Journey to Water's Heart

by Lea Ben Shlomo

  He heard the soldiers go down the stairs, their footsteps growing further away.

  “A Blue spy!” He shouted after them. “Maybe a Green bandit? Or maybe a Pink thief with purple dots?” His voice cracked. “You can lay the blame on anyone and incarcerate them. Why not?”

  He sat down, helplessly, leaning his forehead on the door.

  Eventually, he got up and looked around.

  He was in a spacious room. A little table stood there, and a chair and two beds. There was a corner to relieve oneself. The room was white and so clean that it gleamed. For some reason, the sterile tidiness increased his despair. He wanted to get out of there, immediately.

  “I’ll go mad here.” He kicked the chair and yelped in pain when he stubbed his toe. “I’m going to lose my mind any minute now.”

  “Hey, wait.” He suddenly heard a voice that caused him to jump in alarm. “Don’t be in such a hurry to lose your mind. Keep it as long as you can.”

  The owner of the voice appeared before him, landing on his feet. It looked as though he had fallen from the ceiling.

  “Who’re you?” Tanti asked.

  “I am the actual Blue spy.” The prisoner laughed, revealing buckteeth. His hair was long and uncombed, gathered haphazardly at his neck. His face was long and thin, and burning blue eyes stared out of it. “A dark, dangerous enemy, that’s what I am.” When he saw Tanti was still frightened, he giggled and slapped his shoulder. “I’m a prisoner just like you, in this impossible paleness.”

  Without any further warning, he leaped up and rolled in the air, his hands never touching the floor. Before Tanti’s wondering eyes, he performed a double somersault, backward, and landed lightly on his feet.

  “You’re not Blue, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. “And you’re not White, thank God. Then why, you multicolored creature, would they lock you up here? You’re not even a cheese thief.”

  “No, I’m not a cheese thief,” Tanti said, rubbing his painful shoulder. “Although I’ve had the chance to meet two of them.”

  “Well, these days they indiscriminately jail any passerby. Seized by spy paranoia, these Whites are. The chase could’ve been nice, if not for the bitter end. Sit, sir. Your name is? Sit, I tell you. You have a lot of time. Sit here, on the bed. It’s yours. I sleep elsewhere. You’ll see. What did you say your name is?”

  “I didn’t.” Tanti sat on the bed and felt his headache grow, inducing gloominess.

  “I-Didn’t. A bit of an odd name. Pleased to meet you. My name is Dionun. Master cheese thief.” The man shook Tanti’s hand. “I-Didn’t, do you have anything to eat?”

  Tanti was starting to understand. “My name isn’t I-Didn’t. My name is Tanti.”

  “Do you change names frequently?” Dionun asked. “Because you just said your name is I-Didn’t.”

  “I didn’t,” Tanti said.

  “So, you’re back to your old name now? It’s a bit hard to follow.”

  “My name is Tanti,” Tanti said, trying to find a way to extract himself from this mess. He searched his pockets and was pleased to find the fruit he had picked near the cave.

  Dionun grimaced in disgust. “Pale fruit you bring me, Tanti I-Didn’t. I can offer you white food. Here, white bread, milk, rice. Would you believe it? Their carrots are white too! The tomatoes look as though they scared themselves when they looked in the mirror. This is how they kill me, day after day, these Whites. Slash their veins and you’ll get ice. Here. Eat your fruit. What I wouldn’t give for one grape from the vineyards of Bird Village or a red apple.”

  Apple. Tanti suddenly recalled something and searched his other pocket, then pulled out a half-eaten red apple. “Sorry. This is all I have.”

  Dionun leaped forward and grabbed the apple with both hands. He kneeled and whispered reverently. “A red apple. There’s hope yet.” He took a bite and chewed eagerly. “I won’t forget your kindness today, Tanti I-Didn’t.”

  The room was already dark when Tanti sat at the table and ate the food Dionun had grown tired of. The food was good, although scant. For dessert, he ate the remaining pale fruit. Immediately, he thought of Gayalo, who was at the queen’s stables. Lucky Gayalo. Or perhaps he wasn’t so lucky. The White queen, Laorin, had seemed so kind and welcoming at first, and suddenly she had become cold and angry. He had to see her again. Explain to her that… What exactly could he explain to her?

  In the last light of the evening, Tanti washed himself in the water basin and lay down in bed. Even beneath the covers, he was cold. From the minute he entered Anura, he felt the cold in the air, seeping into his bones. For a long time, he tossed and turned, sleep eluding him. Now, after his eyes got used to the dark, he noticed that one of the walls didn’t reach the ceiling, but served as a partition between two rooms. The wall was smooth, without any furniture by it. He didn’t understand how Dionun reached the upper edge of the wall, where, for some reason, he made his bed.

  “Aren’t you afraid to fall from there in your sleep?” he asked quietly, not sure if Dionun was asleep yet.

  “When I sleep,” Dionun said, “I sleep. But when you sleep, you don’t sleep at all.”

  “I’m cold,” Tanti said. “And I’m scared. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get out of here.”

  Dionun jumped down silently and stood by Tanti’s bed. “You must sleep and regain your strength, Colorful Izmerandi. Tomorrow, you’ll be taken to interrogation, and they’ll try to force you to confess that you’re a spy in the service of our king, King Dark Blue. Pfft. His Majesty is preoccupied with his Cyan and the end-of-summer festivities. I didn’t say… Pardon me. A subject shouldn’t vilify his kind king before a foreigner. Even though that king would love jailing him just as much as the Whites. Here, take this. I have no need for this blanket.”

  Dionun covered Tanti with the blanket he had pulled off his own bed. “Try to sleep. All your tossing and turning won’t let me think. And I must plan and organize the day of my execution.”

  “Your what?” Tanti sat up in terror.

  “Ah, yes. I am doomed,” said Dionun. “Soon, they’ll hang me, or behead me. I don’t know what they’ll decide eventually. I probably never will, as I don’t plan on staying here until then.”

  “Do you plan on escaping?”

  “I would call it evasion,” Dionun said.

  “Are these leaps and somersaults part of the plan?”

  “Training. Yes. Keeping fit. When you can reach everyplace without anyone hearing or seeing you, you have more chances of being free.”

  “It must help you in the cheese business.”

  “And the wine,” Dionun said and settled comfortably on the end of the bed, at Tanti’s feet. He crossed his legs and stretched his back from side to side.

  “Do you also steal wine?”

  “What’s that you’re saying? That I should steal wine? I’m Blue, I am. Had you not given me that apple, I would kick you to the ceiling.” Dionun’s eyes sparkled angrily, and he leaned toward Tanti.

  “We make the wine, you fool. We bathe in wine. We give the cows wine to drink so that they’ll give us milk as sweet as honey. Have you ever drunk blue wine, you ignorant Hue-man?”

  “Never. Only yellowish or red.” Tanti was frightened. From where he lay, Dionun, with his wild and burning eyes, looked like a furious demon.

  “Of course, red.” Dionun sighed. His anger abated just as quickly as it had flared and gave way to a yearning sigh. “Blue wine is red. It’s clear and heavy, and you can get dizzy just from looking at it. Yet it’s blue wine. Or as they say in our country, ‘In the Land of Blue, even the red is blue.’”

  “The cheese too?” asked Tanti and immediately regretted his question. He feared another furious outburst and cursed his impulsiveness.

  Dionun laughed. “As for the cheese… Even the blue is white.” Suddenly, he fell silent, leaned
forward, and placed his hand on Tanti’s mouth. “Shh…” he whispered. “They’re coming. Pretend you’re sleeping.” Silent as a cat, he leaped to his bed on the other side. He stretched and crossed his arms over his chest.

  Silence shrouded the room. The tower was as still as a lifeless lump of stone. Tanti feared he had been placed in a cell with a mad prisoner who imagined voices. He raised himself on his elbows. Out of the window, he noticed the edge of a crescent moon.

  “Lie down,” Dionun said.

  Just then, he heard soft, rhythmic footsteps, which reminded Tanti of the noise he had heard at the avenue of white pillars on his way here. The footsteps became louder and clearer. There was some commotion by the door, and the key turned cautiously in the lock. Dionun didn’t move. Tanti closed his eyes.

  The light of a lantern lit the room.

  “They’re asleep.” He heard someone whisper from the entrance.

  “Look,” someone else said. “This one stole the other one’s blanket. Filthy Blues. They behave like animals.”

  There was some shuffling, and then, “Let’s leave them. They’ll find a way to get along. Stay back. They’re dangerous.” They closed and locked the door. Tanti listened to the footsteps until he heard them no more.

  “How did you hear them?” Tanti asked. “Before their footsteps were heard?”

  Dionun laughed. “The Whites are very punctual,” he said. “Every night, at the same time, when the moon rises, they patrol the tower. And now, I’m going to sleep.”

  “Why don’t you sleep in your bed?”

  “Up there the air is fresher. Besides, I like to observe.” Dionun, who was on his way to the wall, returned to Tanti. “And about the cheese, you should know that the Whites, those stupid lumps of ice, know how to make excellent cheese, which is in great demand in Nautilin. The Blues make the wine. Unfortunately, trade between the two countries is forbidden. Just us trespassers smuggle in wine in exchange for cheese. The only thing we steal is the border. For the cheese and wine, we pay. The Whites are willing to pay good money for blue wine; the Blues crave the white cheese, and we were the ones who benefited from both.”

  “I’m sorry,” Tanti said. “I didn’t mean to disrespect you.”

  “I know. You’re generous and innocent. These traits can either save you or be your downfall, depending on the circumstances. You should know that lately, dangers have multiplied in this area. As you can see, even I’ve been captured. Meaning someone turned me in. The White guards raided the meeting point, and our White friends were captured as well. Abaya! If I ever lay my hands on whoever snitched, I’ll…” Dionun gestured with his hands, making a wringing motion, as if wringing the neck of a chicken. Suddenly, he leaped up and climbed the wall. He lay along the wall, his arms crossed on his chest.

  Tanti tried to process what he’d just heard. Exhaustion overwhelmed him and blurred his thoughts. The questions in his head faded before the light of the half-moon. Snowflakes appeared before his eyes, and through them he saw an image playing with them as though they were balls, catching and throwing them. When the image touched them, they became small red, blue, and yellow balls, and then they faded to white again. You’ll get cheese and wine. Here the red is blue. And the white is white, white, white, she said, and her eyes became pale, growing fruit. Then the sights and sounds faded into the blessed darkness.

  Chapter 13

  Interrogation

  A wonderful smell tickled his nose. Tanti opened his eyes and looked around. The room gleamed white under the morning light.

  “Get up and eat,” he heard Dionun say. He got out of bed, shuffled toward the water basin, and washed his hands and face in cold water, while Dionun urged him to hurry up and eat.

  On the table were two trays. On each, there were white dishes containing warm rolls, next to cheese and long, unrecognizable vegetables, as well as a jug of milk and a jug of water. The fried egg on his plate looked strange. It was more or less round, with a hole in the middle instead of yolk.

  “Forgive me,” Dionun said as he sat across from him. His eyes gleamed as he chuckled and revealed missing teeth. “I see you staring at that empty space. I’m sorry, really. I just couldn’t help myself when I saw that yellow ball in the middle of the egg. Here, take my rolls and milk.”

  “No need,” Tanti said, and returned the offered food to Dionun’s tray. “I have more than enough. This looks like a feast, not a meal for prisoners.”

  He ate with enthusiasm the tiny rolls, which were as soft and sweet as cookies. The cheese was better than any cheese he had ever tasted. Now he understood why people were willing to risk themselves in order to attain it. From the corner of his eye, Dionun followed Tanti’s enthusiasm for the cheese. Tanti felt uncomfortable. It was hard to eat when someone was staring at your mouth. He stopped chewing for a moment and took a deep breath.

  “Good,” he said. “Better than all the cheese in the world.”

  “I’m sorry I can’t give you clear blue wine, product of Bird Village. That would’ve made your meal perfect,” Dionun said, his eyes darting toward the cheese left on Tanti’s plate.

  Tanti smiled. “You can finish the leftover cheese,” he said generously and pushed his plate forward toward Dionun. He regretted his actions immediately, because he would have gladly eaten a double serving of cheese. Yet when he saw Dionun swallow the offering enthusiastically, he laughed, and Dionun joined him.

  “Laugh as long as you can,” said Dionun, who, apart from the cheese he had received from Tanti, still hadn’t touched his food. Instead, he stood up and started pacing. He jumped, bending his knobby knees like a grasshopper. He walked backward until his back touched the wall. Tanti thought that perhaps he was witnessing a ritual of sorts that Dionun carried out before eating. Before his astonished eyes, Dionun suddenly burst forward, running as quick as lightning. Tanti was horrified. It looked as though, in a moment, the man would crash into the wall before them. Dionun didn’t stop. He kept running and climbed along the wall. Then he walked two steps on the ceiling, and two steps back, landing lightly on the floor on both feet.

  “Not bad, not bad,” he mumbled, and started a series of flips before landing on his feet again. “I have to improve my speed. Otherwise, I’ll never get out of here.” He pressed his back against the wall and started, his manic run. Tanti couldn’t believe his eyes. The man walked back and forth on the ceiling and then sauntered down the wall. Once again, he walked back, preparing to leap. He shook his body like a ragdoll, and instead of running, he sat at the table and continued eating.

  Tanti cheered and applauded. Dionun shushed him immediately.

  “Shut up,” he said. “They’re coming.”

  “Who’s coming?”

  Dionun remained silent and continued eating. After a moment, Tanti heard heavy footsteps approaching the door. His heart froze in fear. Dionun continued sitting in place. Before his eyes, his entire appearance changed. All his flexibility and vivacity disappeared. Hunched over his plate, Dionun continued eating clumsily, smearing food around his mouth, staining his clothes. His body was listless; his face wore an expression of confusion and despair.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Tanti asked. Before Dionun could respond, the door opened. Two men of the White Guard entered the room. They walked past Dionun and glanced at him in disgust.

  “Filthy Blue,” one of them said and slapped his neck. Dionun flinched, like a weak, frightened man, although the blow wasn’t very hard. He fell on the floor, where he remained, his mouth, with its buckteeth, slack. The White guards snickered and turned to Tanti, who sat in confusion as he watched the sight before him. He didn’t understand Dionun’s behavior, when just one minute ago he seemed so agile and lithe.

  Then the guards approached him, grabbed both his arms, and pulled him from his chair without saying a word. They tied his hands and led him down the endless stairs.

 
Anxious and paralyzed with worry, Tanti was led to a side room, where he was shoved into a chair. The guards then untied him and left him on his own.

  The room was spacious, with a wide ceiling. The walls were a flawless white. The marble floor, which gleamed like a mirror, made the room look two times its size. A blinding light shone through the high, semiopaque windows. Tanti felt tiny compared to the towering walls and enormous windows, under which he felt helpless and vulnerable. He imagined his father and mother. His brothers. How far his home seemed now. How unattainable. Manin with her linen gown and mane of red hair. Ninei and Ninai, rolling around, becoming two round balls of white. He heard cries of pain, but had no idea where they came from.

  The door opened. The captain of the guard came in with his huge white mustache, accompanied by two officers, bearing his rank proudly on his snow-white uniform.

  The three men sat before him, Galrock in the middle.

  “Who are you, Blue spy? What’s your name and rank?” he asked immediately.

  “I want to correct a mistake here, sir. I’m not…”

  “Answer the question. Answer the exact question. What is your name and rank?” Galrock said.

  “My name is Tanti Marin. And I have no rank.”

  “Write down,” Galrock said to the officer at his side, “the prisoner refuses to identify himself.”

  “I’m not refusing anything!” Tanti said. “I told you my name. And as for rank…”

  “Answer the question exactly as you’ve been asked and beware of adding one word out of place. How did you infiltrate our country and where did you come from?”

  “I come from the south,” Tanti said. “From Izmeran. I passed through the canyon of the furroids.” He hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “When I escaped the canyon, I arrived at the cave where the springs flow. My horse stumbled into a deep ditch, and I jumped in after him. We fell down, uncontrollably, until we arrived at the cave at the top of the steep mountain.”