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2: [ This was in different handwriting; different author? Cursive and fancy ]

Chronicle 550

There are few records of how Puffin Town and their unique relationship with the Junimo came to be, but we can make some educated guesses according to the local folklore and traditions – which vary wildly, from tales that the shore puffins brought the Junimos to land in their very beaks, to rumors that the spirits came from the stars themselves and that that is why their very favorite berry is named Astera. Whatever the case may be, they are not of this world in so many ways. I find myself lost in the study of them whenever harvest season comes around; and it may be a study that continues all my life.

The Junimo are elusive little things, but every once in a while they will hold their very own nightly festival, giving credence to the idea that they are connected to the starry sky. I think that our Flower Dance Festival*** may have been established to coincide with the Junimos’ calendar, something both whimsical and very much pragmatic, since that is when their magic is at its peak. At some point, it was discovered that the Astera were not only their favorite plant, but that it would resonate with their magic, amplifying both the magical effects and the abundance of the harvest. It should have been a win-win situation.
*** Like the yearly dance we just did, right? So that wasn't planned by Adela? She said she was only here for a month before us I think...

But spirits are spirits: they are neither good nor evil, at least not in the way that we humans could hope to understand. There are few records, but the moment Puffin Town discovered the double-edged nature of the beautiful Astera and thus, of the Junimo that loved them is infamous in the local community. I won’t detail all the bloody history here, but there is more blood in the soil of that forest than lies under some battlefields. It was not, of course, entirely local. What is impressive is how well Puffin Town closed themselves off to the outside world and erased all rumors of these happenings – perhaps with a little magical touch. Nevertheless, it will never again be entirely peaceful. Every once in a while an outsider or two finds their way in***; every once in a while a villager is tempted by the products of blood magic, the ability to grant wishes so long as they spill blood for the Astera. Some believe that the Astera and the Junimo together literally form a path to the stars. Quite foolish, I want to say, but I may just be too cowardly in my old age to face the reality of the Junimos’ power.
*** But we didn't want to come here, right? Does that mean someone wished for us to be here?