A07 - The Question

     The door opened and Entor jumped at the door screaming and flailing her hands.

    Simon dropped to the ground and leaned as far back as he could in order to curl up in a corner under the bench.  He'd heard that people react to a scary scenario with fight or flight.  This is the first time he'd actually seen it play out.

    A bear-like growl came from the tall wispy figure in the doorway.

    Entor stopped flailing and screaming but she stood her ground just inches from the figure as he growled.  She was easily half the height of the stranger, but she didn't flinch or blink. When the growl finished, Entor whispered sternly, "This is our house. Get out!"

    The tall figure shook his head and rolled his eyes, "I don't know who exactly you think you are, but my family built this place several generations ago.  So, no, it's not yours."  He sighed and shoved Entor on top of Simon.  This made Simon gasp audibly.

    "Really?  There are two of you?  There's hardly room for me...alone."  The stranger sat on the bench where his face was viewable in the morning light coming through the door which was propped open with a wagon full of bags and boxes.

    Everyone sat in the quiet for a while, not wholly sure about how to proceed.

    Entor spoke next, "So, what's your name? And what are you doing here?"  She was small, but she wasn't backing down from this stranger.

    The figure took a deep breath and looked at her from the corner of his eyes, they were golden, the same color as his fine hair. "I could ask you the same things."

    "But I asked first, didn't I?"

    The stranger looked at her and sighed, "Fine.  My name is Soren. My family built this hut many years ago to assist Ix who were trying to get to the swamps.  I'm now trying to use it to get away from my village, because...well, it's not really your business." Soren stopped himself.  

    "Ok then.  My name is Entor.  I hate my family and found this place.  And this friend." She pointed to Simon who was still huddled under the bench.  It was the most concise Entor had been since Simon met her.

    Since eyes rested on him, he pulled himself out from under the bench.  He bonked his head while trying to emerge and his face grimaced.  Entor snickered, forgetting the hard exterior she had portrayed for Soren.  Simon rubbed his head and said, "I'm Simon and I don't really know how I got here."

    Soren gave Simon the same confused look that he had already gotten from Lanix.  

    Entor giggled again, "I don't think I ever asked your name.  Oops.  I guess I just assumed correctly that you're a Voy who lost his way and maybe his memory.  What is your last name?  Something like Tractivoy?  Or maybe Serenivoy?  I don't know.  I've never actually met a Voy before, but you seem as clueless as I'd suspect any Voy to be."  Simon noticed a slight grin come across Soren's face at this comment.

    "I'm not clueless."  Simon interrupted.

    "Yes, you are.  You don't know anything about anything.  You don't know about Ix or bog nuts or Tor or anything.  Only the Voy are that oblivious to the rest of the world.  Plus you have the generic characteristics of a Voy: straight brown hair, brown eyes, average height, small nose.  Nothing that makes you look like any of the other races, so you must be a Voy."  Entor continued.

    "My name is Simon Six Baker.  That's it.  No Voy, no Tor, no Ren." Simon was defiant.  He didn't mind if people called him quiet or even assumed he was stupid, but calling him clueless to his face was unacceptable.

    Entor replied, "But you do have an Ix in your name."

    "My middle name is Six because it was the sixth time my mom was pregnant.  The other babies didn't make it.  That's all.  It has nothing to do with this place or my race.  I'm not from here." Simon was indignant.

    Entor would not be dissuaded, "Then where are you from?"

    Simon paused.  He knew he'd have to come up with an answer to this question that would satisfy the people here, but he just couldn't think of anything.  Instead, he sighed and dropped his head into his hands. In his mind, he saw images of the white sands of Florida and the Spanish moss in the trees.  Then he saw the chickadees flying overhead in his aunt's backyard.  The question was even more complicated than he first imagined.

    Soren picked up on the fact that Simon wasn't going to answer and Entor wasn't going to a sufficient answer no matter what he said.  Therefore, Soren interjected, "Well, as enlightening as this conversation has been.  You two have completely ruined my plans and now none of us have anywhere to go." He squeezed onto the bench next to Entor and Simon was squished further into the corner on the floor.  The obvious fact was that there was no way for all three of them to stay in the hut.