[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Euphrasians are not as primitive as you might believe.
At least they ve discovered fire.
Electricity, I tell her. See, there was this guy, Benjamin
Franklin. He was a little bit after your time, maybe fifty
years, and he was American. He discovered electricity one
day when he was out flying a kite in the rain.
She chuckles.
What s so funny?
It sounds a mite foolish to fly a kite in the rain.
He did it on purpose. He was trying to discover
electricity.
If he had not yet discovered it, how did he know he
would discover it by flying a kite in the rain? He must have
gotten very wet, and he sounds very silly.
This girl is totally annoying, and I don t even really
remember the whole story about Ben Franklin. We
learned it in fourth grade. Still, I say, He wasn t silly.
He discovered electricity, and a hundred years later, a
guy named Edison another American invented the
lightbulb. So now we have electricity, and if you were
sneaking out of the castle in the dead of night, you d at
least have a
Watch out! Talia screams just as I bonk into some-
thing large and wooden. A tree? Yep. Roots. Bark. Really
big trunk. It s a tree. I just crashed into a tree.
I rub my forehead. How d you know that was there?
Was it there in your time?
106
In my time, we can see ahead of us. I suppose we are
used to darkness. She laughs.
It s not funny.
Oh, I am sorry. In my time, a man running into a
tree was considered the height of amusement, indeed. She
giggles. But I suppose everything is better in your time.
I rub my forehead again, to show that it still hurts
and that I don t appreciate her laughing. Well, yeah. Let s
see . . . we have electricity, indoor plumbing, fast food,
cars, airplanes, computers, movies, television, iPods. Yeah,
I think it s pretty much better.
You think so? Her voice rises an octave. Well . . .
we have things in Euphrasia that are better than what you
have now.
Like what? Chamber pots? Indentured servants?
Bubonic plague? Name me one thing you had in your time
that s better than what we have.
Love! she cries. Respect for one another. In my time,
people did not go around kissing other people they did
not love and had no interest in marrying. In my time, a
man who did such a thing would be considered a cad and
thrown in the dungeon for his crime. In my time, ladies
were respected!
If your time is so wonderful, you should go back
there!
I cannot. You have ruined everything with your selfish,
selfish lips!
I m selfish? I m not the one who touched the spindle.
107
You said that was not my fault!
That was before I knew you. I changed my mind after
I saw what a self-centered brat you are! You probably did it
on purpose, just to ruin things for everyone else!
Oh! She stomps her foot.
That s right. Stomp your foot! Brat!
I shall never speak to you again!
Good! I ll enjoy the quiet.
I shall . . . I shall go home!
Good! Go! That s exactly what I want!
She stops walking for a second, and I think she ll turn
around, that I ll actually be rid of her. I keep walking.
Maybe I should throw her jewelry box on the ground. If I
don t, she ll probably accuse me of stealing it.
But a moment later, I hear her footsteps, running to
catch up.
Forget something? I say.
I cannot go home. You know I cannot.
Why not? They ll get over it. You re their little
princess.
They will not get over it ! All is ruined! I must go with
you distasteful though the prospect may be. She starts
walking.
I m distasteful. I like that. I m not the one who begged
her to go with me. I could just ditch you, you know? I
don t have to take you with me.
She gasps. A gentleman would.
A gentleman of your time, maybe. They sound like
108
saps. In my time, we don t think girls are fragile flowers.
We think they should be responsible if they mess up just
like guys.
All right, then. You will take me with you because, if
you do not, I shall scream. I shall run to the nearest house
and cry to the people there my subjects and they will
come out with pitchforks and torches. They will hold you
until my father comes.
She has a good point, I guess even though she makes
it like a brat. I look around, and I can see houses full of
people extremely well-rested people who will probably
rush to defend their princess, since they don t know what
she s really like.
And, the fact is, I shouldn t have kissed her. I know
it s wrong to take advantage of girls who are passed out. If
I hadn t done it, I wouldn t be in this mess. So, okay, I ll
take her across the border. That s it, though. After that,
she s on her own.
So I say, Okay. Come on. But take back the jewelry
box. I don t want anyone to think I stole it if they catch us
together. And go faster.
She starts to protest but then says, Oh, all right.
We keep walking. I wonder how far we are from the
border or whatever that giant hedge is.
I m about to ask Talia when she says, Why did you kiss
me?
Look, I m sorry. I didn t know I d wake you.
That is not what I meant. I meant why did you kiss
109
me? I was supposed to be awakened by my true love s kiss,
and then we were supposed to marry.
I got that.
So if you did not love me, why did you kiss me? Some-
one else might have, if you hadn t.
I hear her implication, someone better. I shrug.
What does that mean?
I forgot she can see in the dark. I don t know. I just
wanted to. In my time, we sometimes just kiss for fun.
She doesn t answer for a minute. Then we both say, I
like our way better.
She reaches toward me to touch my forehead. Her hand
is cool and soft. Does it hurt very badly, where you hit the
tree?
I pull away. I don t want her touching me, even though
it feels good. Ouch.
I want to ask Talia why she kissed me back, if it was
so horrible, but I m not speaking to her. Besides, maybe
someone will hear. Someone with a big dog. Or a dragon
or something. So we trudge along, and the only sound I
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]