Beanie-2 ᖽᔑᐣᘖ ᖚᐧᘖᖗᑫ ᘝᐣᖽ ᘊᓭᘖᑦᓄᐨ ( NS`2 L29g A`N 342"j. ) We are going [to go] to [name of leader]. 2836.1 Beanie-2 ᘈᘊᘖᐨ ( M32. ) Aloha. 2836.2 Beanette ᖉ, ᘝᐣᖚᔭ,ᐨ ( X, A`Lb,. ) Good morning. 2837.1 Beanie-1 ᖉ, ᘝᐣᖚᔭᐦ ( X, A`Lb,. ) Good morning! 2837.2 Beanette ᘝᘈᘖᐦ ᖉ, ᘝᐣᖚᔭᐦ ( AM2! X, A`Lb! ) [Comrade]! Good morning! 2844.1 Megan Neat! 2858.1 Rosetta ᘈᘊᘖᐨ ( M32. ) Aloha. 2859.1 Beanie-3 ᘈᘊᘖᐨ ( M32. ) Aloha. 2859.2 Beanie-2 ᘈᘊᘖᐨ ( M32. ) Aloha. 2860.1 Rosetta ᙐᖚᐧ ᓭᔭᑦᘖ ᘛᘝᖚᘈᐤ ( ZL' 4b"2 UALM? ) From where are [these people]? (referring to the two strangers) 2861.1 Beanie-1 ᘝᐣᑕᑦᖚᑫ ᓭᐧᘖ ᙐᖚᐧ ᘊᓭᐧᖚᐨ ( A`9G"Lg 4'2 ZL' 34'6. ) They are from Balearica. 2861.2 Beanie-2 ᖉᔭᒣᘊᐣᘖᑫᖗ ᖽᘛᕋᑦᐨ ( Xb73`2g9 NUq". ) They are alone. 2863.1 Cueball Hello! 2863.2 Megan Do you understand us? 2865.1 Rosetta [somewhat] 2867.1 Cueball I think we understand you, too! 2868.1 Rosetta [Whence have you traveled here?] 2869.1 Megan We came here up the mountain. We're from the sea. 2870.1 Rosetta [You arose here from the desert below? Nobody transpires there.] 2872.1 Megan We, um...

We didn't quite understand that. 2873.1 Rosetta [I am sorry. Your language is like those spoken by the (...) difficult (...) but I learned it.] 2874.1 Rosetta [Please be patient.] 2874.2 Cueball Of course. 2875.1 Rosetta ᘛᐣ ᘝᔭᖊᖽ ᖊᑦᘖ ᘖᘝᒣᘛᐨ ( U` AbWN W,2 2A7U. ) Prepare a room/space for them. 2875.2 Beanie-2 ᔪᑫᐨ ( dG. ) Ok. 2877.1 Beanie-2 ᘈᘊᘖᐨ ( M32. ) Aloha. 2878.1 Rosetta [They understand nothing so they will tend to matters.] 2878.2 Megan Of course. 2879.1 Rosetta [Your bags] 2880.1 Megan What do you want our bags for? 2880.2 Rosetta [They are heavy.] 2880.3 Megan ...oh. Thank you! 2885.1 Cueball Thank you! 2885.2 Rosetta [You're welcome] 2886.1 Rosetta [Tell me where your home is.] 2887.1 Megan We live by the shore,

near a river that flows down to the sea every year. 2887.2 Rosetta [What river?] 2888.1 Megan It's a smaller river - not the one that flows from your land.

We collect things that float down it. 2889.1 Cueball There are people in the hills where our river comes from. 2889.2 Megan They don't like us. 2890.1 Rosetta [How many people strong are you?] 2891.1 Cueball There are about forty of us. 2891.2 Rosetta [What is forty? My numbers are too small.] 2891.3 Megan Um. Four ten times. Five eight times. 2891.4 Rosetta [Yes! Good.] 2892.1 Rosetta [Do you carry these people with you?] 2893.1 Megan No, we came here alone. 2893.2 Rosetta [Oh.] 2893.3 Megan We're here to find out why the sea is changing. 2893.4 Rosetta [Um.] 2894.1 Rosetta [You do not know. I (...) .] 2894.2 Cueball ...did you get that? 2894.3 Megan No. 2895.1 Rosetta [Your sea does not stand alone! There is another sea next to it (...) beyond the (...) shore. It has become fused to yours but (...) levels differ and thus river flows] 2895.2 Cueball Wait, slow down 2896.1 Megan No, I think I understood.

There's a second sea, a higher one, and its waters have started flowing into ours. 2896.2 Cueball Why? What connected them? 2896.3 Megan Yeah - what changed? 2897.1 Rosetta [In time even the hills change. When people first walked and first built (...) cities the seas were joined. But (...) there was a great (...) rock (...) and the passage was closed. Your sea (...) with too few rivers. Under the sun it shrank and the water fell. Now the sea has found a way back in.] 2898.1 Cueball How different are the seas' heights?

How high will the water eventually rise? Should we move our home? 2898.2 Rosetta [Do you know where you are?] 2899.1 Cueball No. 2899.2 Rosetta [I (...) will build you a map to understanding.] 2901.1 Rosetta [This fortress is here]

[This sea is yours]

[This sea is joining yours] 2901.2 (map) ᘊᖊᑦᓄ ᘊᓭᐧᑲ ( 3W,J 34'6 ) brines of Balearica

ᘊᖊᑦᓄ ?ᓄᐣᔭ ( 3W,J 7J`b ) brines of Ionius

ᑫᘊᘊ ( 933 ) berm or Gibraltar

ᘊᓭᑦᑕᖉ ( 34cGX ) Liguria (lands east of the Rhône)

ᘖᓄᘈᖉᐣ ( 2JMX` ) (place near Chateau d'if)

ᓭᘊᘊ ( 433 ) (place just south of Chateau d'if) 2902.1 Rosetta [And this is our belief about the sea's new shore.] 2903.1 Megan The sea can cover mountains ? 2904.1 Rosetta [We learned it has happened before. When our parents were learning to walk upright the sea fled and returned.] 2905.1 Rosetta [Now it is happening again.] 2907.1 Megan The shoreline goes right through where the castle is.

Where we are right now. 2907.2 Rosetta [Yes] 2908.1 Rosetta [This castle was once an island. We found it and have tried to rebuild it.] 2909.1 Rosetta [I guess it will be an island again.] 2910.1 Cueball Who are you? 2910.2 Rosetta [We are scholars. This fortress swarms with scholars. And I am their leader.] 2911.1 Megan I still can't imagine it.

Every place we've walked will someday be inside the sea. 2912.1 Megan We need to get back home

We need to get started on plans to move.

Can we have one of your maps? That would help-

...are you ok? 2913.1 Rosetta [I am so sorry.] 2913.2 Cueball What? 2914.1 Rosetta [When we discovered the river was coming under the bank we tried to shore it up. We failed. We tried to remove everybody from the basin. But we did not know of your tribe.] 2915.1 Megan No, it's ok!

I've been thinking.

At the rate we saw the sea rising, it will take years to- 2915.2 Rosetta [No.] 2916.1 Rosetta [As the water flows it widens the breach. The berm is giving way. The sea will rush through in a giant current. The planet's mightiest river will once again come thundering down the mountainside. The sea will fill not in years but in days.] 2917.1 Rosetta [The journey to your land is much too long. I will not send (...) only to see them encircled and drowned by the rising tide.] 2918.1 Rosetta [The world you know is ending. But fortune has delivered you from the flood. You did not intend to leave your home forever, but be thankful you left when you did.] 2918.2 Cueball But- 2919.1 Rosetta [You must say your goodbyes from here. You cannot go back down into the abyss. For you have walked too far and now there is no more time to walk. The ocean is coming.] 2928.1 Cueball ...Oh! Hi! 2928.2 Beanie-1 ᖉ, ᘝᐣᖚᔭ,ᐨ ( X, A`Lb,. ) good morning 2929.1 Cueball I, uhh...

Thank you for- 2929.2 Megan ᒣᓭᐧᖊᔑᐨ ( 74'WS. ) [yarrow] 2929.3 Cueball Thank you.

We have to go. 2930.1 Beanie-1 ᘈᘊᘖᐨ ( M32. ) Aloha 2930.2 Megan Goodbye! 2931.1 Cueball It's getting 2931.2 Cueball late. 2931.3 Megan We can make it 2931.4 Megan to the tower 2931.5 Megan tonight 2932.1 Cueball We can't run 2932.2 Cueball the whole way 2932.3 Megan Nope 2936.1 Hatted Guy ᖉ, ᘝᐣᖚᔭ,ᐨ ( X, A`Lb,. ) good morning 2937.1 Cueball Hi! 2937.2 Cueball Probably. 2945.1 Cueball Not much further! 2953.1 Cueball I dreamed I woke up in the water. 2957.1 Cueball I hope they don't mind us taking some of the food and water here. 2957.2 Megan Mm. 2958.1 Cueball Maybe we should have stayed to ask.

But I was starting to get a little creeped out. 2958.2 Megan Yeah. 2962.1 Cueball Still,

maybe they could have helped us find a faster way back. 2963.1 Cueball ...Are you OK? 2963.2 Megan I did something that was wrong. 2964.1 Cueball !!! 2965.1 Cueball You stole the maps! 2965.2 Megan I'll give them back someday!

I hope. 2965.3 Cueball This is great!

There are so many! 2966.1 Cueball We must be here, right? 2966.2 Megan Yeah.

So, we can follow our old path down the mountain, then cut across land through the hills.

I'm guessing they're empty. It sounds like everyone knew but us. 2966.3 Cueball Yeah. 2966.4 Megan Ok. We can do this, probably. 2972.1 Megan The stuff they put on my leg worked great.

What do you think it was? 2972.2 Cueball No idea.

I'm just glad they had it. 2973.1 Megan Along with the maps, I should've stolen a guide to treating injuries.

Ooh, and one on how they make those pointing devices in the towers... 2973.2 Cueball Um... 2986.1 Cueball Just go uphill. Don't stop, don't get stuck.

You can make it. 2989.1 Parent Chirpy Chirp! 2989.2 Baby Chirpy flap flapflap flap 2995.1 Cueball Well, no one's coming down yelling or throwing stuff. I guess the hills are empty. 2995.2 Megan I wish we had time to go up and explore them.

I'd love to learn how they get all that stuff. 2998.1 Cueball Is that the sea? 2998.2 Megan ...should it be in view already? 3001.1 Cueball I know this place.

There definitely shouldn't be water here. 3001.2 Megan Uh oh. 3001.3 Cueball The sea must be flowing up old riverbeds. 3001.4 Megan If it's here it must be close to joining the river. How high up do you think we are? 3001.5 Cueball No idea. How do you even measure that? 3001.6 Megan I don't know. 3002.1 Cueball Oh!

I used to come out

to this rock

when I was little.

*breathe*

...it's weird

being the last person

to see it. 3003.1 Megan Whoa, wait. 3004.1 Megan Look at the spot where we crossed the riverbed. 3004.2 Cueball Oh.

Oh no. 3006.1 Megan There they are!

I see people coming over the rise across the...

...water. 3007.1 Cueball I can't tell how deep it is.

These things seem to be snaking in from all along the coast. We should've come from more inland. 3007.2 Megan I was trying , but inland keeps moving! 3008.1 Cueball They're headed this way. They must be planning to cross here.

Do you think it's safe? 3008.2 Megan It should be -

it's not actually a river; they can swim if they need. 3009.1 Cueball We should cross.

They're not here yet, and it's getting deeper. Better to get on their side while we can.

Then we can help them back over if it's safe. 3009.2 Megan Good thinking. 3010.1 Cueball I can feel it flowing...

...but something seems wrong.

Hang on. 3011.1 Cueball (Splash) AUGH! 3011.2 Megan What?? 3012.1 Cueball It's —

*tphbtt*

— it's fresh! Not as fresh as a river, but too fresh to float on —

definitely not while holding a bag. 3012.2 Megan I guess the other sea is fresh water. I hope it's shallow enough to ford. 3013.1 Cueball I'll go first, since you have the maps. 3013.2 Megan I think this bag will keep them pretty dry if it has to. It's a good bag. 3014.1 Cueball Whoa, careful - the current gets strong! 3014.2 Megan Oof!

It's not even that deep but...

...I can barely... 3014.3 Cueball Almost there... 3015.1 Cueball That was a little too close.

Oh, they definitely see us!

HEY! 3015.2 Bunny (o.o.v.) !!!!! 3015.3 Megan I think I can actually see it rising, at the edge. 3016.1 Bunny YOU'RE BACK! 3016.2 Megan THE SEA IS NOT GOING TO STOP RISING! WE HAVE TO GET TO THE MOUNTAINS! 3016.3 Cueball ...hello! 3017.1 Bunny Where did you go? 3017.2 Megan To the mountains! We learned everything! 3017.3 Bunny Everything? 3017.4 Megan Most of it!

Where's everyone else? 3018.1 Bunny The hills are empty! 3018.2 Megan We know! 3018.3 Bunny It's great! We don't have to wait for them to throw stuff away! A bunch of us are up there right now going through what they left behind! 3018.4 Megan But, the flood! 3018.5 Cueball Oh, no. 3019.1 Buzzcut The kids told us about the sea a few days ago. I said we should move to the hills, but others wanted to keep clear in case the people return. 3019.2 Bunny When we saw it was coming up the riverbed, I left with this group. The others are getting ready to leave but wanted to see if the water- 3019.3 Megan How many? 3019.4 Bunny There are twelve of us back at the camp. 3019.5 Megan ...we have to go back. 3019.6 Cueball Huh...

I think there's stuff floating on the sea. 3020.1 Megan We might be able to cross here, but the next group won't.

The currents are strong and the water has changed. It's getting fresher, like a river. We can't float across, unless any of you can swim on fresh water. 3020.2 Littlest Bangs Brother My cousin says she can swim across a river. 3020.3 Megan Well, can she carry all of us? 3020.4 Littlest Bangs Brother I'll ask her. 3020.5 Megan There seem to be more of these channels. We shouldn't split the group further just to get trapped among them. 3020.6 Littlest Bangs Brother Except I can't find her... 3020.7 Buzzcut Ok, what do we do? 3020.8 Cueball I think there's something on the sea. 3021.1 Megan We have to get everyone together.

We have to find something to help us cross rivers and sea-channels.

We have to head the other way, across the plain,

toward the mountains.

We need to run. 3024.1 Megan As you can tell, the sea is coming up the river.

These low channels are going to fill quickly,

we need to get away from them, move along them on high ground to join up with the group in the hills, and then escape across the plains to the mountains.

I have maps to show us the way. 3025.1 Cueball To avoid being trapped by these sea-rivers - or the regular rivers - we need a way to cross them. 3025.2 Megan They're too fresh to swim over, so we'll have to bring things to float with. They need to be light enough to carry, so wood won't work. 3026.1 Megan Bags might work; some of them can hold air if they get wet.

But grab whatever you can - we may already be too late.

And the currents are strong, so we'll need rope... 3027.1 Megan And I- 3027.2 Littlest Bangs Brother HEY! 3028.1 Littlest Bangs Brother I found my cousin! 3032.1 LaPetite Hi!

I saw the water was trying to cover your neat castle,

so I made it into a boat!

Most of the sand fell down.

When it came loose I floated for a while!

And then the sea pushed me up here. 3033.1 LaPetite I don't know how to stop! 3033.2 Bunny Oh, um. Rope! 3035.1 Megan Ok, everyone!

Forget everything I just said. New plan.

We're going to do something that may never have been done before: 3036.1 Megan We're going to ride a raft up a river.

But we have to work fast. 3041.1 Megan The water is coming over the banks!

This place is ending and it's time to go. 3050.1 Bunny This is really hard.

If we drift into the shallows,

we can sort of push back toward the main channel.

But only barely. 3051.1 Megan That's ok - you've done great.

We're headed straight up the river channel! 3052.1 Megan And we seem to be speeding up. 3054.1 Megan Oof. 3055.1 Megan Is there any way to keep us pointing forward? 3055.2 Cueball We could start calling this the front. 3056.1 Megan Ok, we're coming into the hills.

We need a way to- 3056.2 Buzzcut Look! 3057.1 Cueganite #1 HEY! 3057.2 Cueganite #2 Hellooo! 3057.3 (o.o.v.) It's them! 3058.1 Cueganite #2 YOU'RE SAFE! 3058.2 Cueganite #3 Careful! Don't tip! 3058.3 (o.o.v.) What is that? 3058.4 (o.o.v.) Head toward them! 3058.5 (o.o.v.) How? 3058.6 (o.o.v.) Oh. Right. 3059.1 Cueganite #1 They're going to float past us.

Can we push out into the current? 3059.2 Cueganite #3 Trying. 3059.3 (o.o.v.) Who has the rope? 3062.1 Cueball Careful! Slow and steady - don't break the rope! 3066.1 Curly We saw from the hills that the route back was washed out.

So we found a raft and tried to get to you by the river. 3066.2 Part But then the river started going backward and we got stuck. 3066.3 Pulled Back Why is everything flooding? 3066.4 Shorty Why is the water full of trees? 3066.5 Sandy Why do you have little tables covered in sand? 3066.6 Cueball We can explain.

But first- 3067.1 Cueball What's our plan? How much time do you think we have to get across the plain? 3067.2 Megan None. 3067.3 Cueball Ok, we have to move fast- 3067.4 Megan -no, none . I figured out some of the maps.

If the sea is here, we're already cut off. There's nowhere left to run to.

We're going to have to ride it out. 3078.1 Megan hey 3079.1 Megan Everyone still asleep? 3079.2 Cueball Yeah. 3082.1 Cueball ...Land! 3083.1 Megan We've been heading right toward it since sunrise. 3084.1 Cueball Land!

Wake up, everybody! 3084.2 Castleraft (Scraaaaape) (Crunch) 3085.1 Cueball Wow. 3086.1 Cueball Where do you think we are? 3086.2 Megan I don't know. 3087.1 Megan But I bet we can figure it out!

C'mon, let's see what's through here! 3089.1 THE END