Vanrra left the cabin; the light blinded him for a few seconds. The sky was completely clear; the sun was at its zenith. The street was crowded with people; children ran along the edges. All the facades had flowers and large, colorful fabrics. The bright colors extended along the entire stone street. The women, in their big skirts, carried baskets full of fruit and groceries. The market was packed. He knew the faces of almost everyone; the village was like a big clan.
He walked down the avenue, passing house after house. They were all practically the same, made of wood and stone blocks. Many lanterns lit up the streets. It seemed like a sea; people pushed him in the opposite direction. Many were already celebrating in advance. Vanrra always got lost, no matter how many years passed. After a couple of turns, he could see his house in the distance, at the end of the street. Its facade was painted sky blue and decorated with dozens of fabrics and flowers. The scent reached him.
He reached the doors; before knocking, he felt chills, a coldness in his chest. It was slightly difficult to breathe. The crowd's noise made him dizzy; he wanted to run away from it. He squeezed the pine nut almost to the point of breaking it. One of the women opened the door for him. —Hello, Vanrra! Why are you standing there? Come in. —Vanrra was still a bit stiff. The house was beautifully decorated; every corner was cared for with the utmost affection. Paintings, flowers, and figurines abounded on all the furniture. Inside, he felt an enormous calm. —Are you looking for Mahia?
—Yes, the patriarch asked me to give her this, to decorate her dress.
—She's upstairs, in her room.
Vanrra went up the stairs; large veils hung from the ceiling. He stopped in front of her door; he caressed the doorknob. Mahia opened it from inside. —Vanrra.
—Hello, Mahia.
Her hair was brown, her nose was small, and her lips were delicate. —Why did you come? Why now? —She pulled him into her room and closed the door.
—The patriarch wanted me to give you this for your dress.
—A pine nut? Where am I supposed to put it?
He approached her. —I don't know, maybe here. —He gently tapped the pine nut on her forehead. —Or maybe it looks good in your hair. —Mahia pulled up her hair and tried to put the pine nut among it. Vanrra helped her clumsily.
—You don't even know what you're doing.
—You don't either.
—Just a little more than you.
—Are you sure?
—Very sure.
—You don't look very convinced.
She got a little upset. —Why you think that?
—You don't have tell me; I can see it in your eyes. —She was his only friend; he met her in the early days after he arrived in the village. He still remembered the first moment him saw her eyes. Their brightness filled his heart with joy. They always pushed him to keep going.
—That's what you think.
—You don't know how to lie, Mahia.
—I don't care.
—You always say that; is there really anything you care about?
—You matter me, my family matters me, my friends, and many other things. I'm not as apathetic as you think.
—I spoke with Esau a while ago. —The mood changed. —We chatted a bit; I asked him about the history of this place. —Mahia looked at him strangely. —He didn't have the slightest idea. —He looked into her eyes. She blushed. —Mahia, what do you know about the history of this village?
—Does that matter you right now?
—I had never asked myself that.
—Don't you have better things to ask?
—Are you upset?
—No. It's just that... why don't you talk to me about other things?
—Is there anything more important? Think about it. Do you know what's beyond the mountains? Aren't you curious? —Devi turned her gaze. —Why does everyone react like this? Aren't you interested in the world you live in?
—You're not interested in what really matters.
—Life is much more than parties and gossip.
—Your friends and your family. That's the most important thing.
—We only live to fatten up and reproduce. Have you noticed? There must be something more; maybe it's across the mountains. Seen this way, what differentiates us from cattle?
—Cattle for whom? You and your craziness.
—Now you're insulting me too?
—No, it's just that it makes me uncomfortable when you talk about those things; I don't want to think about it. —She lay down on her bed. Vanrra sat on the edge.
—What shape do you think this world has? A cube, maybe?
—Can't you see it with your own eyes? The world is flat.
—What you think is at its edge?
—Maybe the earth is infinite, without a limit.
—How was it created?
—Maybe it has always existed; it could have arisen from nothing.
—Why you think that?
—I don't know; it's what I can see. What my reason tells me.
—The doc told me the world is shaped like a sphere, like a fruit. —She burst out laughing. —I'm serious.
—The Earth is shaped like a fruit? Has the doc seen it from above?
—Of course not, no one has. He knows it thanks to the movement of the stars, the angle of the shadows, the eclipses...
—Don't you think that's too far-fetched? Maybe they're just coincidences. If you look out the window, I assure you you won't see any curve.
—Maybe it's because we're too small.
—Maybe you should ask me other questions.
—Don't you think it's already too late?
She looked out her window. —Vanrra, have you ever wanted to change the past, to wish things had been different?
—It happens to me every day.
—Do you think there's still time?
He stood up. —That will depend on you. —He headed to the door.
—Where're you going?
—To visit a friend.
—The doctor? Tell him he's also invited. If you like, also ask him to bring one of his toys; the children love them.
—I'll think about it.
—Vanrra, we still have time.
—I would love to believe you.
—I'm serious.
—It seems crazy to me that you even think about it.
—Wouldn't you like to?
—The decision is not mine.
—I can't do it alone. Tell me, would you be willing?
—...
—You've never told me.
He opened the door. —It's already too late. I don't want everyone to hate you because of me; I don't think you're capable of leaving everything behind for a madman like me.
—I'll do it tonight; just wait for me.
—You never get tired of getting my hopes up.
—I'm serious, Vanrra. —He left the room. He went down the stairs without looking at anyone.
Vanrra walked through the streets and almost ran into some of the villagers. He did not pause to look at anyone in the crowd. Moved away from the noise. He moved toward the village's outskirts, to the meadows. The grass had already turned an intense green color. That field of grass stretched to the horizon, and the only thing he could see in the distance was the vast mountain range. A massive wall of mountains surrounded the valley, covering the entire horizon wherever he looked.
There were more small mountains below that big wall. They looked like small hills next to the range. Mount Mat was the closest one, and the doctor's house was at the top of it. Vanrra took one of the horses that was grazing on the edge of the village and rode it toward that mountain.