Chapter Twelve
Disappointed and a little peevish with hunger, she lit the fire and retrieved the pack. Feeling a little guilty at her previous treatment of it, especially as it now weighed heavy with the promise of food, she took it to the fire, intending to eat straight away, but the evening light was too beautiful to miss. Soon it would fade, and she wouldn't be here to see it tomorrow. She ambled as close to the edge as she dared, and gazed out at the view spread before her. As the light got more and more intense, Jay felt a rush of such exultation that she wanted to fly. A single bird wheeled and soared far away over the darkening valley, its wings black against the sunset. Suddenly she was completely certain: she could fly, she knew it! She spread her arms wide and stood on tiptoe, making ready to launch herself off the cliff and transform herself into a bird like the dholes had yesterday.
“NO!” shouted a voice. “Don't! Don't do that, Jay!”
She almost lost her balance, almost went tumbling down the rock face; but a strong hand clutched both her outstretched arms. It hurt. The sudden pain steadied her and cleared her head; she stepped back from the edge and turned around as one of her arms was freed.
“Whatever did you do that for? You're not immortal, you know! I was just in time!”
It was Barnaby.
“I wouldn't really have tried to fly.” She felt a bit sneaky because she knew quite well that she was trying to convince herself as well as him. “But I just felt so... so... I can't explain. Anyway, what are you doing here?”
“Come away from the edge, come to the fire before we start talking.” Until they got right up to the fire he held one of her arms firmly; she rubbed it ruefully when he let go.
“I'm sorry about that. It might bruise, but it's better than being at the bottom of the mountain in bits,” said Barnaby.
“I don't know what happened,” Jay mused, feeding the fire, then picking up the pack and putting it on her lap, “but thank you. I might be hurt, or even dead. Or maybe I really would have flown.”
“I doubt it,” laughed Barnaby. “Seriously, though, didn't anybody warn you that this world's not safe? It's no safer than your own! Some of the rules are different, but dead is dead - and for you that means in both worlds.”
She looked at him and grinned sheepishly, weighing the pack between her hands.
“Look, this pack is full. Would you like to share my supper?”
He gave her a concerned, puzzled look, then shrugged his shoulders.
“Okay. Okay, thanks, I'd like that.”
There was more than enough for both of them, with another strange sweet refreshing drink in the flask. They sat in silence for a while, eating; then Jay turned to her visitor and asked, “You didn't tell me why you're here. I thought your home was in the forest. That's a long way from here.”
Barnaby looked embarrassed. “I sort of got a message. Jay, I'm not what you think I am. I know you see me as a boy your own age, and that's what I am when I'm with you. But, well, it's hard to explain. I've got a different body, when I'm in my own woods, one you might not be so comfortable with. Only I'm afraid those wild dogs of yours don't like me at all!”
“Oh,” exclaimed Jay, “I remember - wasn't there a boar or something around when the dogs were away? They were so cross when they came back. Was that you?”
“I hope it won't make too much difference. I want to be friends. But yes, in the forest I'm usually a boar. I'm one of what the Bear would call one of the Great Ones, and I think I've lived forever, but I don't feel like a great immortal when I'm being a boy. In this body that's mostly what I feel like: a boy, and my knees scrape if I trip over, just like yours.”
Jay gazed at him, torn between wanting to believe him and wanting to think of him as a human boy of her own age with maybe a few magical tricks. Everything was so strange here. It seemed that as soon as she got used to one new way of looking at the world she was in, another set of unbelievable things happened. Barnaby was so normal looking, his freckles almost masked by the dancing firelight. She gave up trying and gave him a hesitant smile, which he returned with an enormous grin.
Suddenly he leapt up and, in the rapidly dimming light, cartwheeled across the ledge until he had almost reached the place where it fell away into nothing, stood up and swaggered back to where Jay was sitting open mouthed.
“You're showing off,” she remarked, hiding her nonplussed reactions with a smile.
“Yes! Yes, of course I am! I like you, I'm happy - and I love doing that. I can't do things like that in my other body. It makes me feel so good! Can you do - what do you call it?”
“That's doing cartwheels. I used to be able to. I'm sorry, I really don't feel like trying now.”
As the evening light dwindled and night fell, they sat in companionable silence watching the fire for some time before Barnaby spoke again.
“You know, you humans are strange. Here's you. You're hardly more than a child. You're in a strange world, spending all this time alone before going off tomorrow, and you don't seem worried at all. Not about being alone, nor about the dragon. I just don't understand.”
“How did you know about the dragon? Who told you?” she asked, alarmed.
“I told you, I'm not exactly what I seem. Anyway, why else would you be up here? This is the back way to the dragon's lair. It doesn't go anywhere else. Of course, you could always go back, I suppose; but then you wouldn't get what you came for.”
Now it was Jay who found things difficult to understand. She felt indignant, as though a friend had somehow betrayed her and broadcast a secret, one that Jay had hidden even from herself. She had deliberately stopped herself from looking at what the next day might hold, and was annoyed with Barnaby for reminding her. She folded her arms and looked at the fire as Barnaby said: “If you like, I could meet you afterwards. There's really nothing to it, you know. It's quite a nice old thing, not frightening at all really.”
Jay didn't answer at once, still offended. Barnaby got up and fed the fire.
“I'll be off now,then,” he said, sounding a little hurt in his turn.
“No! Please don't go yet. I'm sorry, I was just a bit... I didn't know what I thought about it, that's all. Yes, I'd like you to meet me after.”
He sat down again next to her, smiling a little as she asked, “What do you mean, I'm here to get something? I didn't decide to come, you know, it just sort of happened.”
“I can't tell you, of course. But I'm sure you and that old dragon have to meet.”
They both spoke at the same time:
“I'm sorry. Do let's talk about something else.”
“Tell me how you came to visit this world of mine, Jay.”
Stars had already begun to come out, and they watched them sparkle; jewels multiplied above them as they talked and talked. Suddenly the fire was out, the sky was pale, and Barnaby was no longer anywhere to be seen. Jay blinked her eyes briefly and dozed fitfully until she woke with the realization that today was the day she had to meet the dragon.
Disappointed and a little peevish with hunger, she lit the fire and retrieved the pack. Feeling a little guilty at her previous treatment of it, especially as it now weighed heavy with the promise of food, she took it to the fire, intending to eat straight away, but the evening light was too beautiful to miss. Soon it would fade, and she wouldn't be here to see it tomorrow. She ambled as close to the edge as she dared, and gazed out at the view spread before her. As the light got more and more intense, Jay felt a rush of such exultation that she wanted to fly. A single bird wheeled and soared far away over the darkening valley, its wings black against the sunset. Suddenly she was completely certain: she could fly, she knew it! She spread her arms wide and stood on tiptoe, making ready to launch herself off the cliff and transform herself into a bird like the dholes had yesterday.
“NO!” shouted a voice. “Don't! Don't do that, Jay!”
She almost lost her balance, almost went tumbling down the rock face; but a strong hand clutched both her outstretched arms. It hurt. The sudden pain steadied her and cleared her head; she stepped back from the edge and turned around as one of her arms was freed.
“Whatever did you do that for? You're not immortal, you know! I was just in time!”
It was Barnaby.
“I wouldn't really have tried to fly.” She felt a bit sneaky because she knew quite well that she was trying to convince herself as well as him. “But I just felt so... so... I can't explain. Anyway, what are you doing here?”
“Come away from the edge, come to the fire before we start talking.” Until they got right up to the fire he held one of her arms firmly; she rubbed it ruefully when he let go.
“I'm sorry about that. It might bruise, but it's better than being at the bottom of the mountain in bits,” said Barnaby.
“I don't know what happened,” Jay mused, feeding the fire, then picking up the pack and putting it on her lap, “but thank you. I might be hurt, or even dead. Or maybe I really would have flown.”
“I doubt it,” laughed Barnaby. “Seriously, though, didn't anybody warn you that this world's not safe? It's no safer than your own! Some of the rules are different, but dead is dead - and for you that means in both worlds.”
She looked at him and grinned sheepishly, weighing the pack between her hands.
“Look, this pack is full. Would you like to share my supper?”
He gave her a concerned, puzzled look, then shrugged his shoulders.
“Okay. Okay, thanks, I'd like that.”
There was more than enough for both of them, with another strange sweet refreshing drink in the flask. They sat in silence for a while, eating; then Jay turned to her visitor and asked, “You didn't tell me why you're here. I thought your home was in the forest. That's a long way from here.”
Barnaby looked embarrassed. “I sort of got a message. Jay, I'm not what you think I am. I know you see me as a boy your own age, and that's what I am when I'm with you. But, well, it's hard to explain. I've got a different body, when I'm in my own woods, one you might not be so comfortable with. Only I'm afraid those wild dogs of yours don't like me at all!”
“Oh,” exclaimed Jay, “I remember - wasn't there a boar or something around when the dogs were away? They were so cross when they came back. Was that you?”
“I hope it won't make too much difference. I want to be friends. But yes, in the forest I'm usually a boar. I'm one of what the Bear would call one of the Great Ones, and I think I've lived forever, but I don't feel like a great immortal when I'm being a boy. In this body that's mostly what I feel like: a boy, and my knees scrape if I trip over, just like yours.”
Jay gazed at him, torn between wanting to believe him and wanting to think of him as a human boy of her own age with maybe a few magical tricks. Everything was so strange here. It seemed that as soon as she got used to one new way of looking at the world she was in, another set of unbelievable things happened. Barnaby was so normal looking, his freckles almost masked by the dancing firelight. She gave up trying and gave him a hesitant smile, which he returned with an enormous grin.
Suddenly he leapt up and, in the rapidly dimming light, cartwheeled across the ledge until he had almost reached the place where it fell away into nothing, stood up and swaggered back to where Jay was sitting open mouthed.
“You're showing off,” she remarked, hiding her nonplussed reactions with a smile.
“Yes! Yes, of course I am! I like you, I'm happy - and I love doing that. I can't do things like that in my other body. It makes me feel so good! Can you do - what do you call it?”
“That's doing cartwheels. I used to be able to. I'm sorry, I really don't feel like trying now.”
As the evening light dwindled and night fell, they sat in companionable silence watching the fire for some time before Barnaby spoke again.
“You know, you humans are strange. Here's you. You're hardly more than a child. You're in a strange world, spending all this time alone before going off tomorrow, and you don't seem worried at all. Not about being alone, nor about the dragon. I just don't understand.”
“How did you know about the dragon? Who told you?” she asked, alarmed.
“I told you, I'm not exactly what I seem. Anyway, why else would you be up here? This is the back way to the dragon's lair. It doesn't go anywhere else. Of course, you could always go back, I suppose; but then you wouldn't get what you came for.”
Now it was Jay who found things difficult to understand. She felt indignant, as though a friend had somehow betrayed her and broadcast a secret, one that Jay had hidden even from herself. She had deliberately stopped herself from looking at what the next day might hold, and was annoyed with Barnaby for reminding her. She folded her arms and looked at the fire as Barnaby said: “If you like, I could meet you afterwards. There's really nothing to it, you know. It's quite a nice old thing, not frightening at all really.”
Jay didn't answer at once, still offended. Barnaby got up and fed the fire.
“I'll be off now,then,” he said, sounding a little hurt in his turn.
“No! Please don't go yet. I'm sorry, I was just a bit... I didn't know what I thought about it, that's all. Yes, I'd like you to meet me after.”
He sat down again next to her, smiling a little as she asked, “What do you mean, I'm here to get something? I didn't decide to come, you know, it just sort of happened.”
“I can't tell you, of course. But I'm sure you and that old dragon have to meet.”
They both spoke at the same time:
“I'm sorry. Do let's talk about something else.”
“Tell me how you came to visit this world of mine, Jay.”
Stars had already begun to come out, and they watched them sparkle; jewels multiplied above them as they talked and talked. Suddenly the fire was out, the sky was pale, and Barnaby was no longer anywhere to be seen. Jay blinked her eyes briefly and dozed fitfully until she woke with the realization that today was the day she had to meet the dragon.