It all started in the woods, one day in late July. Ed is hiking through a state park. He decides to spent his twenty-fifth birthday on a hike. Since he moved to Seattle, none of his family live nearby anymore. The komorebi on the ground is nothing short of majestic. He stops to admire. The shadows dance with a certain elegance, hard to put to words. That's when he sees them. No way, he thinks. Ed kneels down to get a closer look. a flush of white stemmed mushrooms, with flat light-golden caps, grow on the wayside. Ed's no expert, but he thinks he knows what these are. Sure enough, when he picks one, bluish bruising appears on the stem. Excitement mounting. Ed picks a handful more with careful precision, so as not to damage the mycelial network too badly. Ed leaves half a dozen untouched so they can propagate—Jason taught him this. He stows his bounty in a little bag tucked in his backpack.

The rest of the trip Ed is consumed by his thoughts. Did he find what he believes? Ed and Jason had been foraging out in the woods many times together. He'll know what these are.

As soon as Ed got home, he went right next door to his neighbor Jason's house. Ed pounded frantically on the door, clutching in a gentle grip the bag of mushrooms. Jason opened the door. He is a rather thin man, balding at his crown. Today he wears black slacks, with his usual white lab coat. Ed shoves the bag of mushrooms at him.

"Are these—?" Ed exclaims. Feeling his excitement peak.

Jason takes the bag with a gentle hand, holding it up to his eyes. "They–chose you…"

"What? I found them in the woods!"

"Of–course." Jason says with a nervous glint in his eye. "I think you'd better come in." Ed sits down on a plush chair in the living room. Jason sits across from him, twiddling his thumbs, an absent expression on his face. Ed has never seen Jason so anxious.

"Are you alright?" Jason jumps at the sound of Ed's voice, like he has just pinched him.

"Yeah…" Jason confirmed, coming back to himself. "There's no telling what you may see. But this course of action cannot be undone. Do not undertake this endeavor lightly, Ed."

"So, these're what I thought?"

"Yes," Jason says in a hoarse tone. Ed's world starts to spin. He knows not yet what this means.

"so… what do I do?"

"You must do what you think is right, Ed. I cannot make this decision for you. As with all things in life, this choice before you imparts both good and bad. Remember that." Ed swallows hard. Unsure of what to make of this warning. "Those'll have to be dried, unless you've already decided?"

"Not yet…" Ed hands Jason the bag.

"I have to check on something, Ed. Be seeing you." Ed takes the hint, heading for the front door. He stands on Jason's front step for a while, contemplating everything that Jason said. Ed's phone chimes. The message reads: It's your birthday today, right? It's from Jane, who he met at the grocery store. She had accidentally bulldozed him with her cart while Ed was coming around an isle. This led them to talking, eventually exchanging numbers. This only happened a few days ago. Ed hadn't expected to hear from her again.

Yes, Ed replies.

Yay. Happy birthday. Are you busy later?

No. I just got back from a hike.

Want to go walk in the park? Seven-o-clock.

I'll be there!

Ed flushes with excitement. Did she just ask him on a date? On his birthday! How could this day get any better?