would have enjoyed it.
Ben and Eva talked more each
day. She was very curious about Ben and his world, and asked him a
lot of questions.
“So, you normally have two
names?” she asked, as they cleaned the pomp-hen hutch.
“Sometimes more. It depends on
where exactly you are from in my world. At least one is chosen for
you by your parents, like here, but the other one belongs to your
family.”
“Then everyone must carry a lot
of names. One is more than enough to tell people who you are. There
are plenty of different names to choose from after all.”
“But what happens here if
someone you don’t know happens to pick the same name as you?”
“That has never happened that I
know of, except for with you of course. But I suppose one of you
must change your name,” she answered simply.
“I’m not sure my world would
have the patience for that. We choose the same names too often, and
it would be confusing to change names all the time.”
Eva emptied a bucket of
pomp-hen droppings into the wheelbarrow. “Your world is a very odd
place. Your creatures are similar to ours, yet your knowledge must
be very great for you to build these ‘cars’, ‘planes’ and other
things. Your elders must be so wisecrinkled with the burden of all
that, they must hardly be able to move!”
That sounded like what Frummer
had said to him when he had told him his first name, Ben thought.
“What do you mean by wisecrinkled Eva?”
“Well, wisecrinkled is when
someone’s body changes as they learn things, but usually only after
they are already fully grown. The more things they learn, and the
exact things that they learn about, change how wisecrinkled they
look. Alder is our wisest person, and he is very crinkled and grey
haired, but I think his crinkles are from laughter and the joy of
what he has learned mostly, and he still has most of his hair so I
don’t believe he has learned of much to worry him in his life. My
dad says Alder’s crinkles and hair have changed a bit this last
summer though.”
Ben listened closely. “Doesn’t
everyone just get older as they age? Everyone get’s wrinkles and
grey hair don’t they?”
“No no. My father is aged older
than Alder, but he is very much less grey and wisecrinkled, because
he has not learned nearly as much, and he has learned mostly of
tending animals and crops, and drinking vol by the fire, so has had
much more laughter.” She stopped a moment. “He doesn’t know much of
the wider realm, and what nasty things are out there that might one
day threaten us all. I suppose Alder does.”
“How old is your father then,
if he is aged more than Alder?”
“He is one hundred and thirty
three years old. We celebrated his birthday a few months ago, with
lots of vol as usual, and a stew of our best five pomp-hens for all
the camp.”
Ben was stunned. “You’re
telling me your father is one hundred and thirty three years old?
And each year is twelve months, or fifty two weeks here?”
“Yes of course,” Eva said
bluntly.
Ben hardly dared ask his next
question. “So how many years old are you then Eva?”
Eva flushed lightly. “I will
celebrate my own birthday in a few days. I will be thirteen years
old.”
Ben sighed in relief, although
he did wonder why there was such a long gap between Eva and her
fathers’ age.
They finished cleaning the
pomp-hen hutch, and climbed their usual hill to look at the glow of
the lake and the water birds waking up.
“Perhaps it’s my company and
learning about my strange world, but I’ve noticed you look a little
crinkled today Eva,” Ben said with a slight grin.
Eva whacked him on his sore arm
with one of her boots.
In spite of Ben’s frequent
worries about returning to his own world, he began to enjoy his
time with the Peregrine farmers. He wanted to find a way home to
his family, Hulstead College and his real life, but the sunny
autumn days he spent with Eva felt like a secretly stolen summer
holiday away from the cold,
Ben and Eva talked more each
day. She was very curious about Ben and his world, and asked him a
lot of questions.
“So, you normally have two
names?” she asked, as they cleaned the pomp-hen hutch.
“Sometimes more. It depends on
where exactly you are from in my world. At least one is chosen for
you by your parents, like here, but the other one belongs to your
family.”
“Then everyone must carry a lot
of names. One is more than enough to tell people who you are. There
are plenty of different names to choose from after all.”
“But what happens here if
someone you don’t know happens to pick the same name as you?”
“That has never happened that I
know of, except for with you of course. But I suppose one of you
must change your name,” she answered simply.
“I’m not sure my world would
have the patience for that. We choose the same names too often, and
it would be confusing to change names all the time.”
Eva emptied a bucket of
pomp-hen droppings into the wheelbarrow. “Your world is a very odd
place. Your creatures are similar to ours, yet your knowledge must
be very great for you to build these ‘cars’, ‘planes’ and other
things. Your elders must be so wisecrinkled with the burden of all
that, they must hardly be able to move!”
That sounded like what Frummer
had said to him when he had told him his first name, Ben thought.
“What do you mean by wisecrinkled Eva?”
“Well, wisecrinkled is when
someone’s body changes as they learn things, but usually only after
they are already fully grown. The more things they learn, and the
exact things that they learn about, change how wisecrinkled they
look. Alder is our wisest person, and he is very crinkled and grey
haired, but I think his crinkles are from laughter and the joy of
what he has learned mostly, and he still has most of his hair so I
don’t believe he has learned of much to worry him in his life. My
dad says Alder’s crinkles and hair have changed a bit this last
summer though.”
Ben listened closely. “Doesn’t
everyone just get older as they age? Everyone get’s wrinkles and
grey hair don’t they?”
“No no. My father is aged older
than Alder, but he is very much less grey and wisecrinkled, because
he has not learned nearly as much, and he has learned mostly of
tending animals and crops, and drinking vol by the fire, so has had
much more laughter.” She stopped a moment. “He doesn’t know much of
the wider realm, and what nasty things are out there that might one
day threaten us all. I suppose Alder does.”
“How old is your father then,
if he is aged more than Alder?”
“He is one hundred and thirty
three years old. We celebrated his birthday a few months ago, with
lots of vol as usual, and a stew of our best five pomp-hens for all
the camp.”
Ben was stunned. “You’re
telling me your father is one hundred and thirty three years old?
And each year is twelve months, or fifty two weeks here?”
“Yes of course,” Eva said
bluntly.
Ben hardly dared ask his next
question. “So how many years old are you then Eva?”
Eva flushed lightly. “I will
celebrate my own birthday in a few days. I will be thirteen years
old.”
Ben sighed in relief, although
he did wonder why there was such a long gap between Eva and her
fathers’ age.
They finished cleaning the
pomp-hen hutch, and climbed their usual hill to look at the glow of
the lake and the water birds waking up.
“Perhaps it’s my company and
learning about my strange world, but I’ve noticed you look a little
crinkled today Eva,” Ben said with a slight grin.
Eva whacked him on his sore arm
with one of her boots.
In spite of Ben’s frequent
worries about returning to his own world, he began to enjoy his
time with the Peregrine farmers. He wanted to find a way home to
his family, Hulstead College and his real life, but the sunny
autumn days he spent with Eva felt like a secretly stolen summer
holiday away from the cold,
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