With eight hands instead of six the remaining sacks are moved quickly and half an hour later everything is stacked in the new corner.
"We're done here. Have fun with your next project." Will tells. "Thank you for the help."
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"Well, Clara's next project is mainly to have us work some more," Tarjun replies jokingly. For all his complaining, however, he does seem to warm up to the idea of breeding dozens of butterflies as the children head to the Branstons' farm to gather what they need.
"Okay, I can tug the cart. Clara, you take the vat, and Jewie, you can carry the shovel," he suggests. "And that's all we need? Or do we need more for the butterflies?" he mainly asks Jewel, not really trusting Clara with not burdening him further for the fun of it.
"Jewel, would you please help me lift the vat on the cart?" Clara rolls her eyes at Tarjun for his suggestion to carry the stuff.
Jewel helps Clara get the vat up on the cart, then adds the shovel. "I'll help you pull it Tarjun."
"Tarjun's question was good though. Clara, do we need anything else before we roll this? I'd hate to get where we are going just to have to run back here for something else that is needed."
"I'll help by pushing." Clara assures the others, so no one gets the idea she would let Tarjun pull the cart alone.
"We're going to dig up a plant, put it into the vat and drive it home. I have no clue what you need for that, but mum said a vat, a shovel and a cart." Clara shrugs.
Jewel moves to the front of the cart with Tarjun. She looks over the handle for pulling, grabs a hold and starts pulling. "You know. We should talk to your mother and see if she'd let us train Paddington to pull this. He's big and strong enough that he'd hardly notice it unless it was loaded heavy. I'm sure Tarjun could modify the handle and we could make a harness to pad things so it wouldn't chafe him"
When they get to a downhill spot Jewel calls back to Clara, "Don't push down hill. It'll roll by itself. We just have to maintain the steering!"
"Did your mother say how long it would take to get the butterflies that you need for the festival?"
"Yes she did." Clara answers.
As Jewel doesn't seem satisfied with this answer she adds "I forgot it."
"Ah, you're finally back." Gertrud greets Clara. "Hello Jewel, hello Tarjun, nice of you to help."
"As it is not early anymore I suggest you start the search for a fitting plant immediately. You know what a pipevine looks like?" As no one immediately acknowledges that she gives a rough description. "Leave the cart here, search for a plant, and when you think you have a fitting specimen, bring me a branch with three leaves. I'll check if it's the right one before you start digging. It would be best if it has already a lots of eggs, little white dots, under the leaves."
"I got one, I got one!" Clara tells the whole woods while running back to Gertrud to have it confirmed.
Gertrud looks at the leaves and confirms that it is the right plant. "Be careful, the plant is as big in the earth as above the ground. You need the roots or the plant will die."
Jewel carries the branch that she found, but then sees that Clara was already back. She tucks her branch away. "As big in the earth as above? Clara? How big was the plant? Tarjun and I will pull the cart to it. Then we need to start digging."
"Do we need to dig around the plant and then clear dirt until we reach the roots? If we cut some of the roots will it kill the plant? That much dirt will be really heavy!"
"The plant I found was huge! We'd have to dig ten time as deep as I'm tall." Clara tells with a not so enthusiastic expression.
Jewel follows Clara and Tarjun to Clara's plant. If it is huge like Clara says, and the one she found is smaller, she shows the branch that she has and suggests that they dig up that plant instead. If not, she helps with the digging. "You know, once this plant is planted close to home you should be able to use it every year for your festival."
The plant it indeed huge. It grows up a tree trunk and might be hard to get off. Also the roots are probably mingled with those of the tree.
Jewel's find is an easier candidate as it didn't find something to grab on and looks more like a ball of reasonable size. Also it would be a challenge to check the big plant for eggs, while the small one is easily examined and looks promising.
"I like yours better." Clara comments. "It needs to stay in the vat. So it can grow in a place that is good for the plant and for the festival it can be brought where it is good for the festival."
"No, we're doing that alone!" Clara states. Which doesn't imply that Clara plan on doing any actual digging.
She puts her fingers in her mouth and blows to sound a deafening whistle "Wookie, come here!"
Once the dog arrives, she tries to persuade her to dig around the plant.
"Wookie, dig here!
As the dog only looks at her with curiosity, she kneels down and pats on the ground repeating "Dig here!" but the dog only lies down looking very interested.
"Digging! Look!" Clara starts to paw the ground, but wookie only gets up, sniffs at the hole to be and barks at Clara.
Jewel giggles at Clara while Wookie ignores her direction. After just a couple of giggles she stops and barks a couple of words to the dog, then takes the shovel and moves over by the plant.
"We should probably start a little way out from where we think the roots are, then carefully clear some dirt with fingers so we aren't cutting the roots. Just like planting the little things that Mom and Dad start inside early in the spring, then take outside once the weather is good enough. Like tomato plants!"
Clara is pissed off that everyone else has a better hand at dealing with the family dog. But on the plus side, everyone is working on the digging now.
Wookie digs like crazy and everyone has to make sure not to stand behind her. With Tarjun directing the dog where to dig it is actually helping. Jewel makes a guess where to dig and starts with the shovel. Digging out a plant is no rocket science, so after a while there is an island of soil and roots with a plant on it that could be moved, if it weren't so heavy and lacking a handle.
Gertrud joins the kids and together they lift the plant out of the hole, then into the vat. The vat has handles, which makes it easier to lift for the last step onto the cart.
"Now fill the vat with soil and water it properly and we're done here."
After the final work is done the fishes Gertrud and Tobar caught are put on the cart too and the cart is pulled back to the village. The attempts to make Paddington pull it are quickly stopped as it is too dangerous for the valuable load.
Back home Gertrud and Tobar and the pets go inside with the fishes and leave Jewel, Tarjun and Clara with the plant.
Clara sits down in front of the vat and stares at it, waiting for the butterfly eggs to hatch.
"Where do we get a net?" Clara inquires.
Jewel sits down beside Clara, staring up at the vat with her. "Are we supposed to leave it all on the cart? What happens if someone needs the cart while we are waiting for the butterflies?"
"We are supposed to leave it in the vat. But having it on the cart has some extra perks. No dog would pee on it. And we wouldn't have to move it off the cart and on the cart and off the cart."
"No one said we shall unload it. So we just park the cart in a nice sunny place and leave it there. This plant likes it nice and sunny, doesn't it?"
Jewel stares at her friend, surprised. "Clara? A dog peeing on it would just be water and fertilizer! It's all part of nature. And if it stays up there in the vat on the cart the plant can't expand its roots. It won't grow any more than it does, and that might kill it!"
"I think it needs to be planted somewhere. Go ask your Mom or Dad and we'll have to dig again.... Where's Wookie?"
"Have you seen the yellow patches of grass where Wookie pees? That doesn't look fertilized and watered."
"Also the vat is pretty big. It allows to move the plant and prevents baths."
"Find a nice place for the plant that is not in direct sunlight and where the soil won't dry out. It probably needs to be watered everyday. It can stay in the vat. That is better than digging it out every year. It probably won't grow as big, but we need the butterflies, not a big plant."
"As for the bathing - if you want you can break the news to Clara - we will craft a new vat for that."
Jewel stays by Clara as Tarjun goes to ask Mrs. Johnson about the vat. "Just look around. The plants all grow better in the ground where they belong. If they were supposed to be suspended up in the air, Erastil would've created carts for every plant in the forest! As for the bath.... Baths are good for you. Don't you like to feel really clean!?! When dirt dries on me it makes me itch!"
Clara contorts her face. "Soap burns in the eyes and tastes terrible."
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Tarjun thanks Gertrude, and walks the way back to Jewel and Clara as quick as he can.
Which isn't fast.
"So Mrs. Johnson said to keep it in the vat 'cause it's easier than diggin' it up every year," he briefly explains. "Also, she's gonna make a brand new vat for you to get a bath," he grins at Clara.
In all honesty, he is as little fond of bathing as she is. Thankfully, he doesn't have to be honest.
"Dingleberries!"
"But anyway, we need a place for the plant. How about putting it in front of my window? So I can check on it when I'm in my room."
Jewel openly laughs when Clara mentions how soap tastes.... "You're not supposed to eat soap! Just clean yourself."
"Tarjun, Did Mrs. Johnson say where to set the plant down? Is it OK in front of Clara's window? And how big will it grow? We can't have it too close to anything or it will cramp the branches."
"See, my idea was great. Let's drive the cart there and put the vat on the ground."
"Clara.... It's heavy! I don't want to have to move it once we get if off of the cart. Let's go ask your mother if in front of your window is right. Tarjun, Don't move it 'til I, or we get back."
She runs in the direction Tarjun had come from hoping to find Mrs. Johnson. "Mrs. Johnson. Before we unload the vat I want to know the best place for it. Clara wants it outside of her bedroom so she can watch the butterflies. Is that a good spot? And how big will it grow? I don't want to set it too close to your house and cause damage, to it or your house. ??"
"pipevine wont damage the house. And in the vat it hopefully won't grow too big. If it does, we're going to cut it back. The place in front of the window isn't perfect, but if it's close to the wall is will be in the shadow most of the day."
"As I told Tarjun: the plant needs moist ground and may not dry out. Therefore the vat should be in the shadows."
Jewel considers the area. "Mrs. Johnson said that it was OK to set it close to the house. This area here is shaded most of the time. Let's just roll the cart close and carefully move it off. And Clara, since this is your project you'll need to keep the soil in the pot moist. And watch it for when it needs to be netted. That should be fun to watch when the butterflies crawl out of their cocoons!"