Some time later, the two girls were laying in the tall grass, Deborah staring up at the sky, wondering about what she had just experienced. Éha, propped up on one elbow, watched Deborah with concern.
‘What is wrong?’ she asked. ‘Have I made you angry?’
Sitting up, Deborah forced a smile and shook her head. ‘No. It’s just that . . . coming out of it, I could see just how awful my whole life’s been. Besides, Theuli’s going to be really angry if she finds out.’
Éha bit her lip. ‘Should we not have done this? Have I caused you harm?’
Deborah’s exhaled breath was indistinguishable from a sigh or a moan. ‘It’s hard to explain exactly. But it’s like my life has suddenly come apart.’ Seeing the Pixie’s worried reaction, she quickly added, ‘I don’t mean that in a bad way! But I feel like I’ve just stepped onto a road that’s taking me away from everything. Including what I am. I can’t see where I’m going. And somehow . . . I don’t think I can go back again either.’
The little Pixie belied no comprehension. ‘Why not?’
After thinking for a moment, Deborah replied, ‘Humans don’t . . . Humans can’t do such things.’ Then she added in wonder, ‘But now I have.’