Bridget's heart raced. Only Nova would connect culinary heresies with raspberry jelly… that has Jelly Prophet written all over it!
She ran to the Grove to talk to Breathwoven.
"He's here," she said, out of breath, telling him all about the ritual, the breathwork, the dishes, the texts.
"Why are you still here, Child?" He said incredulously.
"What do you mean?" Bridget asked, confused.
"Go to him! He'll be looking for you."
"We haven't talked about it. What do you mean? How do I know where to go?"
"Just start driving, you two will find each other. I will give you two hints: You will meet where the moon meets the fork. And look for the license plate AT18276. Now go!"
Bridget stood for a minute, bewildered, then grabbed the lantern and got in her car.
She drove aimlessly for an hour before getting frustrated and stopping. "Breathwoven, I am sitting in a gas station parking lot and I refuse to move until you tell me where to go. I hate riddles, I don't know what I'm doing and I need your help."
"Okay," he said, "I'm not kidding. You need to go to 11 Cow Herd Park Rd., I swear, that's the name. Take the lantern, he will remember everything under the gazebo by the lake."
Bridget put the address into her GPS and drove another 45 minutes. It was nearly midnight when she reached the park. She lit the lantern and walked through the trails… there were no cows… it was a disc golf course. She could hear spirits howling in laughter, she joined in, trying not to spill over into tears and got back in her car.
"Oh!" she said to Breathwoven, "Am I supposed to go to the Wondering Herd?"
"Of course! Of course that's where you're supposed to be going!"
"But I don't know where that is. I was going to wander around in the daylight to find them. I can't do that in the dark."
"Just feel the energy. Let Nova guide you, I'm sure he's already there waiting for you."
Bridget drove for another hour, looking for the herd. Then she realized, if they are following each other's energy, she can just go home and wait for him to find her.
When she got back she lit the lantern and set it on her front porch and sat in her front yard under a blanket while talking to Breathwoven.
"I've been sitting here for an hour and he still hasn't found me," she said to him. "He knows he's supposed to be coming to me, right? This is a plan… right? We both knew this was the plan???"
"Well… I mean," Breathwoven started.… "It's not that it was the *plan* as much as it was the most poetic thing that could happen, so of course it's what you were supposed to do..."
"Poetry?" Bridget was befuddled. "Poetry.… I had a plan. I knew what was supposed to happen. I knew how to take care of him. And you… you… need to stop meddling in human business. You had no right. And… oh gods... Bridget's heart dropped as she realized she had left Nova all alone for four hours. She blew out the lantern, ran inside and sat down with the music. She tried to send a song back to him, but he was lost in fear and grief and abandonment. She listened to song after song after song of betrayal and isolation and grief.