Between the Lines. Part Two.
Why are you doing this? Stop it! Erich, why are you so rude?
The boy guiltily pulled his hand away from her hair, stopping his sneaky tugging. Nibi didn't appreciate his friendly teasing and scratched his arm with her nails.
Ow-ow! That hurts! Nibi, stop What's wrong with you?
The little girl, seeing Erich pull back, shook her head reproachfully and requested (though it sounded more like an order):
Don't touch I can stand up for myself. Better tell me — how else would you fix up our place? Our place? Wait, really?! You want me to live here too? Thank you! – The boy blushed with joy, but immediately remembered, – my mom would never let me move in But I'll come visit you all the time, I promise!
The girl snorted and laughed loudly:
You I don't live here either. This is just my temporary shelter.
Where do you live then? – The boy asked,
Over – She waved her hand vaguely.
Aaah, near the Jacobson's. Cool! That means you're my new I'll visit you both there and here.
And I'll visit Deal! So anyway, what else should we bring in?
Touching the branches with his hands and inspecting every twig and crevice in the hut, the boy replied dreamily — and at the same time, sincerely:
It's already perfect I wouldn't change a thing.
Twilight had already fallen, and Nibi's wonderful castle began to transform. They sat on slightly dirty blankets under the light of a stubby candle in an old candlestick, casting mysterious shadows around. In front of them stood an upside-down box serving as a kind of table, and that's where their modest stash of snacks was spread. In the corner leaned a hammer and a stash of nails in a tin cup, which the girl was using to build a tiny cat house.
Why would a cat live in a house? – Erich
And why not? – The hostess – Isn't it still a home? Wouldn't you live with your favorite fluffy friend in their own place if you could?
The boy scratched his face in a funny way and came to the conclusion that he'd absolutely live with his pet — if he had one.
Grown-ups won't let me have – The boy complained. – My grandma used to have a cat, but it went to a place she calls -Cat Eden. Well, I don't have anyone either! But why should that stop me from building a home for a kitten? Maybe I'll get one someday.
The boy had no reply to that, and only after a while said hopefully:
If you ever get two kittens, will you give me one? I swear, if I ever get twins, I'll give you one right away. Of course! You even need to ask, silly? – Nibi sounded a little offended, and added, – we're friends, aren't we? Sharing with friends is a must. And you've clearly forgotten that, judging by how you're scarfing everything down. Hand over the snacks! – She snatched the packet from Erich, and he lunged to rescue the unfinished treat. They laughed joyfully, seeing their noses covered in
Erich gently wiped the crumbs off his friend's nose (finally putting to use the handkerchief his mom had packed — which he usually ignored). The girl asked:
What about you? Don't you need it too?
I even have a nickname: Erich - Dirty - Everyone's scared of me at school! They laughed again. Nibi peeked worriedly outside the hut and scolded herself: What a scatterbrain I am! We've been sitting here all day, and it's already dark — they're probably out there looking for you.
The boy waved his hand with a dramatic flair:
Of course not! No one needs me there. Mom's always visiting someone or running errands, Dad either watches TV, yells, sleeps (and eats a lot, obviously), and Grandma's busy keeping the house in order and making sure everything's clean, so I'm on my They don't care! – He suddenly blurted out, then immediately shrank a little, embarrassed by his outburst.
Nibi shook her head, denying his words:
Don't say that… They love Just… in their own way.
In their own way — what does that even mean? Yelling, punishing, or flat-out ignoring me?
So that's what you – His new friend muttered and fell silent. Feeling a rising irritation, Erich asked bluntly: Isn't it the same for you?
It is. – Nibi agreed – But I try not to think about it. That's why I spend all day outside, playing in the yard. You know what helps me?
Tell
Let's get out of Bring the blankets.
Still confused, the boy grabbed the blankets and crawled out after her, glancing nervously around. It was already dark, and the nearby forest rustled ominously, reminding him that all the world's monsters were probably already out on their nightly hunt. The weak glow from the village was only enough to keep them from getting totally lost in the dark. But Nibi calmed him down right away:
Don't be The clouds will clear, and the sky will open up. It'll get brighter — and then you'll see something. I'm not scared of anything or – Erich snapped, not wanting to seem like a coward in front of his new friend, though he did scoot the blanket closer to her and sat right next to her.
The sky, as if it had heard the girl's words, obligingly cleared its curtain of clouds and revealed itself in full glory. The world instantly bloomed and came alive, and the boy could now see everything perfectly — every bush, every blade of grass. But he wouldn't have paid much attention to it all if not for Nibi's reaction: she sat cross-legged, head tilted high, pointing upward:
That's what I wanted to show Look how beautiful it is.
And it really was. The boy stared at the shimmering constellations glowing with silver light, winking at their earthbound spectators. Here and there comets zipped by and artificial satellites crawled across the heavens in silent formation. It felt like the sky had a life of its own — alien, incomprehensible, and forever separate from people. Especially people like Erich.
He felt a little dizzy — maybe from that truth, or maybe from the cold — or both. He laid down on the blanket. His friend stayed sitting, waving her hands like a conductor, directing the stars, and Erich thought they were obeying her, humming the most beautiful tune he had ever heard.
There are billions of them! – The boy breathed out in awe, stretching out his arms as if to hug the sky, even though he knew it didn't need his affection. I heard somewhere that in reality, we only ever see a few thousand stars — and only when the sky's really clear. But it doesn't matter, because I'll visit every single one. When I build my spaceship, of course.
I'll be your captain! – The boy Nibi turned to him and stuck out her tongue:
Nope! I came up with it, so I'm the boss! You'll be my
The new navigator didn't even feel like arguing, because a meteor shower had just started, and he was counting the falling lights, deciding that from now on he'd ditch the whole -counting sheep- routine at bedtime and switch to these heavenly lanterns. He probably would've kept lying there for another couple of days — maybe till school started again — but suddenly his friend cried out:
Erich, gets up! Now! Your house is on fire!
The boy's eyes snapped open. She was reaching out her hand, offering to pull him up.