back on them and arranged the bed. By the time I turned back around, I’d composed myself.
I smiled brightly. “Phet’s right. It’s time for bed.”
Phet clapped his hands. “Kahl-see in house. Tiger outside. Phet,” he grinned, “with Scarf.”
He cackled with glee and created a nice tent for himself. Then he opened the door and waited stubbornly for the tigers to leave.
Kishan touched my cheek, said, “Night, Kells,” and ducked under the door awning.
Ren followed but paused at the door and gave one of his trafficstopping smiles. My heart burned with a hopeful pain. He inclined his head roguishly in my direction and stepped outside. I heard Phet murmuring directions to both of them as they settled down for the night.
The next morning, I woke to Phet humming in the kitchen.
“Kahl-see! Awake. Eat!”
His little table was full of a variety of dishes. I joined him and scooped up fruit salad and something that looked like cottage cheese. “Where is everyone?”
“Tigers have a bath by means of river.”
“Oh.”
We ate in silence. Phet studied me and gently grasped my hand in both of his. He twisted it and stroked it in different places. When he touched the skin, the henna markings he had given me on our first visit surfaced and glowed red for a short time before disappearing.
“Hmm. Ah. Hmm.” He picked up a slice of apple and bit into it juicily, keeping his eyes on my hand while he smacked his mouth.
“Oh, Kahl-see, you set eyes on many thing, go a long way away places.”
“Yes.”
He peered into my eyes.
“Are you staring into my soul?”
“Huh-uh-huh. Kahl-see extraordinarily depressing. Why damage?”
“What’s my damage?” I laughed dryly. “It’s mostly emotional. I love Ren, and he doesn’t remember me. Kishan loves me, and I don’t know what to do about that. It’s one of those awful love triangles in which no one is happy. Everyone is miserable. Except for Ren, I guess. He can’t remember if he’s miserable or not. Any advice?”
Phet considered my question seriously. “Love resembling water. Water on all sides of us everywhere. Ice, river, cloud, rain, ocean. Some is big, some is tiny. Some good drink, some too salty. Every one usefulness for earth. For all time be in motion cycle. Necessitate water to endure. Woman like earth; need immerse water. Water with earth sculpt each other, grow.
“Earth change for river, make waterway. Lake bed know how to hold water in basin, all contain. Ice water is glacier; move earth. Rain make mudslide. Ocean make sand. Always two: earth and water. Need each other. Become one together. You be required to choose. Soon.”
“What if I can’t choose or don’t get to choose? What if I make the wrong choice?”
“No wrong choice. Your choice.”
He went to his bed and picked up two pillows. “You be fond of round pillow or square pillow?”
“I don’t know. They’re both pillows.”
“You like round? Choose round. You like square? Choose square. Not matter. You want sleep, use pillow. You pick rock? No! Pillow is good. Same water. You choose ice? River? Ocean? Is all good. Pick ocean, you change sand. Pick river, you grow to be silt. Pick rain, you are garden soil.”
“Are you saying I choose the man based on what I want to become? What kind of life I want to have?”
“Yes. Both man put together your life special. Choose ocean or choose river. No matter.”
“But—”
“No but.
Is.
Kahl-see back is sturdy. Can embrace many burden, many duty. You like earth. Your back transformation shape to be same with man your picking.”
“So basically what you are trying to tell me is that Ren and Kishan are both pillows in a world of rocks and that I’d be happy with either one?”
“Ah! Smart garl!” Phet laughed.
“The only problem is … one of
them
is not going to be happy.”
Phet patted my hand. “You no be troubled. Phet be of assistance tigers.”
The brothers stomped noisily into the hut a half hour
I smiled brightly. “Phet’s right. It’s time for bed.”
Phet clapped his hands. “Kahl-see in house. Tiger outside. Phet,” he grinned, “with Scarf.”
He cackled with glee and created a nice tent for himself. Then he opened the door and waited stubbornly for the tigers to leave.
Kishan touched my cheek, said, “Night, Kells,” and ducked under the door awning.
Ren followed but paused at the door and gave one of his trafficstopping smiles. My heart burned with a hopeful pain. He inclined his head roguishly in my direction and stepped outside. I heard Phet murmuring directions to both of them as they settled down for the night.
The next morning, I woke to Phet humming in the kitchen.
“Kahl-see! Awake. Eat!”
His little table was full of a variety of dishes. I joined him and scooped up fruit salad and something that looked like cottage cheese. “Where is everyone?”
“Tigers have a bath by means of river.”
“Oh.”
We ate in silence. Phet studied me and gently grasped my hand in both of his. He twisted it and stroked it in different places. When he touched the skin, the henna markings he had given me on our first visit surfaced and glowed red for a short time before disappearing.
“Hmm. Ah. Hmm.” He picked up a slice of apple and bit into it juicily, keeping his eyes on my hand while he smacked his mouth.
“Oh, Kahl-see, you set eyes on many thing, go a long way away places.”
“Yes.”
He peered into my eyes.
“Are you staring into my soul?”
“Huh-uh-huh. Kahl-see extraordinarily depressing. Why damage?”
“What’s my damage?” I laughed dryly. “It’s mostly emotional. I love Ren, and he doesn’t remember me. Kishan loves me, and I don’t know what to do about that. It’s one of those awful love triangles in which no one is happy. Everyone is miserable. Except for Ren, I guess. He can’t remember if he’s miserable or not. Any advice?”
Phet considered my question seriously. “Love resembling water. Water on all sides of us everywhere. Ice, river, cloud, rain, ocean. Some is big, some is tiny. Some good drink, some too salty. Every one usefulness for earth. For all time be in motion cycle. Necessitate water to endure. Woman like earth; need immerse water. Water with earth sculpt each other, grow.
“Earth change for river, make waterway. Lake bed know how to hold water in basin, all contain. Ice water is glacier; move earth. Rain make mudslide. Ocean make sand. Always two: earth and water. Need each other. Become one together. You be required to choose. Soon.”
“What if I can’t choose or don’t get to choose? What if I make the wrong choice?”
“No wrong choice. Your choice.”
He went to his bed and picked up two pillows. “You be fond of round pillow or square pillow?”
“I don’t know. They’re both pillows.”
“You like round? Choose round. You like square? Choose square. Not matter. You want sleep, use pillow. You pick rock? No! Pillow is good. Same water. You choose ice? River? Ocean? Is all good. Pick ocean, you change sand. Pick river, you grow to be silt. Pick rain, you are garden soil.”
“Are you saying I choose the man based on what I want to become? What kind of life I want to have?”
“Yes. Both man put together your life special. Choose ocean or choose river. No matter.”
“But—”
“No but.
Is.
Kahl-see back is sturdy. Can embrace many burden, many duty. You like earth. Your back transformation shape to be same with man your picking.”
“So basically what you are trying to tell me is that Ren and Kishan are both pillows in a world of rocks and that I’d be happy with either one?”
“Ah! Smart garl!” Phet laughed.
“The only problem is … one of
them
is not going to be happy.”
Phet patted my hand. “You no be troubled. Phet be of assistance tigers.”
The brothers stomped noisily into the hut a half hour
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