Traces on the sand
— What is it? Did you do it? — the man grabbed the girl’s hand.
A fragile, like a withered twig, in bleached sacking, Kekhe-or, with her whole body staggered behind her uncle and back, hitting her knuckles painfully on the buckle of his belt.
— No! It was like that before me!
The man, gloomy, dark, looked around warily. But the rest of the fishermen were unloading, no one looked at their direction.
Tamir cursed and began to erase the drawing with his feet. He released Kekhe-or.
— What do you freeze, erase it, quickly!
The girl rushed to help the man. The uncle, actually, was kind and never offended her. He was worried about his niece, whom the entire village considered a begotten of the lower world. A few years ago, Kekhe-or’s parents went out to sea to fish. At night. Tamir’s brother, Leokhan was considered lucky, fish loved him. His wife, the unusual blue-eyed Kalitara, Leokhan always took fishing with him. Agile and flexible Kalitara was both comrade and friend for her husband. That time Leokhan also took his little daughter. They were gone for a week. Nobody worried. The fishermen used to spend the night in the bays. And then the boat returned. It was full of fish, already rotten, and there was Kekhe-or, in torn burlap, with traces of blood and fish scales. She did not speak, did not even blink, only looked at everyone with her different eyes — one bright blue, like her mother’s, and another one light green, like her father’s. Tamir lived alone, he took the girl in his house. The bodies of Leokhan and Kalitara were not found. But they found their clothes.
And Kekhe-or has since forgotten how to blink and sleep. Bad sign. In the village, it was believed that it was not Kekhe-or who returned with rotten fish, but the evil spirit of the sea, which lives on the life force of the murdered couple. But people were afraid to attack Kekhe-or — what if the spirit get what if the spirit gets angry?
And the mark in the sand was the seal of the Doors. Everyone knew this. If the fishermen had seen it, they would have left the village, gone further along the shore. And Kekhe-or. Who was an ordinary girl, Tamir was sure of that.
— Tamir! Let’s go! — someone shouted.
— Yes! — the man answered, looked at the sand. Not a trace of printing.
He sighed.
— Well, let’s go.
Kekhe-or obediently followed him.
The seal of the Doors gathered on the sand.
Somewhere far away there is a land
— Tell me it again! — Arad demanded.
Kekhe-or sighed and looked at the boy. She wanted to wave off like an adult, but she knew she wouldn’t.
After all, no one waved off little Arad. Inexplicably. He annoyed many ones. His questions were uncomfortable, even unpleasant. And he asked them at the wrong time. Didn’t obeyed anyone. Not the kind of child who can be distracted and mind his own business.
Kekhe-or was paid by Arad’s parents for babbysitting, and Kekhe-or could not refuse to work.
— Far, far away there is a land, where everyone lives well, like a family in which everyone is in love with each other …
— Are there families where everyone is in love with each other?
— There are! Arad, why are you asking the same thing?!
The boy’s blue eyes stared somewhere in front of him.
Kekhe-or ran her hand over her face.
— They share everything equally…
— And how do they have enough for everyone? And the best hunters, do they get as much as the klutzes? — Arad asked again what he had asked many times.
— Yes, they have enough.
— How is it? — asked thoughtfully Arad.
— Because this land is illuminated by a blue-golden sun, — Kekhe-or explained.
— Blue-gold sun. — Arad raised his head, looking at the golden sun, trying to see the blue in it. But the sun was golden-green, as always.
— Why do they have a different sun?
— Because it’s a fairy tale, Arad!
The boy shook his head.
— Who told you it? — the boy asked.
— I do not know. I do not remember. Grandmother Hatkhor, probably.
Arad straightened up, all skinny and lanky, he always looked older than his years.
— Well, you can eat and read something, and I’ll go to Grandma Hatkhor.
And Arad went away. Kekhe-or jumped up and rushed after him.
— What are you doing! It is forbidden! I can’t leave you. Ramul will swear.
But Arad was not afraid of his father, just as he was not afraid of anything in life.
— Then come with me, — Arad shrugged, — I need to find out where they got the sun, which shines so that everyone has enough of everything.
— It’s just a fairy tale!
— There are no just fairy tales, — without looking at Kekhe-or said Arad.
Just stop
The fiery guardian did not ask anything, he did not seem to notice the travelers. The space behind him twisted, the tips of the wings seemed to strike a spark. On his side was a huge book.
Kekhe-or gasped, Dinar grinned. The guard was so huge, much larger than a ladder, along the steps of which travelers had to climb, as if on a rock. Arad looked at the guard carefully. And on the living fire that burned instead of the face of the sinister gatekeeper, features began to appear.
«Go away,» the guard said, crackling like a fire burning branches.
Probably, for his height, the Guardian did not speak loudly, but Kekhe-or covered her ears with her hands.
«I need to go to the Tower of Evil,» said Arad.
Compared to the gatekeeper’s voice, Arad spoke inaudibly.
But the Guardian heard him.
«You will die there. You are still too small.»
«You could help me, then I wouldn’t be too small,» said Arad.
Dinar expressively and cynically waved his hand and shook his head.
«This is evil, you understand, Arad, and this burnt stick is a servant of evil.»
«But you can stop at any moment,» Arad said, looking at Dinar.
«Stop what, excuse me? — Dinar leaned towards him, — to be evil?»
«Yep.»