village without being seen?”
I ponder his question for a moment. “We could go by ship. If you sail around the island, you can go ashore at the eastern beach and reach Newexter quite easily from there. The parents often go fishing on that beach, so there’s a road.”
“ A ship? Consider it done.”
“Are we leaving now?”
He smiles reassuringly. “Yes, we are, as soon as possible. But we’ll have to tell one of the captains to prepare a ship that’s capable of carrying a lot of people first. I already have an idea which ship to use.”
“You mean the Explorer ?” the elderly man inquires. He is still standing next to us.
Walt nods and grabs my hand, taking me on my way to the salvation he’s promised me. During our walk, I tell him bits and pieces about the situation on our side of the Wall. While I talk, we walk along endless streets lined with houses that look a whole lot sturdier than the houses we build. There are street lights everywhere and almost all roads are paved. And it just goes on and on. Hope Harbor is larger than Newexter… much larger.
“Just how many people live here?” I ask shyly at some point.
“About one thousand,” Walt replies.
“Oh.” All at once, I feel like a bumpkin walking around this city. I come from a village of about two hundred inhabitants, and the group living in the manor only consists of fifty-one youngsters. That’s the biggest crowd I’ve been around in the past six years. Everything here is so overwhelming.
Silently, I plod on next to the boy I pegged for a Fool only two days ago, who turns out to be much more cultivated than me.
“How are you holding up?” Walt interrupts my train of thought. “I’m not going too fast, am I?”
I shake my head. “Can’t go fast enough for me. I’m just thinking,” I reply quietly.
Walt puts his arm around me. “About what?”
“About how different everything is over here. How it’s possible you are with so many, and why we have always lived apart from each other.” I look up at Walt. “I found out I am part Foolish myself, you know. My grandmother was born here.”
“Really.” Walt raises an eyebrow. “No wonder you seem a bit bubbleheaded at times.”
“Look who’s talking,” I throw back.
“And may I just mention that Fools are apparently irresistible to your kind,” Walt continues unperturbed, “because your grandfather went on and married her in secret. Right?”
I wonder. How had they even managed to do that? Had Toja crossed the Wall one day, bumping into my grandfather like I bumped into Walt? Maybe grandpa smuggled her into Newexter claiming she was from the manor and her parents were dead. Sometimes, youngsters change so much between the ages of ten and eighteen that nobody recognizes them anymore when they return. And as far as I know, no one has ever told my mother that her mother didn’t belong in Newexter.
“I wonder why she ran away,” I mumble.
Walt slows down. “Well, there are Hope Harborers who can’t stand the wait. They tire of waiting for a lifetime for something to appear at the horizon.”
“Is that what your people believe in?” I ask dumbfounded.
“Yes. And hey, turns out we were right all along, because someone actually did appear on the horizon. Two people on a ship from the World across the Waters, bearing great news. But one of them had to pay for it with his life.”
“I’m sorry.” Somehow, I’m ashamed of what our leader has done, even though it’s obvious he’s crack-brained.
“Hey.” Walt slows down to a stop, looking at me earnestly. “It’s not your fault, okay? At least you tried to stop him.”
“I still want to,” I say fiercely. “In fact I want to stop everything . All the lies. All the misery. I want to know the truth at last. If Henry really is right and our way of life is based on lies, we should all hear it.”
“I’m not sure all your people will be ready for a truth like that. An Unbeliever isn’t easily
I ponder his question for a moment. “We could go by ship. If you sail around the island, you can go ashore at the eastern beach and reach Newexter quite easily from there. The parents often go fishing on that beach, so there’s a road.”
“ A ship? Consider it done.”
“Are we leaving now?”
He smiles reassuringly. “Yes, we are, as soon as possible. But we’ll have to tell one of the captains to prepare a ship that’s capable of carrying a lot of people first. I already have an idea which ship to use.”
“You mean the Explorer ?” the elderly man inquires. He is still standing next to us.
Walt nods and grabs my hand, taking me on my way to the salvation he’s promised me. During our walk, I tell him bits and pieces about the situation on our side of the Wall. While I talk, we walk along endless streets lined with houses that look a whole lot sturdier than the houses we build. There are street lights everywhere and almost all roads are paved. And it just goes on and on. Hope Harbor is larger than Newexter… much larger.
“Just how many people live here?” I ask shyly at some point.
“About one thousand,” Walt replies.
“Oh.” All at once, I feel like a bumpkin walking around this city. I come from a village of about two hundred inhabitants, and the group living in the manor only consists of fifty-one youngsters. That’s the biggest crowd I’ve been around in the past six years. Everything here is so overwhelming.
Silently, I plod on next to the boy I pegged for a Fool only two days ago, who turns out to be much more cultivated than me.
“How are you holding up?” Walt interrupts my train of thought. “I’m not going too fast, am I?”
I shake my head. “Can’t go fast enough for me. I’m just thinking,” I reply quietly.
Walt puts his arm around me. “About what?”
“About how different everything is over here. How it’s possible you are with so many, and why we have always lived apart from each other.” I look up at Walt. “I found out I am part Foolish myself, you know. My grandmother was born here.”
“Really.” Walt raises an eyebrow. “No wonder you seem a bit bubbleheaded at times.”
“Look who’s talking,” I throw back.
“And may I just mention that Fools are apparently irresistible to your kind,” Walt continues unperturbed, “because your grandfather went on and married her in secret. Right?”
I wonder. How had they even managed to do that? Had Toja crossed the Wall one day, bumping into my grandfather like I bumped into Walt? Maybe grandpa smuggled her into Newexter claiming she was from the manor and her parents were dead. Sometimes, youngsters change so much between the ages of ten and eighteen that nobody recognizes them anymore when they return. And as far as I know, no one has ever told my mother that her mother didn’t belong in Newexter.
“I wonder why she ran away,” I mumble.
Walt slows down. “Well, there are Hope Harborers who can’t stand the wait. They tire of waiting for a lifetime for something to appear at the horizon.”
“Is that what your people believe in?” I ask dumbfounded.
“Yes. And hey, turns out we were right all along, because someone actually did appear on the horizon. Two people on a ship from the World across the Waters, bearing great news. But one of them had to pay for it with his life.”
“I’m sorry.” Somehow, I’m ashamed of what our leader has done, even though it’s obvious he’s crack-brained.
“Hey.” Walt slows down to a stop, looking at me earnestly. “It’s not your fault, okay? At least you tried to stop him.”
“I still want to,” I say fiercely. “In fact I want to stop everything . All the lies. All the misery. I want to know the truth at last. If Henry really is right and our way of life is based on lies, we should all hear it.”
“I’m not sure all your people will be ready for a truth like that. An Unbeliever isn’t easily
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