Not Gone Yet

Thistle woke with a start, not in her bed.

As her eyes adjusted, she realized she’d fallen asleep on the couch in front of her hearth, surrounded by company—coats and boots.

She braced herself to stand up, her whole body sore and heavy. Her muscles were tight, as was her chest. Everything was dense from continuous strain.

Looking around, her cottage was packed wall to wall with displaced residents and community members who had fallen asleep there, gathered in a central safe zone after battling the storm all weekend.

All were sleeping somewhat uncomfortably in makeshift cots and beds throughout her living room. Seeing the little ones curled up with their parents, knowing they had nowhere left to go home to, made her heart sink— a marrow-deep ache within her soul. A disgusting taste of failure touched her tongue, making her grateful for the silence, aside from the taunting patter of rain and tantrum of wind at the windows.

She stepped around the others as they, too, began to stir, stowing herself away quietly in her upstairs library. She wandered the stacks aimlessly, unsure of what she was looking for. Dark clouds loomed, making it hard to see. She went to light the lamp inside; it was a small comfort.

She needed an escape, a book to ease her worried mind. Just a moment alone with her thoughts, or with characters who soothed her.

Instead, she grabbed the journal that started it all: The Water Witch’s Rain Scriptions. Immediately, it felt different.

As she rolled the pages in her fingers, she noticed the pages were now dry—no water damage at all.

She flipped eagerly to the last page—the one she hadn’t been able to read, desperate for answers. But in its place was something new. A brand-new note from Nimbella. Thistle steadied her breath before she read.

“I know what you're looking for, Little Bloom,” Nimbella wrote.

“And the last sentence isn’t going to change what you already have learned. But if you’re seeking, know that the line reads this… ‘the only thing to keep it going was each other.’

To reinforce the Glade does not just mean to reinforce its walls. The most important thing to reinforce was the community itself. The found family. The ones who make the Glade what it is.”

Thistle smiled. She was right.

She had a house full of residents who had fought valiantly to protect their home from these harsh conditions. Though it seemed they had failed when some lost their cottages, the truth was—they were here.

They were still home as long as they were together in the Glade. As soon as the rains cleared, the community would come together—like they already had—to build new homes, new paths, and a new garden.

“Always stronger together,” she remembered Papa Beaver saying.

Thistle placed the newly mended book back on the shelf. Instead of grabbing fiction, she grabbed a beloved old recipe book for a rainy day.

After all, she had a full house to feed.

🍲Lamb Stew🥕🍗

Warmth from the inside out!

Recipe:

🥣 Lamb Stew (Slow Cooker or Instapot Method)

Total Time: ~5–6 hours (hands-off once assembled)
Skill Level: Intermediate
Category: Cauldrons – Soups & Stews

🥗 Dietary Information

✅ Naturally Gluten-Free (double-check broth and seasoning mixes and remove the step where flour is added to thicken the broth)
❌ Contains Meat
❌ Not Vegan or Vegetarian
⚠ Optional Alcohol (red wine; substitute with vinegar if preferred)
⚠ Alliums (onion, pearl onion)

🌿 Ingredients

• 1 lamb shank (shoulder or other meaty cut with minimal bone)
• Seasonings of choice – rosemary, truffle salt, Italian herbs, Cajun seasoning, cumin, curry or turmeric (optional and interchangeable)
• 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables (corn, carrots, peas, green beans)
• 4–6 petite potatoes, quartered
• 1 onion (or ½ if preferred)
• 1 small handful pearl onions (optional, but lovely)
• 2–3 carrots, chopped
• 2–3 celery stalks, chopped
• Fresh herbs: rosemary, thyme
• Vegetable broth (enough to cover lamb fully)
• Splash of red wine or 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1–2 tbsp flour (for thickening)
• Salt and pepper to taste

🔪 Instructions

Sear the Lamb

• Season the lamb thoroughly with your preferred herbs and spices.
• In a dry pan over high heat, sear both sides of the lamb until browned. No oil or butter necessary.

Build the Stew

• Transfer the lamb to your slow cooker or Instapot.
• Add the frozen vegetables, chopped potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and pearl onions.
• Tuck in fresh rosemary and thyme for depth.

Add the Liquid

• Pour in enough vegetable broth to fully cover the lamb.
• Add a splash of red wine (or use apple cider vinegar for a non-alcoholic option).
• Stir in 1–2 tablespoons of flour to help thicken the stew as it cooks*