of water."
Flynn was back in a minute, but he had brought apple juice instead. "You can't trust the water down here," he explained.
"Oh, but it's filtered," Robin said.
"That's right, I'd forgotten," he said, sitting back down beside her. "Apple juice is better for you anyway."
A sharp cold, like cracking ice, pumped through Shani's heart as Robin lifted the drink to her lips. Funny how apple juice could look so much like beer…
"…one drink, it won't kill you …"
… So much like poison. Of course, Flynn had not been therethat night. But he wasn't the type to forget anything.
"I'm a young and beautiful woman," Robin reiterated. "I'm a famous fictional character in a recent movie."
"Several recent movies," Park said.
"Don't tell me! I want to get it." Robin pondered. "If I'm the same character in several movies that must mean there were sequels. Hmm. I got it!Star Wars! I'm Princess Leia! And here I was sitting right next to Luke." She hugged Flynn. "I should have guessed."
"I got it!!!" Bert interrupted, leaping to his feet. "Paul Bunyon!!!" he exclaimed.
Amazing, everyone had to agree.
They hashed around the possibility of other games: Angie's Spin the Bottle, Bert's Monopoly, Sol's Russian Roulette, Park's Marco Polo in the Ocean, Lena's Strip Poker. They were nowhere near a decision when Shani, out of curiosity, asked, "Robin, where did you get that eagle pendant? It's fascinating."
Robin was suddenly wary. "It's a gift. A friend who lives around here gave it to me."
"What is it?" Park asked.
Robin shrugged, her manner —for her —very peculiar. "Nothing, an eagle. It's nothing."
"An eagle," Sol repeated, exchanging a frown with Park. Shani was sure she was missing something. Sol asked, "Does this friend of yours have long stringy hair, a tan robe tied at the waist with an orange belt, and weird eyes?"
"Is he a sorcerer?" Park asked.
"He's not a sorcerer," Robin said quickly, sharply.
"That's what I say," Lena muttered, picking at her toenails.
"You have something to say about a lot of things you know nothing about," Robin said.
Lena was not impressed. "I was only agreeing with you… this time. Why don't you make upyour mind?
Is this cat for real or not?"
"What are you all talking about?" Angie asked.
"What do you want, a miracle?" Robin asked her sister. "If you can't see or touch something you assume it isn't real. There's no in-between for you, only black and white."
The tone of the evening had suddenly become chilly, as had the breeze through the dark windows overlooking the sober ocean. The foam from the waves was no longer white, or even black, but Robin's in-between - grey. Shani hugged her arms across her chest. She was not sure, but a shadow, like that of a bird, seemed to have swept by their window on its way out to sea. Far away, she heard a faint cry. It could have been a bird's, but it sounded strangely human. Robin seemed to be the only other one to hear it.
"He only spoke Spanish," Sol said. "How do you talk to him?"
"Robin's fluent in Spanish," Lena said.
"I never knew that," Park said. "That's interesting. So, tell us about this guy. I take it Lena and you disagree over his magical powers."
"I said nothing about magic," Robin whispered, withdrawing. "I'd rather not talk about it." She finished her apple juice.
The topic would have been dropped right there, except that Flynn took up the prod. He spoke carefully.
"I, also, am curious about him. At the canteen Bert and I visited, the owner - an extremely old lady who spoke good English - mentioned him when we told her that we were coming here. She indicated that he visited here often."
"No, not often," Robin said.
"I've always been curious about people like that," Flynn said, letting the statement hang.
"I wouldn't call him a sorcerer," Robin answered reluctantly. "That word gives a picture of someone who has powers that he uses to his own advantage. He doesn't do that. He could, if he wanted. But he has no need to.
Flynn was back in a minute, but he had brought apple juice instead. "You can't trust the water down here," he explained.
"Oh, but it's filtered," Robin said.
"That's right, I'd forgotten," he said, sitting back down beside her. "Apple juice is better for you anyway."
A sharp cold, like cracking ice, pumped through Shani's heart as Robin lifted the drink to her lips. Funny how apple juice could look so much like beer…
"…one drink, it won't kill you …"
… So much like poison. Of course, Flynn had not been therethat night. But he wasn't the type to forget anything.
"I'm a young and beautiful woman," Robin reiterated. "I'm a famous fictional character in a recent movie."
"Several recent movies," Park said.
"Don't tell me! I want to get it." Robin pondered. "If I'm the same character in several movies that must mean there were sequels. Hmm. I got it!Star Wars! I'm Princess Leia! And here I was sitting right next to Luke." She hugged Flynn. "I should have guessed."
"I got it!!!" Bert interrupted, leaping to his feet. "Paul Bunyon!!!" he exclaimed.
Amazing, everyone had to agree.
They hashed around the possibility of other games: Angie's Spin the Bottle, Bert's Monopoly, Sol's Russian Roulette, Park's Marco Polo in the Ocean, Lena's Strip Poker. They were nowhere near a decision when Shani, out of curiosity, asked, "Robin, where did you get that eagle pendant? It's fascinating."
Robin was suddenly wary. "It's a gift. A friend who lives around here gave it to me."
"What is it?" Park asked.
Robin shrugged, her manner —for her —very peculiar. "Nothing, an eagle. It's nothing."
"An eagle," Sol repeated, exchanging a frown with Park. Shani was sure she was missing something. Sol asked, "Does this friend of yours have long stringy hair, a tan robe tied at the waist with an orange belt, and weird eyes?"
"Is he a sorcerer?" Park asked.
"He's not a sorcerer," Robin said quickly, sharply.
"That's what I say," Lena muttered, picking at her toenails.
"You have something to say about a lot of things you know nothing about," Robin said.
Lena was not impressed. "I was only agreeing with you… this time. Why don't you make upyour mind?
Is this cat for real or not?"
"What are you all talking about?" Angie asked.
"What do you want, a miracle?" Robin asked her sister. "If you can't see or touch something you assume it isn't real. There's no in-between for you, only black and white."
The tone of the evening had suddenly become chilly, as had the breeze through the dark windows overlooking the sober ocean. The foam from the waves was no longer white, or even black, but Robin's in-between - grey. Shani hugged her arms across her chest. She was not sure, but a shadow, like that of a bird, seemed to have swept by their window on its way out to sea. Far away, she heard a faint cry. It could have been a bird's, but it sounded strangely human. Robin seemed to be the only other one to hear it.
"He only spoke Spanish," Sol said. "How do you talk to him?"
"Robin's fluent in Spanish," Lena said.
"I never knew that," Park said. "That's interesting. So, tell us about this guy. I take it Lena and you disagree over his magical powers."
"I said nothing about magic," Robin whispered, withdrawing. "I'd rather not talk about it." She finished her apple juice.
The topic would have been dropped right there, except that Flynn took up the prod. He spoke carefully.
"I, also, am curious about him. At the canteen Bert and I visited, the owner - an extremely old lady who spoke good English - mentioned him when we told her that we were coming here. She indicated that he visited here often."
"No, not often," Robin said.
"I've always been curious about people like that," Flynn said, letting the statement hang.
"I wouldn't call him a sorcerer," Robin answered reluctantly. "That word gives a picture of someone who has powers that he uses to his own advantage. He doesn't do that. He could, if he wanted. But he has no need to.
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