"Day. Light."

"Night Light," he said, pairing the opposites.

"No. Night. Day. Dark. Light. Night-Dark. Day-Light."

After a moment they got it straight. This was Day, and the time of sleeping was Night.

He indicated the dolls. "Day. No. Night. Yes."

She nodded again. "You. Me. Night." There was no doubt of her interest.

Now he needed to convey the concept of his home reality. That might be impossible. "You.

Me. Things. Here." He gestured, trying to show themselves and their surroundings. "Day. Night.

Day. Night. There." He tried to indicate some -- thing far away.

Colene said something, seeming to understand. He hoped that was the case. "Here." He touched the two dolls. He moved the arm of the male to touch the female's head sec -- tion. "Yes."

Then her chest region. "Maybe." Finally her leg. "No." After that he put them close together without motion.

Colene nodded. "Us. Last night."

Us. Evidently the two of them. "Yes." Then he made the faraway gesture. "There." He moved the dolls to another place. Then he repeated the action between them. But this time the male doll did not sleep. Instead it became more active, covering the female.

She still seemed to understand, but was not concerned. "You. Me. Here," she said firmly.

"No. There."

Clear enough. She understood that in his Mode, she could not expect to be left alone at night. But in her Mode, the local customs prevailed.

DAYS passed. Each night Colene came to share her warmth with him, though she brought another blanket that sufficed against the cold. He held her and did no more, though his strength was returning and he did desire her. She was

young, he reminded himself, probably not more than five years into nubility, but enticing.

They continued to talk, and he learned enough of her lan -- guage so that in due course they could cover more sophisti -- cated topics. Now he could tell her where he had come from, and what his mission had been -- and what had happened. Their dialogue was extended and fraught with misunderstand -- ings and missing terms, but in essence it was this:

"So you came all the way here from your fantasy world to marry me?" she asked. "Only you got mugged and lost your ticket home?"

"This is too simple," he protested. "I came here to dis -- cover whether you were right to marry. But this is uncertain. Now it does not matter, since I can not return."

"And am I?"

She cut so quickly to her aspects that he often had to pause to follow them. "Are you right to marry? I am not sure, but I am hopeful."

"What would make you sure?"

"That is complicated to tell. But there is no need, since I will die here."

"Why will you die?"

"Because I can not endure without magic. I have no way here to support myself, and soon you will tire of bringing me food. Already I feel the depletion of my separation from my reality.