Sofia tumbled back into the house, dumbstruck.
Her aunt and uncle were nowhere to be seen yet, but she could hear Aunt Sybil stirring in her room. Sofia sat down at the kitchen table. She propped her head on her fists and stared into the room.
What had just happened?
Orì had been taken by men, or by some kinds of beings that had been there and not been there at the same time. They had grabbed Orì even though they had appeared see-through, unsolid, like appearances or phantoms. And yet Orì had been unable to wring herself free of them.
And Orì had begged Sofia to help her. But what could she do?
Should she ask Aunt Sybil for help? Sofia knew how that would go. Her aunt would scold her for still seeing Orì, and then she would say that the problem had solved itself with her abduction. She would say that the business of Nihon had nothing to do with them, and that was the way it would be.
Uncle Tomas would be no help at all, and Sofia couldn't imagine Sermon or Mr Borrealis to be helpful in this kind of situation, no matter how kind they were, and no matter how much they loved her. All they would do would be to try to console her and tell her to take her mind off it.
As if that was possible!
They could keep their comforting words, Sofia thought, suddenly angry, and their scolding too, and their superiority! She had never had a friend like Orì, and if she asked for her help, she would help her!
Sofia clenched her fists in determination, satisfied with her decision.
Then she realized that she had no idea what that decision entailed. She had no idea what had happened, where Orì was, and what she had meant when she had asked her to Help Me. Sofia descended into desperation, not even noticing Aunt Sybil entering the kitchen.
"What are you doing up, Sofia?"
Sofia shot around.
Aunt Sybil was standing in the door, still pale from the night. A deep frown creased her forehead.
"I couldn't sleep," Sofia muttered.
"That is no reason to get up," Aunt Sybil said. "You should stay in bed until the morning breaks. You need to learn routines, Sofia, and don't sit there with idle hands. Make a fire, if you're up already."
"Yes, Aunt Sybil," Sofia said through gritted teeth.
She hated her aunt at that moment. She looked at her as she busied herself in the kitchen, putting the coffee beans through the grinder, following her everyday routine as if she had no mind of her own. Suddenly, Sofia felt like she could not stay in this house for a second longer, nor in this village, nor even on this side of the world.
Quickly, she got up and started the kindling in the fireplace. Her arms felt heavy, and her whole body seemed to have trouble following orders. It took a few clumsy attempts before the fire started to burn.
"I'll go wash up," Sofia said, without turning back towards her aunt.
"Don't be long," Aunt Sybil replied. "You have a lot of studying to do."
"Yes, Aunt Sybil."
She washed quickly and got dressed. Then she went to her room and looked around. What should she take? What would she even need?
From under her bed, she took a leather bag that Sermon had once given her as a reminder of his first travel. At the time he had said, "this is for when we'll go travelling together," but even then Sofia had seen in Aunt Sybil's face that this would never happen. Still, she had always cherished the gift.
She examined the other gifts from Sermon. She removed the puppet from the nail on the wall where it was hanging. "You're coming," she said, knowing full well that it was not a smart decision. In the same spirit, she took the story lantern from the windowsill, folded it neatly and put it carefully into the bag.
There was just enough space for a few days of food provisions.
Would a few days be enough? Sofia had no idea. She didn't even know where she was supposed to turn to once she had crossed the bridge, and she preferred not to think about it for fear of changing her mind.
"Sofia!?"
Aunt Sybil's voice sounded harsh.
Sofia stuck her head out of her door. Her aunt was standing in the hallway, looking at her with a severe gaze.
"What are you doing up there? You need to start your studies."
Obediently, Sofia followed her up the stairs. She tried to breathe normally and to keep her face straight. Suddenly, every movement and gesture felt suspicious and unnatural. But when her aunt turned back to her, she didn't seem to be aware that there was anything out of the ordinary going on.
Sofia placed herself at the little desk and opened the book where she had left off the day before. The next chapter was called Timing and Dating.
She sighed.
At the sound, Aunt Sybil came standing next to her.
"Ah," she said. "This is a very important chapter. Very practical, you will surely enjoy it."
Sofia read:
It is of the utmost importance that every Guardian adheres to the correct times, dates and numbers in all their recordings. The Guardian must remember that their recordings are not for their own diversion, but that they are an invaluable administrative tool which will be evaluated by the Head Assessors. Each Guardian must follow the same system.
Each of the Guardian's recordings will be copied and stored. The Guardian must always keep in mind that their notes will outlast them and must therefore be structured in a universally understandable manner.
The Guardian must follow the calendar that started at the conclusion of the Great Wars, going back to Zero on the day and time of the final separation of Our Side and Nihon.
The year is divided into fifteen months, each identical in length to the other. The months are numbered and will remain unnamed. Each month counts twenty-five days of identical length. Each day counts fifteen hours, each hour is a hundred minutes long, each minute is a hundred seconds long. This is our system from the first second of the separation on, and it will remain so until the end of time.
"What date is today?" Sofia asked.
Aunt Sybil looked into her book.
"It is the year 367. Month 2, day 7. Don't you think it is a beautiful system? Simple and comprehensive."
"I guess."
"None of the confusion from before."
Sofia looked up. So far, there had been no mention of how things had been before in the book. Sofia couldn't imagine an unspecific word like confusion even showing up. The book removed every part that might be interesting and gave it the most boring spin imaginable.
"Is that part still coming?" Sofia asked, leafing ahead.
"No." Aunt Sybil obviously regretted her lapse. "Tessina told me about it. There used to be many different ways of counting. Everybody had their own system, and nothing worked. It was the Nihon way." Here she pulled a face. "The separation freed us from all of this. You must understand that this part of the book is very important. A unified counting system keeps everything neat and aligned, and it is essential to note the time and date correctly to keep track of things."
"When will I get my own ledger?"
The leather-bound ledger with the strap was the only thing she was looking forward to. She couldn't wait to hold it in her hands and know that it was hers to own and keep.
Aunt Sybil smiled. A rare and unfamiliar sight that immediately had Sofia smiling back. She opened the top drawer of her desk.
"Today."
She took out a gleaming new ledger and handed it to Sofia who almost ripped it out of her hands, untied the strap and opened it.
There it was, page upon page of pristine paper, all for her to fill.
"Today, you mark the date that I just told you, and you write down Receipt of the Ledger. Make sure that your writing is neat and legible."
Sofia did as she was told, her hands shaking a little bit. She looked proudly at her writing.
"Thank you, Aunt Sybil."
"Don't thank me," Aunt Sybil replied with a little redness on her cheeks. But she didn't clarify who she should thank instead. Probably she didn't know.
Sofia carefully closed the ledger and cradled it in her arms like a doll. The leather was soft and had a tangy smell which she thought was wonderful. Then she remembered that she was leaving that night, and every new feeling of hope or happiness fell away from her. She held the book closer, and for the first time, she thought that maybe she might get homesick after all.
She was careful not to look at Aunt Sybil.
*
Late in the afternoon, Sofia offered to go to the store, and Aunt Sybil, who had been in a happy mood since giving her the ledger, agreed.
With a tinge of regret, Sofia closed the book and stored her new ledger away. Then she quickly went outside before Aunt Sybil could change her mind, or summon Uncle Tomas to accompany her.
Sofia dreaded seeing Mr Borrealis. She even half-hoped that instead of him, his wife, whom she didn't like at all, would be there.
Since Pip and Tin's disappearance, the happy, good-natured layer of Mr Borrealis seemed to have been stripped away. The worry and guilt had turned him into a lesser version of himself, and all of his former habits that had used to delight Sofia had become hollow imitations of the past.
Indeed, Mr Borrealis was standing behind the counter, his elbows propped on the table and his stare going far off into the distance. There was a small time-delay before he even noticed her.
He straightened up.
"Sofia, what a pleasant surprise," he said, but his voice sounded flat. Then a sudden idea flashed across his face. "You haven't by any chance -?"
He didn't dare to finish the question.
Sofia shook her head. She hadn't heard anything about Pip and Tin. Nobody had.
His face sunk in again.
"Are you doing some shopping?" he said, expressionless.
"Yes," Sofia said, not sure how she should go about sneaking the provisions in. "I need a few different things, today," she added, but Mr Borrealis paid her little attention.
"Just put everything here on the counter," he said with a feeble hand gesture.
Sofia went about selecting some fresh vegetables for their cooking, and then placed a piece of hard cheese next to them. She asked Mr Borrealis for three cutlets for dinner, and as soon as he had turned around, she took a loaf of bread and a few packs of nuts and dried fruit, and put them on the counter, holding her breath.
If Mr Borrealis noticed anything about the different selection, he didn't show it.
Sofia looked through the shelves, but she reckoned that the cans and glasses would be too heavy and impractical. She kept looking around. There was a rack with warm clothes. It was the middle of winter. Hesitatingly, she ran her fingers over them, then grabbed a soft doublet that was about her size, and a lightweight green blanket.
She put them on the counter and avoided Mr Borrealis' eyes.
"All of this on your aunt's tab?"
"U-hu," Sofia mumbled, not lifting her head.
There was a prolonged, pensive silence from Mr Borrealis.
"You know," he said eventually. "I've wanted to show you something for a while... I have a lovely pair of warm boots that should fit you perfectly. They are lined with fur and very comfortable." He handed them to her. "Try them on."
Sofia did, and he watched her quietly. The boots fit perfectly.
"Those will carry you anywhere you need to go," Mr Borrealis said with a sad smile.
Sofia didn't reply. She put the boots on the counter next to her other things.
"And you know what else every child needs?" Mr Borrealis said. "It's like a toy, but a little more practical, in case you happen to wander too far one day and get lost."
He put a compass on the table.
"The needle points north," he said. "And you know what is north?"
Sofia shook her head.
"Your home," Mr Borrealis said, putting his hand over the counter on Sofia's shoulder. It was heavy but comforting. "Where people will always be happy to see you."
A tear gathered in Sofia's eye, followed by a few more. She wiped her eyes, still not looking directly at Mr Borrealis.
He packed everything up in two bags and handed them to her.
"Maybe I'll forget to put a few of those things on your aunt's tab," he said. His face was filled with melancholia, but also an odd kind of happiness, just the way it used to be. "If you ever need anything, Sofia," he said. "I can't promise that I will be able to help you. But I promise you that I will try."
*
After dinner, Sofia remained seated with her aunt and uncle, but the silence was oppressive. Uncle Tomas tried to start up a game, but Aunt Sybil retreated into a corner with a book. Sofia did her best to divert her uncle, but after a while, he wordlessly left the house. Sofia waited until it was time for her to go to bed, and then she got up.
She went to her aunt, and for the first time that she could remember, she put her arms around her.
"I'm going to bed, Aunt Sybil. Thank you for the ledger."
Aunt Sybil looked at her, too surprised to talk for a moment.
"Well. Yes. Good night," she said then.
Sofia lay awake for hours. It was dark and quiet. All she could hear was the beating of her own heart. Every time she lost courage, she pictured Orì, alone and scared, surrounded by dark, shadowy figures, and her resolve strengthened again, until, finally, she got out of bed and slipped into her new clothes and her warm furry boots.
She shouldered her bag. It was heavier than she had planned, but she figured that she would get used to it. She quietly opened her bedroom door. She looked towards Aunt Sybil and Uncle Tomas' bedroom door and listened. It was completely quiet, deep into the night. She tiptoed towards the kitchen, then changed her mind.
She put the bag down and went upstairs to the tower, careful that the stairs wouldn't squeak. She opened the drawer of her little desk and took out the ledger. She couldn't even say why she was doing this but leaving it behind felt like leaving behind a part of herself.
She went downstairs again, put the ledger into the bag, heaved it on her shoulder again, and she left. Outside, the air was cold and fresh, and the sky was dark enough to have been painted black. Far away on the other side of the river, a light was streaming through the sky as if it was day already.
Sofia stood there for a quiet moment. Then she took a deep breath and walked towards the bridge.