The Boy in the Field (3 page)

“No?” You looked up at the sky. It would be dark within the
hour. “Suit yourself.”

You continued to guide him through the rock tunnel. If he
thought he could get home on his own, you weren't going to stop him. It would
be funny to watch. You'd seen him with the therin in the other field. Besides,
you didn't care if his mother was mad at him.

“There.” You pointed at the end of the tunnel. “Keep going that
way. If you can't catch a therin, at least you'll be half way home.”

You scrambled up the rock face and sat cross legged on the top.
From there, you could see the city boy as walked across the field, the therins
moving away from him as he approached. At least city boy was good for
something: entertainment. You could watch him repel the therins while you
waited for the landshark to go away so that you could get home.

The End
(Back to start)

You took another deep breath and prepared to shout for him
when he stood up and walked away without as much as a glance in your direction.
You nodded to yourself and shut your mouth. Part of you was disappointed he
hadn’t seen you, but mostly, you were glad. Coming into town had been a
terrible idea. The therin was becoming agitated with all the people bustling
around it and you knew how it felt. You steered him around the fountain and set
off towards home.

City boys. Who needed them?

The End
(Back to start)

“Hey!” you shouted, as loudly as you could. Several of the
boys around the fountain looked up, including him. “Noah!”

He looked right at you and frowned, looking side to side and
then pointing at himself as if he had no idea you were talking to him.

Choice:
8.
Confront Him
or
9.
Give In

“Yeah, you!”

You brought the therin closer to the fountain. Several of the
boys sitting there got up and moved away. Noah just smiled up at you.

“Hi. Um…” He shook his head. “Remind me how we know each other
again?”

You scowled. “I saved your life.”

His eyes flashed with recognition. “Oh, yeah! Country girl!”

“You forgot my name, didn’t you?”

“No, it’s…err…” He furrowed his brow. “Aaa…Arden?”

You snorted and shook your head. “See ya, city boy.” You began
to trot away.

“No, wait!”

You looked back at him. “What?”

“Fine. You got me.” He raised his hands. “I’m not Noah.”

“Sure.” You gave the therin a nudge.

“Noah’s my brother.”

You paused.

Choice:
10. Don’t Believe Him
or
11.
Believe
Him

“You’re rude, you know that, city boy?” You turned your nose
up as you steered the therin around the fountain and prepared to ride home.

“What did I do?”

“I saved your life the other day. You could at least say hi.”
You could feel your cheeks burning as you spoke.

“What are you talking about, lady? I don’t know who you are.”

You shook your head and spurred the therin into action. Coming
into town had been the worst idea you’d had all year. The crowds were making
the therin uneasy and you didn’t like the way some of the people were looking
at you, all shifty as if they were expecting you to steal something. You would
be glad to get away from there and back to the farm. Back to work.

The End
(Back to start)

“You know what, city boy? You’re rude.” You shook your head as
you steered the therin around the fountain.

“I’m sorry! Don’t go!”

“If I see you in the fields again, you’ll be lucky if I don’t
set a landshark on you myself.”

Gave the therin a nudge and headed back towards the farm. You
would have been better off not going into town at all and just helping the
farmer with the fence. He might have had some food going spare or a job you
could do for a bit of cash. Coming into town had got you nowhere.

The End
(Back to start)

“Noah's your brother? You expect me to believe that?”

“I'm Ethan. Noah's my twin. We look identical and you thought I
was him, so thought it would be a funny trick.”

You shook your head. “Prove it.”

“I can take you to meet him.”

“Go on then.” You nodded. Unless you saw two of them side by
side, you were never going to believe his story.

Possibly-not-Noah began to walk, beckoning for you to follow.
You studied him for a moment, trying to spot some sign that he was lying. Both
the boy you saw that day and the one whose life you had saved looked the same.
Both had blond hair, cut at ear length. Their eyes were the same hazel-yellow.
The clothing was similar and their shoes matched exactly.

“He talked about you all evening,” Possibly-not-Noah said.

“
Hai na
?” You tried to sound nonchalant.

He frowned. “Yeah. He kept saying how brave you were. Was there
really a landshark?”

You nodded. “I suppose it must have come through the fence, the
same as you—your brother.”

“And he really rode on one of those with you?” He pointed at
the therin.

“
Haa
.”

He frowned again. “You speak funny.”

“That's 'cause I don't speak all city like you.”

“I speak normally. You speak weird.”

“
Ulta cora kotavala ko dante
.”

“What?”

“Nothing.” you smirked, feeling more than a little smug. Stupid
city boy didn't know an insult when he heard one.

“Noah’s quite frightened of therins,” he continued, resuming
your previous conversation. “Well, most animals, really. I guess I should thank
you for helping him.”

“S’alright.” You shrugged.

Around you, the streets became familiar. You turned a few more
corners and walked a little further before Possibly-not-Noah stopped you
outside the little house with the flaking pain. He looked up at you as he
opened the gate.

“Wait here,” he said. “I'll go in and get him.”

“I'll know if it's just you wearing a hat,” you called after
him as he opened the door.

The therin began to munch on the top of a hedge bordering the
house's tiny garden. You pulled on its horns.

“That's not for you.”

Tearing a little off the greens in your pocket, you leaned
forwards to feed him. The door of the house banged opened, spooking the animal.

“Hey, hey.
Asana
.
Asana
.” You patted his side as
a boy appeared in the garden.

“It really is you!”

You looked at him. Maybe-Noah was wearing different clothes to
Possibly-not-Noah, but he had been inside for long enough to have changed.

“Ethan said you came to see me. Hi!”

You tilted your head to the side. Maybe-Noah spoke more quickly
than Probably-not-Noah. His smile was nicer too - genuine, as if he really was
pleased and surprised to see you.

“Hello.” You climbed down from the therin. “I was just in town
when I saw you by the fountain. Only it wasn't you.”

“We're twins,” Almost-Certainly-Noah explained, drawing in the
dirt with his toe. “Ethan and I look the same. He gets me in trouble all the
time.”

Behind him, the door opened again and Really-not-Noah - Ethan -
stepped out, followed by a pretty lady with light brown hair.

“Mama, this is the girl I was telling you about. She brought me
home the other day.” Definitely-Noah looked over his shoulder at the woman.
“This is my mother.”

“Pleased to meet you.” The woman stepped forward and shook your
hand. “Noah told me what happened the other day. Thank you so much for getting
him home.”

You shrugged. “That's okay.”

“Are you hungry?” she asked. “I was about to make some lunch
and you’re welcome to stay.”

“Oh. Thank you, uh,
yaski
.”

She smiled. “Call me Adina.”

“Adina?” You’d never called a grown-up by their first name
before. It seemed funny.

Adina held the gate open for you. “You can tether your therin
here.”

“He’ll eat your garden.”

Adina shook her head. “That’s okay. It could use a trim.”

She helped you fashion a harness for the beast out of some old
rope. You suspected the animal would chew through it, but at least for an hour
or so, it would be safe.

Inside, the house was warm and cosy. The walls were clean and
painted in light colours. There were curtains in the windows. Their dining table
had four chairs – and four legs. You didn’t realise houses could look so nice.
After a few minutes, Adina entered the room with four stoneware bowls of
steaming hot soup on a tray.

Noah pulled out a chair. “I sit here.” He pointed to the seat
opposite. “Mother sits there and Ethan sits next to me. You can sit there, on
the other side.”

You perched on the edge of the chair and watched as Adina set
the bowls down on the table along with four shiny, metal spoons. The only
spoons in your house were made of wood and most of them were broken or charred.
Metal was too valuable to stay in your house for long. Father sold anything
worth more than a few kesas.

You picked up the spoon and dipped it into the bowl. The
smooth, buttery soup was the perfect temperature as you sipped it from the
spoon. Beside you, the twins dipped strips of buttered bread into their bowls.
You copied them, soaking up the liquid and leaving chunks of soft, juicy
vegetables to scoop up later. That soup, you decided, was the most delicious
thing you had ever tasted.

With the twins side by side, you could see a few differences
between them. Ethan’s hair was scruffier and he had grazed elbows. Noah
fidgeted less and didn’t make as much mess when he was eating; while Ethan had
picked up his bowl to drink the last drops of soup, Noah mopped them up with a
bread crust.

“Are you going to stay to play with us?” Noah asked as he stood
up and collected the empty bowls.

Ethan grinned, a big soupy grin. “Yeah, stay!

“Ethan, wipe your face!” Adina shook her head and turned
towards you. “You’re welcome here as long as your parents don’t mind.”

You nodded. “Thank you.”

Ethan wiped his sleeve across his mouth as his mother turned
her back. “Come in the garden. We’ve got a hoop and a ball and this brilliant game!”

The back garden was several times bigger than the one at the
front and boxed in on all sides with a tall wooden fence. Close to the house
was a row of terracotta pots, each containing a different species of herb.
Along one of the fences was a vegetable patch, the earth recently disturbed,
you suspected for the soup.

Ethan’s game involved standing at one end of the garden and
trying to land a ball in a hoop at the other end. You started close to the hoop
and each time you landed the ball in the hoop, you moved back, marking your
place with a stone on the grass.

You stayed with them until Adina said it was their dinner time.
Reluctantly, you left, promising you’d come back the next day. You took the
therin back to his field and walked the rest of the way home. You were a short
way from the house when you saw a light flick on in the window.

You held your breath as you opened the door, trying hard to be
silent. The house stank of smoke and fermented grains. The stair creaked as you
set your foot upon it and in a second your father was at the kitchen door, a
bottle in his hand.

Choice:
12.
Run
or
13.
Stop

Before he had the chance to speak, you turned, throwing the
door open and running. You could hear the footsteps pounding behind you,
chasing you. The grass crunched beneath your feet, the cold air stinging at
your cheeks. Fingernails scraped your scalped as his hand reached out for you,
grasping you hair and pulling you towards him. You cried out as you fell,
hitting the damp ground with a whimper.

“Where do you think you’re going,
kasabi
?”

You tried to fight him off, to climb to your feet and run
again, but he was bigger than you, stronger. As you pushed him, he pushed back,
his palm striking you across the face.

“Where have you been?”

“Nowhere,” you answered, fighting the tears. That bastard would
never see you cry.

“Get inside!” He dragged you to your feet and shoved you
towards the house, swigging from the bottle. “You don’t leave this house, you
hear me?”

“How will I buy food if—” You stopped speaking as the back of
his hand struck you across the face.

“Don’t be smart with me, girl.” He threw you at the stairs.
“Get out of my sight. I expect dinner at seven.”

* * *

For the next few days, you stayed in your bedroom, venturing
out only when you knew your path would not cross with that of your father. You
completed your chores as quickly as possible and returned to your room, where
you sat on the windowsill and looked outside, across the fields. Your thoughts
turned to Noah and Ethan. You took one last look out of the window, wiping your
face on your sleeve. There was a boy by the therin field. You giggled and shook
your head.

Choice:
14.
Go Out
or
15.
Hide From Him
or
16.
Wave
to Him

“Where do you think you’re going,
kasabi
?”

“To my room,” you replied, pausing on the stairs.

“Where have you been?”

“Nowhere.”

“Then where is my dinner?” He stepped towards you.

You looked at your feet. “I’ll make it now.”

You turned around and went back towards the kitchen. He shoved
you as you reached the foot of the stairs, making you stumble. You steadied
yourself on the table, determined not to cry.

“I’m hungry now,” he said, his voice low. “Work.”

“I’m just—”

“I said work!” he roared.

You jumped as the bottle smashed against the wall beside you,
the remnants of its contents dripping onto the table. You moved to sweep the
broken shards into the bin, lighting the stove as you passed. You didn’t look
back at him, didn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing you startled.

“Next time, I won’t miss,” he grumbled, slouching away.

* * *

For the next few days, you stayed in your bedroom, venturing
out only when you knew your path would not cross with that of your father. You
completed your chores as quickly as possible and returned to your room, where
you sat on the windowsill and looked outside, across the fields. Your thoughts
turned to Noah and Ethan. You took one last look out of the window, wiping your
face on your sleeve. There was a boy by the therin field. You giggled and shook
your head.

Choice:
14.
Go Out
or
15.
Hide From Him
or
16.
Wave
to Him