Impossible Dreamers

Chapter 43 (mektwi-ept): In the bag

'Liana?' It was Silmoa's voice. There was something strange about it. Then she realised. Silmoa was calling her by her real name. Liana opened her eyes. Silmoa was facing her in her bed, and in the moonlight that entered through the window, Liana could see Silmoa's eyes were filled with tears.

'What is it, Silmoa?'

'You understand, don't you, Liana, that I really don't want to shock you. Or anyone. But I have to do it. Otherwise...'

'I understand, Silmoa. I know how you feel,' Liana said.

'I don't think you do, Liana. Really, I do believe that how things are now is better than how things were in Ser...Ser ... how things were before. But I don't like it that I sometimes have to hurt you. I just wish we could get to how things will be when we are all full citizens of Bartyronis. Then everything will be better.'

Did Silmoa really believe this? Clearly, she was upset by what was happening. So why couldn't she bring herself to say that things should be different? She couldn't even manage to say the name of Seren-ila. Liana supposed that people all react in different ways to such dilemmas. It was, at least, good to know that Silmoa still wished to be kind, even if she felt she had to be nasty.

But what should Liana say now? She couldn't agree with Silmoa, but she didn't want to make her feel worse. And she really wanted to get to sleep. To dream. Maybe that was what she should say.

'It's all right, Silmoa. Just lay your head down and try to dream of better times. That might help.'

'Yes,' said Silmoa, 'I'll try to do that.'

Liana tried to sleep. But again she kept thinking about Silmoa. Did she really believe that a time would come when the Bartys would treat Seren-ilians, Grabblers, like proper people? When they would show respect for their ideas? After they had already destroyed everything that had made Seren-ila into Seren-ila?

Silmoa had always believed so strongly in 'the Seren Way' of doing things. Now she had switched, and believed in the Barty Way. She thought that being cruel and nasty was a necessity. Would she have thought that it would have been necessary to be like that to uphold the ways of Seren-ila? That couldn't be right.

In the midst of such thoughts, Liana found herself once again in her dream. She had never known such a thing before. The words that she was turning over in her mind didn't stop or change, she just carried on thinking them while the reality of the hostel faded, and the dream of Seren-ila appeared around her.

This time, instead of having to travel to the garden, she found herself there at once. Herago was where he had been sitting before, with his cups and stones. She started to greet him, but he was intent on what he was doing with the objects in front of him, and signalled that she should keep quiet.

Liana recognised what Herago was doing. It was one of the Impossibles they had practised for the showing. The stone appeared under one cup, then another. During the showing, a model of Greblara had appeared at the end, but just as Liana was expecting this, Herago lifted the last cup, and a hare jumped out, apparently much bigger than the cup itself. At first, Liana was delightedly surprised. But then she remembered that this was a dream. Of course, anything could happen in a dream. Herago's Impossibles were not so impressive when you realised that you were in a world where the impossible was routinely possible.

'What do you think?' Herago said, looking at Liana.

'Very good, if you could do it in real life,' said Liana. 'But even I could do something like that. In a dream.'

'Liana, you don't seem to understand. I am practising in the way that I would do this in real life. This isn't a fantasy idea. I'm using the same techniques that I use for the Impossibles that we did in our showing,' Herago said.