passed to the left, their occupants staring at them with open curiosity.
“Where are they all going?” Lia asked.
“They are
shpatzirs,
” said Artur. “They do not know where they go. That is why they hurry. To find out where they wish to be.”
“Where are
we
going?”
“We go to Harmony.” Artur gave the reins a shake. The horse abruptly accelerated its gait from a walk to a trot; after a heartbeat’s delay, the cart sped up as well.
“What makes us move?” Lia asked.
“The wind, child.”
Lia could feel no wind.
“Why did you buy me?” she asked.
“I did not buy you.”
“They said I was sold.”
“I give them
bupkis;
they give me you.”
“What is
bupkis
?”
“Nothing of value. A trinket. I make an even trade.” He winked at her.
“What are you going to do with me?”
“I am going to introduce you to Gort, who does not yet know he has already met you.”
“Gort is a real horse?”
“Indeed.” He gave her a sideways look. “You came here through a disko,
nu
?”
“A Gate.”
“Gate, disko, it is all the same. You are from a time yet to come.”
“I am a Pure Girl.”
“I thought as much.”
“You know other Pure Girls?”
“Some.”
“Are there Pure Girls where we are going?”
“Did you think you were the first?”
Lia felt her eyes heat up. She blinked, and a tear spilled down her cheek. Other Pure Girls lived here! She would not be alone.
They continued along the same street. The buildings became less uniform and their design more varied. Off to their left, Lia saw a large, pyramid-shaped structure. Several men were dragging a large block of stone up the steep sides on wooden rollers. A tingle of recognition shivered her spine.
“You see it,
nu
?” Artur twitched the reins; the cart moved to the side of the street and stopped.
Lia said, “It’s a pyramid.”
“The Pyramid of the Lambs. Once, it was no bigger than a shepherd’s hut, but it grows ever larger. The Lambs believe it will bring them closer to heaven.”
Just above the pyramid’s flattened top, a disk of light caught her eye. It flickered, then disappeared.
Artur spoke. “They are your people,
nu
?”
“The Lah Sept,” she said, still staring at the spot where she had seen the Gate.
Artur grunted. “In this day, they call themselves the Lambs of September.” He gestured at the building. “You have seen the finished structure?”
Lia nodded. “It is at the center of Romelas.”
“Romelas is not yet,
bubeluh.
The Medicants call their city Mayo, as it has been for half a millennium.”
Lia did not know how long half a millennium was, but she gathered it was a very long time.
“The Lambs bide their time,” Artur said. “They are buzzards, waiting for the Medicant beast to die so that their own rough beast might rename the city once again.”
Lia flinched as, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something pale and gauzy swoop past them. She turned toward it, but there was nothing there.
“What did you see?” Artur asked, looking at her intently.
“Something flew by.”
He nodded slowly, then shook the reins. The cart moved back into the stream of traffic.
“Do you know us yet in your day?” he asked.
“You mean Boggsians?”
Artur chuckled. “Boggsians, yes. What the
goyim
call us. It is better than some of the old names. You have met my descendants, yes?”
“Once I saw a family dressed like you. Outside the palace, in a horse cart. But the horse was real. It left a nuisance upon the pavement.”
Artur laughed. “Yes, yes! We
nuisance
the pavement, we Boggsians. Like the cockroach and the carp, we abide. Six thousand years in this world, yet still, we abide.”
“You use numbers,” Lia said after a moment.
Artur nodded. “Numbers do not harm us.”
“What of the Medicants?”
“You have met them,
nu
?”
“They have machines on their bodies.”
“They compensate for the damage they have done to their souls.”
“You mean Plague?”
“The
“Where are they all going?” Lia asked.
“They are
shpatzirs,
” said Artur. “They do not know where they go. That is why they hurry. To find out where they wish to be.”
“Where are
we
going?”
“We go to Harmony.” Artur gave the reins a shake. The horse abruptly accelerated its gait from a walk to a trot; after a heartbeat’s delay, the cart sped up as well.
“What makes us move?” Lia asked.
“The wind, child.”
Lia could feel no wind.
“Why did you buy me?” she asked.
“I did not buy you.”
“They said I was sold.”
“I give them
bupkis;
they give me you.”
“What is
bupkis
?”
“Nothing of value. A trinket. I make an even trade.” He winked at her.
“What are you going to do with me?”
“I am going to introduce you to Gort, who does not yet know he has already met you.”
“Gort is a real horse?”
“Indeed.” He gave her a sideways look. “You came here through a disko,
nu
?”
“A Gate.”
“Gate, disko, it is all the same. You are from a time yet to come.”
“I am a Pure Girl.”
“I thought as much.”
“You know other Pure Girls?”
“Some.”
“Are there Pure Girls where we are going?”
“Did you think you were the first?”
Lia felt her eyes heat up. She blinked, and a tear spilled down her cheek. Other Pure Girls lived here! She would not be alone.
They continued along the same street. The buildings became less uniform and their design more varied. Off to their left, Lia saw a large, pyramid-shaped structure. Several men were dragging a large block of stone up the steep sides on wooden rollers. A tingle of recognition shivered her spine.
“You see it,
nu
?” Artur twitched the reins; the cart moved to the side of the street and stopped.
Lia said, “It’s a pyramid.”
“The Pyramid of the Lambs. Once, it was no bigger than a shepherd’s hut, but it grows ever larger. The Lambs believe it will bring them closer to heaven.”
Just above the pyramid’s flattened top, a disk of light caught her eye. It flickered, then disappeared.
Artur spoke. “They are your people,
nu
?”
“The Lah Sept,” she said, still staring at the spot where she had seen the Gate.
Artur grunted. “In this day, they call themselves the Lambs of September.” He gestured at the building. “You have seen the finished structure?”
Lia nodded. “It is at the center of Romelas.”
“Romelas is not yet,
bubeluh.
The Medicants call their city Mayo, as it has been for half a millennium.”
Lia did not know how long half a millennium was, but she gathered it was a very long time.
“The Lambs bide their time,” Artur said. “They are buzzards, waiting for the Medicant beast to die so that their own rough beast might rename the city once again.”
Lia flinched as, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something pale and gauzy swoop past them. She turned toward it, but there was nothing there.
“What did you see?” Artur asked, looking at her intently.
“Something flew by.”
He nodded slowly, then shook the reins. The cart moved back into the stream of traffic.
“Do you know us yet in your day?” he asked.
“You mean Boggsians?”
Artur chuckled. “Boggsians, yes. What the
goyim
call us. It is better than some of the old names. You have met my descendants, yes?”
“Once I saw a family dressed like you. Outside the palace, in a horse cart. But the horse was real. It left a nuisance upon the pavement.”
Artur laughed. “Yes, yes! We
nuisance
the pavement, we Boggsians. Like the cockroach and the carp, we abide. Six thousand years in this world, yet still, we abide.”
“You use numbers,” Lia said after a moment.
Artur nodded. “Numbers do not harm us.”
“What of the Medicants?”
“You have met them,
nu
?”
“They have machines on their bodies.”
“They compensate for the damage they have done to their souls.”
“You mean Plague?”
“The
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