They walked along the bank for a while, then squatted down by the water. The other boy began turning over stones until he found something and snatched it up with nimble fingers. Holding it in his cupped hands, he showed Mika what looked like a tiny brown lobster. Delighted, Mika took it gently between two fingers and watched it wave its tiny claws in the air. The other boy took it back and put it in the water, then showed Mika where to look for more of the creatures. There were snails, too, cruising slowly over the algae-covered river rocks, and little striped fish that evaded capture.

Mika and the boy worked their way down the riverbank, finding more and more of the lobsters, water beetles, a pair of otters, and glistening globules of frog eggs in a quiet eddy. Mika pulled off his boots and rolled up his trousers and joined the other boy wading in the shallows. He showed Mika how to catch the little fish in his hands and even ate one, giving Mika a challenging grin to do the same. He hesitated, then couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Grinning, the boy cut his hand into the water, splashing Mika from head to foot.

“That’s cold!” he cried, but repaid him in kind and soon they were both soaking wet and laughing.

Splashing turned to wrestling on the grass and soon Mika was wetter and muddier than he’d ever been in his life. Gasping with laughter, he struggled loose and ran back to the road. The day had grown overcast while they played, and Mika began to worry about how long he’d been gone. Looking back the way they’d come, he couldn’t see the stone he’d been sitting on. Guilt lanced through him. Master Thero would definitely be angry if he found out how far away he’d wandered, even though Mika hadn’t meant to. He’d just been having fun and got distracted. It was time to go back.

Just then a guttural shout stopped him in his tracks.

On the rise behind him stood a young man dressed much the same as Mika’s new friend, but this fellow wasn’t smiling. Mika could tell at once that he was angry by the way he shouted again and shook a gnarled cudgel in their direction. The sudden look of fear on the mute boy’s face confirmed it. He grabbed Mika by the hand and began pulling him back the way they’d come. Looking over his shoulder, Mika saw that the man was chasing them. Mika’s friend made a choking sound and tugged at his arm, urging him to run faster. Somehow they’d strayed away from the road. Nothing looked familiar and there were only grass and sharp stones under his bare feet.