Eason gently rubbed Lumi's belly. She felt the life moving inside her and was happier than ever before. Hand in hand, she walked with Eason across the island, the hawthorn trees were once again full of berries, and a soft autumn breeze blew across the island.

Tomorrow was her birthday. A special day, also because it was the day she had met Eason a year ago. Traditionally, it was also the day her mother would reveal one of the spells from the spellbook, and the penultimate spell in the book still hadn't been revealed. Calmly, she decided to save it for her birthday.

She had been convinced that making a baby must be the very last spell, and as she felt a strong kick in her bladder, she was sure that she had successfully performed the penultimate spell, even without her mother's instructions. Proudly, they walked towards her mother's grave.

Eason looked in wonder at the engraved stones, resting in flowerbeds full of daisies and purple butterfly bushes. White lemon butterflies flew unbothered around, the scent of hawthorn blossoms and pine trees hung in the air, and the setting sun cast a golden misty glow through the trees.

Lumi knelt before a large stone and placed a bunch of colorful wild-picked flowers on the grave. "Mauri" was roughly engraved there. Unlike the other graves, where the names of her other ancestors were read with elegant swirls. Yet, Eason knew from Lumi's stories that Mauri was just as beloved as all the other ancestors. Lumi just didn't have the best handwriting.

"Mama," Lumi whispered softly. "I will proudly continue our family legacy. I'm having a baby!" she giggled excitedly and looked proudly at Eason. He smiled tenderly but also felt a heavy feeling in his stomach. He hadn't told his parents anything yet. How could he ever tell them the truth?

Every weekend, he had returned home with guilt. To ensure his parents wouldn't meddle with the island, he had taken the whole project on himself, and all the preparations were ready. He made up all kinds of excuses to delay the start of the spa resort's construction, but how long could he keep that up?

Eason sighed deeply. He knew he had no choice. His parents would despise him, banish him! But maybe that was exactly what he longed for. Tomorrow, he would tell them, and he would stay forever. He would become the father he had always wished he had.

Lumi had gotten up again and grabbed his hand. "Come on, I'll introduce you to my family," she beamed. She pointed to the grave of her mother Mauri, and Eason gave a bow and spoke a respectful greeting, as well as to Grandma Tuuli, Great-Grandma Onni, Great-Great-Grandma Orvokki, and seven other grandmothers. At the very back, lay the largest grave. A sculpture of a woman in a cloak, whose head had ironically been broken off. It was the grave of the founder of her traditions, Brita Alakärpänen.

"I was thinking of naming our daughter Lotta," Lumi smiled, inspired by the names of her ancestors. She slowly sank to her knees and leaned against Aino, the finest spruce on the island, which gave her a beautiful view of all the graves. Though the fallen pine needles sometimes pricked painfully into her behind.

Eason chuckled. "How are you so sure it's going to be a girl?" Lumi looked at him confused, and a strange realization dawned on him. Where were all the grandfathers? Why had he never heard Lumi speak of her father?

"Lumi, where are your grandfathers' graves?" he asked hesitantly, but Lumi's gaze remained confused for a moment.

Eason sat down next to her and placed his hand on her belly. "Making a baby requires a very special kind of magic. You can't do it alone. Every human on earth is conceived by a father and mother," he explained. "I'm the father of this baby."

Lumi protectively placed her hands on her belly. "Are you saying this baby is also yours?" Her voice sounded slightly anxious. "But it's in my belly!" she exclaimed defensively. "You can't take her with you, Eason. She's mine!"

Eason put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. "Of course, I won't take her," he soothed. "Actually... I was planning on staying here," he continued hesitantly, knowing that after those words, there would be no going back. "Tomorrow, I'll tell my parents that I won't follow in their footsteps and that I'll live here, with you."

Lumi looked at him with wide eyes, her mouth falling open slightly in surprise. "But... what about your family? Your family legacy? Who will your parents pass on what they've built for generations to?"

Eason put up a shield against his guilt and shrugged nonchalantly. He had hoped Lumi would respond more enthusiastically, but he understood how much she valued her traditions. "I have some cousins," he muttered uninterested.

"Cousins?" Lumi repeated, confused.

Eason sighed in frustration. "Lumi, aren't you happy I'm staying with you? With you, and our baby."

Lumi smiled and nestled close to him. "Of course, I am," she whispered. "I want nothing more."

She heard his heartbeat, felt the warmth of his body as she rested her head on his chest. Indeed, she wanted nothing more, but still, something didn't feel right. A bad feeling had settled in her lower abdomen. It was guilt gnawing at her. Eason had made a choice that she could never have brought herself to make: to break with his family and their traditions. She stared at the graves in front of her, all her grandmothers, her mother. What would they think if she abandoned her traditions? Had she already endangered her traditions by allowing a stranger to meddle with them? And what was that father thing he was talking about?

Lumi walked with Eason to the beach, and he stroked her hair. A soft smile on his face. "This is the last time I'm leaving you, Lumi. From tomorrow, we'll be together forever." He beamed excitedly, but the tension was clearly in the air. He knew what task was still awaiting him.

A thousand questions raced through Lumi's head. She didn't know what to say, so she kissed him tenderly and then wrapped her arms tightly around him. She wanted to hug him harder, as if she could squeeze all the answers she needed from him, but her large belly got in the way.