With a shovel, some boards, and a little elbow grease I have managed to unify all the parts of the settlement with paths that are clear and reasonably level. They had become quite overgrown and broken in places, a testament to how long it had been since Tuzin’s people had abandoned them, and the rough terrain was an impediment to my restoring the settlement to working order. I suppose I could have stopped some time ago; after all, who am I restoring these buildings for, if there is no one to inhabit them? But, truth be told, I find that work is a welcome respite fro being alone with my thoughts and the possibility–or impossibility–of rescue. Tuzin often spoke of a new world as a tabula rasa; perhaps this is indeed the perfect fruit of that search.

In any case, my thoughts have begun turning to fortifying the settlement with walls and more light. Given the complexity of the layout, my best bet will be to fortify in stages, I think, perhaps with an earthen wall to start. It does make me wonder where I’ll find the materials necessary to do so–such a huge amount of earth won’t be easy to move–but I also am loathe to destroy the ecosystem surrounding this place. Such a world ought be preserved in its natural state.

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