"Laughter at a shared table lasts longer than memory alone."
— Harvest Songs and Fire Prayers, a book of festival customs
*Theo POV*
I stood, barefoot, in a house eerily familiar to me, yet, at the same time, completely foreign. Shadows stretched long - too long, walls were angled and curved irregularly, and the moonlight outside seemed ever so dim. Everything smelt like petrichor and my clothes were a little damp.
*DING DONG*
What was that?
*DING DONG*
The grandfather clock behind me played its alarm as the clock struck midnight. I reach towards the clock, its ticking slowly increasing in pace until the metronome sounded like a single tone, but the clock disappeared, as if swallowed by the darkness and transported elsewhere. I rush towards the door, a door which appeared as I approached a wall, and ended up outside by the edge of the village. Right by the bridge separating us from the forest.
"You dropped your lantern, little one," whispers a voice from behind me.
My hands suddenly felt full. I know I never had a lantern.
I felt myself drawn towards the other side of the bridge. The lantern guided me. My sole purpose was to follow that lantern's wishes. With each footstep on the wet cobbles of the bridge, my mind felt more and more full to the brim. A robed figure appears in my vision screaming at me to not cross. I recognise that voice. It was Rich. One more step and-
I jolted awake.
Without sparing a second, I ran towards mother's room and buried myself in her arms.
"Mum. I don't want the lantern. I don't want to cross the bridge. I want to stay here with all of you!" I cry into her bosom. She's confused, but clutches me tightly with reassurance.
"Don't worry, Theo. It'll all be alright. I'm here for you. We're all here for you," she whispers. "It was just a nightmare, that's all." She paused for a bit, leaving a comforting silence, before asking, "Did you say lantern and bridge?"
"Mhm. Just like in that story."
"You mean the one Richard read to you just earlier? Wait, does that mean he knows how to read?"
"Yeah, he's such a great storyteller. It's okay, I feel much better now." I say, pushing myself slightly away from her. "I want to hear more of the story if possible. Can we have Rich over again soon? And can you teach me how to read too. I mean, so that Rich and I can read together. Please please please"
"How about this: at daycare tomorrow, you ask him to teach you how to read using the picture books there, and, during that, ask him if he can come visit us that evening with his family. It'll be a good chance to get close to him - clever children like him are very useful friends to have."
*Richard POV*
I woke up that next morning in my own bed. Theo's mother must have brought me home after yesterday - I really should apologise to her when I can. Honestly, the stamina of a four-year-old is not doing me any favours. I hope she doesn't think I'm rude for falling asleep at hers.
Only a few days into this rebirth, and I'm already getting used to the works and daily routine. The usual spiel in the morning: breakfast with Johanna before she drags me to daycare or whatever other activities she has planned for me. After a relatively quiet morning primarily spent on autopilot, I end up inside that daycare classroom once again.
"Morning, Rich! I was wondering if I could ask you something," rang a familiar voice.
"Hey, Theo. Go on, tell me what you want," I reply.
"Mother said to ask if you could teach me how to read. And... uhh, in exchange, maybe you can come over again this evening? To the library, I mean. We have loads of books."
It's quite cute seeing Theo trying to convince me, not that I'd have rejected him regardless.
"Yeah, sure, let's go to the reading corner. And, by the way, you'll have to ask Joh- my mother if I can come visit."
Now, I wouldn't call myself a terrible teacher, but I'm not exactly what people would regard as "good" either. Thankfully, Theo picked things up rather quickly. I imagine that's due to the hellish training he undergoes. I mean, seriously, I still can't get over the fact he jumps off trees for fun.
I grabbed one of the illustrated beginner books from the shelf behind me - you know, one of those books with repetitive phrases to help children understand which words fit with which symbols. The book, titled "Hui the Hungry Hare", consisted of around fifteen pages of a rabbit scampering around the countryside eating different foods.
"Hui is hungry. Hui wants a root. Hui digs a hole. Hui finds a beet!"
The sentences were short and rhythmic; the words simple enough to build confidence in new readers. We had a story similar to this on Earth, only with much more caterpillars and way fewer hares. By the time we had reached the eighth page, Theo was reading aloud without my assistance.
Theo was fully engrossed, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. I didn't say it to him, but I felt some pride watching him. And just maybe, a little glad to be useful in this strange new life.
***
By the time we had worked our way through the entire "Hui the Hungry Hare" series, the school day, or I suppose daycare day given the lack of any teaching provided, had ended. This time, it was my father picking me up since he was free for the afternoon.
When Gertherd reached out to pick me up, he was suddenly intercepted by a small, blond-haired figure: Theo.
"Uhm, Richard's dad. Nice to meet you, uhh, I'm Rich. I mean, I'm Theo. And I was wondering if-" he stuttered. Before you knew it, Gertherd agreed to the kid's wishes and we were set to be joining his family for dinner that evening.
***
Dinner at the Vogel house was extravagant, but cosy. A small fire crackled in the hearth, and the long table which we sat at had been set with woven linen and stone plates. The smell of spiced root stew and fresh bread filled the room, and, I'll admit, I was salivating like a dog. According to Theo, he had begged his dad to cook dinner in order to impress us. Something tells me he really despises his mother's cooking.
Elisabeth kept on going around, making sure everyone had enough on their plates and in their bowls, constantly checking in on us to see if we liked the food or required more water, whilst her husband - Matthias I had learnt - sat there, quietly, at the end of the table, speaking every now and then, but mostly reacting to anything the other adults said. Theo sat next to me, visibly overjoyed to have a guest over, whilst Gertherd sat to my other side, consuming everything in front of him with the enthusiasm of a bear stockpiling for winter.
It was the kind of idealised dinner scene you'd see in paintings, or even stock photos. There was so much warmth, laughter, and the occasional slurping noise in the room.
"So, Theo," Elisabeth said with a teasing grin, "did you learn lots from young Master Richard today?"
Theo beamed. "Yes! We read Hui the Hungry Hare! I can read the first page now. 'Hui is hungry. Hui wants a root. Hui digs a hole. Hui finds a beet!'"
There was a brief pause, and the atmosphere subtly shifted. Every adult at the table glanced at each other, bar Elisabeth, who had a knowing smile.
"Oh! The Hui books?" Elisabeth laughed. "I remember reading those to Theo when he was barely out of the cradle."
"They're from the village reader series," Johanna added, tilting her head toward me. "For children starting to sound out words. We used to sell copies at the herb shop, back when we stocked basic education supplies."
"But wait," Gertherd said, setting down his spoon, "how do you know how to read, Rich?"
All eyes turned to me.
Shit. How do I explain this?
"Well," I gulped, swallowing a mouthful of stew to buy time to think. "It sort of just... happened, I guess."
"Just happened?" echoed Matthias, raising an eyebrow at my response.
"Yeah, well, I heard people speak, and I saw symbols, so I just put two and two together and figured out how to read."
There was another pause, as if all the adults were re-evaluating my potential. I didn't want to seem too old for my age, but was it really that surprising that a four-year-old could read?
Then, Matthias let out a laugh, "Maybe he'll be a sage one day. Or a scribe!"
"Or a bard! Watch out, if he's already reading stories and reciting them, who knows when he'll start charging us to listen!" chuckled Elisabeth.
I grimaced, letting out an awkward smile, not knowing how to react to any of this. I could swear my face even turned a bit red.
"Speaking of," Elisabeth turned to Theo, "why don't you take Richard back to the library again? I'm sure you could do with a bit more reading practice. Go read your stories whilst the adults talk over here."
I made eye contact with Johanna, who approved of me going to the library. She also hit me with one of those "we'll talk about this later" looks, which gave me slight chills. I suppose I'll have to come up with a better excuse before we get home.
As we marched off back downstairs to the library, the adults behind us slipped into conversation, discussing life in the village and each other's occupations. Something about raising children and how they grow fast.
"Your greenhouse is looking beautiful this season."
"We thought Theo might try for sect testing when he's older, but we're not in a rush."
Their voices faded away behind us as we made our way downstairs towards that well-furnished study. Honestly, I was just glad to escape without having to explain my literacy to these parents.