---
Pim nodded. "I saw," he said. "It is like when I pull a chair with a rope but the rope is air."
"Something like that," John said. "Do not try this with soup."
Pim's grin tried to climb off his face. "I promise."
They packed their small things. There was not much to pack. For John: a roll of shirts, a second pair of trousers, a small bag of tools, dagger wrapped in cloth, the die with the whisker face, the communication stone Edda had given him, the headmaster's schedule, the new slate token. For Fizz: pride, jokes, a ribbon he had "borrowed" from somewhere, the fish design fan, and the memory of cakes.
They tied the small bundle to the cart and pushed it out. Penny followed them to the door with a dish of cut fruit she said was a "travel payment." Pim walked out into the yard with them and stood by the gate.
"Come back," Pim said, trying not to look like he cared too much.
