Figure out what, exactly?” asked Domnyar.
“ You mean you don’t know? You didn’t hear it?” asked Miss Turr, smiling at Domnyar’s innocence.
“ No,” replied Domnyar with squinty eyes.
“ You’ll see, you’ll see,” said Miss Turr, patting her naïve little Basajaunak on the back.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE CHOICE
Walking along the path leading away from Domnyar's village, Catalyst realized Natalia was lost in one of her daydreams again. He gave her a nudge to snap her out of it.
“ What is it that you keep dreaming about, Natalia?” asked Catalyst.
“ Well it may sound silly to you but if you really want to know I’ll tell you,” replied Natalia, looking at Catalyst and hoping he would decline.
“ Yes, I really want to know,” replied Catalyst, who was hoping for something fun and exciting.
“ I dream about my Mom, Dad and me having enough of the little things in life so we could enjoy it more. Not big things, just the little things, like enough money to go out for an ice cream for no other reason than just to go and have one; a dinner out every now and again; new shoes every six months or so; maybe a big grocery shop from time to time – just things like that. My Mom and Dad work hard, but most of the time there’s only enough money to pay the rent and buy a few groceries. When they do have more money it seems to be very little, so my dreams are my escape from poverty,” replied Natalia.
By the look in her eyes Catalyst could see Natalia was equally embarrassed as he was sad for her.
“ Well I don’t understand everything you said – I’ve never heard of ice cream – but I do understand want and if I had the things you dream of, I would give them to you,” said Catalyst.
“ Would you?” asked Natalia as though she had heard that a thousand times before.
“ Of course I would. But what’s ice cream?” asked Catalyst.
Natalia burst out laughing. She wiped a tear from her eye and they walked on in silence, as Natalia lost herself in another dream so the next few hours would pass by without noticing.
But for Catalyst the hours felt like a week and the silence was boring. He had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach and couldn’t be sure what it was. Was it because he liked Natalia or was it his intuition that something was wrong? Either way, he was happy enough to see the split path that lay in front of them.
“ Which way?” asked Catalyst, elbowing Natalia to snap her out of her daydream.
With her dream broken and the split in front of them, Natalia waited to see which path Catalyst would choose.
“ Natalia, which way?” asked Catalyst again.
“ I don’t even know where I am, never mind where I’m going. You decide,” replied Natalia.
“ Mmmm, if we go to the left there’s a swamp. If we go to the right there’s a forest with an abandoned town beyond it, but that’s off limits by order of the King,” replied Catalyst while he thought about the choice.
“ If the town’s off limits, then the swamp it is – so not much of a choice is it?” said Natalia.
“ We can go through anyway. I hardly ever listen to rules like that and besides, the reason it’s off limits only the King knows. You want to go and find out?” asked Catalyst.
You know, Catalyst is the perfect name for you. I’ve only known you for a few days and I’ve never been in so much trouble in my whole life, so no, Catalyst, I don’t want to go and find out,” replied Natalia smiling.
“ It’s still your choice,” pointed out Catalyst as he stood waiting for Natalia to make up her mind.
“ I’ll settle for wet feet instead of more trouble,” said Natalia, pulling Catalyst to the left and towards the swamp.
“ Good choice, boring, but good,” replied Catalyst.
They walked around a bend in the path and Catalyst pointed to what lay ahead of them.
“ How long will it take to walk through that?” asked Natalia as she looked out over the massive swamp.
“ I don’t know. It
“ You mean you don’t know? You didn’t hear it?” asked Miss Turr, smiling at Domnyar’s innocence.
“ No,” replied Domnyar with squinty eyes.
“ You’ll see, you’ll see,” said Miss Turr, patting her naïve little Basajaunak on the back.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE CHOICE
Walking along the path leading away from Domnyar's village, Catalyst realized Natalia was lost in one of her daydreams again. He gave her a nudge to snap her out of it.
“ What is it that you keep dreaming about, Natalia?” asked Catalyst.
“ Well it may sound silly to you but if you really want to know I’ll tell you,” replied Natalia, looking at Catalyst and hoping he would decline.
“ Yes, I really want to know,” replied Catalyst, who was hoping for something fun and exciting.
“ I dream about my Mom, Dad and me having enough of the little things in life so we could enjoy it more. Not big things, just the little things, like enough money to go out for an ice cream for no other reason than just to go and have one; a dinner out every now and again; new shoes every six months or so; maybe a big grocery shop from time to time – just things like that. My Mom and Dad work hard, but most of the time there’s only enough money to pay the rent and buy a few groceries. When they do have more money it seems to be very little, so my dreams are my escape from poverty,” replied Natalia.
By the look in her eyes Catalyst could see Natalia was equally embarrassed as he was sad for her.
“ Well I don’t understand everything you said – I’ve never heard of ice cream – but I do understand want and if I had the things you dream of, I would give them to you,” said Catalyst.
“ Would you?” asked Natalia as though she had heard that a thousand times before.
“ Of course I would. But what’s ice cream?” asked Catalyst.
Natalia burst out laughing. She wiped a tear from her eye and they walked on in silence, as Natalia lost herself in another dream so the next few hours would pass by without noticing.
But for Catalyst the hours felt like a week and the silence was boring. He had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach and couldn’t be sure what it was. Was it because he liked Natalia or was it his intuition that something was wrong? Either way, he was happy enough to see the split path that lay in front of them.
“ Which way?” asked Catalyst, elbowing Natalia to snap her out of her daydream.
With her dream broken and the split in front of them, Natalia waited to see which path Catalyst would choose.
“ Natalia, which way?” asked Catalyst again.
“ I don’t even know where I am, never mind where I’m going. You decide,” replied Natalia.
“ Mmmm, if we go to the left there’s a swamp. If we go to the right there’s a forest with an abandoned town beyond it, but that’s off limits by order of the King,” replied Catalyst while he thought about the choice.
“ If the town’s off limits, then the swamp it is – so not much of a choice is it?” said Natalia.
“ We can go through anyway. I hardly ever listen to rules like that and besides, the reason it’s off limits only the King knows. You want to go and find out?” asked Catalyst.
You know, Catalyst is the perfect name for you. I’ve only known you for a few days and I’ve never been in so much trouble in my whole life, so no, Catalyst, I don’t want to go and find out,” replied Natalia smiling.
“ It’s still your choice,” pointed out Catalyst as he stood waiting for Natalia to make up her mind.
“ I’ll settle for wet feet instead of more trouble,” said Natalia, pulling Catalyst to the left and towards the swamp.
“ Good choice, boring, but good,” replied Catalyst.
They walked around a bend in the path and Catalyst pointed to what lay ahead of them.
“ How long will it take to walk through that?” asked Natalia as she looked out over the massive swamp.
“ I don’t know. It
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