Cantral The Entra

But has it fixed us?

She unfolds the paper and reads. Her body stills, I think she even stops breathing.

"Ahhh," Ramet says eventually, and she folds the paper and stuffs it in her pocket, "you and I seem to have swung in opposite directions. I can't blame you for feeling like that, I've not been good for you since returning from the Trials..." She laughs. "Maybe before the Trials too."

Ramet stares ahead at the opposite tree, and I do too. We watch as birds dance through the leaves, wings fluttering in a blurred motion. Everything comes back to the Trials. They changed her, and I think they changed me too.

"I returned angry and confused." Ramet laughs quietly. "I'm sure you understand why I was angry, but my confusion goes a little deeper. I've always felt so sure about what entra do, but this made me look at things from a new perspective ... you weren't the only alien sympathiser and staying with you wasn't the only reason I turned down command of my own ship."

"You turned down command because you didn't want the weight of invading planets on you?" I say and Ramet nods. "But coming to Oneera was your idea?"

"It was Fendan's idea," Ramet corrects. "I don't know, Fendan saw me before we left, he gave me a long speech about how he believes in me, how I have to be there for you. I thought that if I could push through these doubts and take Onnera, I'd be fixed. I guess Fendan knew otherwise."

"I think Oneera has fixed you ... or it's put you on the right path."

"Yeah, maybe," Ramet glances drown through the leaves, "but has it fixed us?"

"Hello?" Zafira shouts from below and shuffles over the carpet of leaves. "Where are you?"

Ramet blows a high-pitched whistle, that rings in my ears and chases the birds we were watching into the sky.

Zafira looks up. "Are you hiding from me?"

"Yeah," Ramet say as she jumps down, "that's why I whistled, you know, so you wouldn't find me."

"Why were you in a tree?" Zafira asks, accusingly.

Ramet grins. "You're too young to understand."

I jump down and land in front of Ramet, she wraps her arms around me and peers over my shoulder at Zafira. Has Oneera saved our relationship? Can a planet do that? I'm not certain, but maybe removing ourselves from an oppressive regime can.

"So," Ramet says, "anything fun or dangerous round here, bears to fight ravines to jump?"

Zafira shakes her head. "Oh! There's a nice field, want me to show you?"

"A field!" Ramet exclaims, with mock excitement. "Wow, it must have been a long time since you did anything remotely ex—" she pauses with a frown "—actually, I don't think I've ever seen a field."

Zafira jumps up and down and claps her hand. "It's the best field, my mum takes me for picnics. But I can go on my own too!"

Zafira runs ahead, spurred on by excitement and I walk beside Ramet, held back by doubt. The ground inclines, and rocky outcrops rise between trees as we climb higher. Animals with large black eyes watch our silent passage and as the ground levels I see the field.

Trees peel away, an expanse of grass spreads to the cliff's edge. Above, the sky unfolds, without leaves to shield my view. The moon illuminates the field and bathes it in a soft glow, a constellation of hundreds of stars speckle the black sky with yellow. Beauty and freshness transcend the forest, they live here too. My hair blows from my face and tangles in the air around me. The grass sways and the breeze rustles their droopy heads, laden with seeds.