Day 25
My brain goes to very odd places.
"Is it me or has it been getting darker outside?" Arthur asked suddenly, taking off his visor.
Roger had been talking about the castle and its inhabitants in great detail, answering all sorts of questions. He had been patient and very perceptive, knowing exactly what details they most wanted to hear. Now he looked up in surprise.
Jackie took off her visor. After a couple of rapid blinks, she said, "It seems to be a bit more colorful. The light isn't so white anymore." She had momentarily taken off her visor at the beginning of their exploration of the outside, and she was sure that the light had not only been whiter, but much brighter back then.
The others followed their example, forgetting all about their discussion of other creatures and where they roamed. "It's very colorful," Rob agreed. "They sky is a bit of a different color, too."
"Time went by so quickly that I didn't even notice night approaching," Roger said in wonder. "I suppose that this marks the end of our little bonding session." No one seemed to be paying attention to him. "I'm sure you all have somewhere to be now?" he added hesitantly.
"Tim mentioned this before!" Dan said suddenly. "Is this the sunset?" he asked, not expecting an answer because he had already forgotten about the presence of Roger.
"You," Roger started to get a bit choked up. "You've never seen a sunset before? How have you been living?" He was met with startled looks. "Even when I was in the castle I got to look out the windows!"
"Now, you have to remember that we never left the walls back in the castle," Jackie said reasonably. "Anyway, now you have a chance to tell us about the sunset."
Roger pulled his ears over his eyes. "I don't believe this. Look for yourselves, please."
"Where?" Arthur asked gently.
"West," Roger said automatically. Then, just to be safe, he added, "Look in the direction of the fields, please."
"Oooh!" There were a few gaps and even a squeal. The sunset must be nice today, Roger thought idly, still afraid to uncover his eyes. Still, the urge to peak past his ears was too strong to resist, so he look out.
As far as sunsets went, there had been many sunsets that were much more impressive than this one, but there was something to be said for someone's first sunset, he supposed. The sun was a deep yellow now, dark enough to look at and orange enough to look significantly different. There were only a few wispy clouds in the sky, and they didn't do much to reflect and vary the colors.
"I can almost see it moving," Dan said in disbelief.
"It is," Roger said. "It'll be completely gone in a short while. Don't take your eyes off it, though. The sunset gets better closer to the end. That's when the colors usually get very interesting."
"It looks so orange, especially reflecting in the fields like that," Jackie said, sounding very much like a person in a daze.
"Why does it do that?" Robert asked.
"There's really no reason why," Roger admitted.
"How does it work, though?" Rob insisted.
"We don't know," Roger said truthfully. "The sun disappears at night and comes back in the morning. It just does. It doesn't need a reason."
"Don't you ever wonder what makes it happen?" Dan asked.
Roger rolled his eyes. "This is not the time for the deep questions. Just enjoy what you're watching." Sensing discontent, he added, "No questions until the sun has set properly!"
In the end, the sunset was quite nice. The group of wanderers was completely amazed. Even Roger appreciated the chance to watch the sunset. Once you were used to something, it was so rare that you would stop to appreciate it. It had been quite a while since he had actually watched a sunset.
"So that happens every day?" Jackie asked after a suitable period of time had passed in silence.
"Yes, well, no," he stopped again, "but yes."
"Well, now that we know, we can move on," Rob joked.
"Hush, you." He took a deep breath to start again. "It does happen, every day. It has to. It's not guaranteed, however, that you'll be able to see it. When there are more clouds, particularly when it rains, the sky is almost completely hidden and you can't even get a glimpse of the sunset."
"This disappointing," Rob said.
"I dare say that even you four would be able to get used to the sunset and be able to live without seeing it every single day," Roger said, wondering if there was anyone else on the outside who could feel so passionately about a sunset. "Anyway, you do get two chances every day, in a way."
"How does that work?" Arthur asked.
"In addition to the sunset at the end of the day, there's the sunrise at the beginning of the day," Roger said.
"Does it look the same?" Dan asked curiously.
"Well, it's very similar," Roger admitted. "You might describe it as the opposite of what you just watched out here. As the name implies, the sun rises at that time, getting brighter and moving further up in the sky."
"We'll have to watch that, too," Rob said firmly. No one really dared to challenge him.
"Now, I must ask you where you're all going for the night. It would be horribly irresponsible of me to let you run around unwatched," Roger said, almost as firm as Rob had been.
"Oh, we forgot about that!" Jackie said. "The gates to the castle must be getting closed now."
"Not to worry, there's still enough time to get inside before the doors are closed for the night," Roger said reassuringly. He was very aware of when exactly the gates closed. he never wanted to get locked out. After all, it was a bit more difficult for a rabbit to sneak in than it was for a couple of mice.
"Actually, we don't have to get back inside. The mouse that gave us our first introduction to the outside invited us to stay with their colony for the night and have our questions answered," Dan said.
"We have directions to the colony, you don't need to worry about us," Robert added dismissively.
"Apparently, I do need to worry about all of you quite a bit. In case you haven't noticed, it has gone dark outside and it'll be difficult to find your landmarks to get to your destination quickly and easily."
Arthur looked around, a bit confused. "I can see pretty well, actually."
"Same," Dan said, as the others nodded.
"Oh, right, mice!" Roger said. "Sorry about that, I managed to forget that you are quite capable of being nocturnal creatures. All the same, I would feel better if I were to accompany you as far as the colony."
The group exchanged nervous looks. They had begun to trust this large and fluffy rabbit, but they weren't sure if they could trust him with the location of a mouse colony.
Roger caught on from the silence that there was some sort of problem. "You don't want to give away the location, then. I understand. Tell me which colony you're going to and I'll lead the way. That way you can run away if you like, with no risk of giving away their location."
"We don't actually know what the colony is called," Dan admitted.
"Not a problem. Just tell me this: is it near the fields, the forest or the lake?" Roger said.
"The forest," Robert answered quickly, surprised, but a little bit more trusting now. He definitely knew something about the colonies.
"Good," Roger said. "That's fairly close." He paused awkwardly. "I would have offered you a ride over, so you wouldn't have any trouble keeping up with me, but for some reason, I don't think that you're going to accept."
Jackie looked a little bit disappointed, but the others were happier with that turn of events. "I think that we'll manage to keep up," Rob said bravely. "Lead the way."
Rob kept a close eye on the map the whole time, and it was clear to him that Roger knew very well where he was going. He would have even guessed that it was a common path for Roger to take. That was a good sign. He tried to convey this to the rest of the team with a discrete thumbs up, but only Jackie noticed it. As a result, he had to settle for looking cheerful as he followed the map and hope that the others would get the message.
At the edge of the forest, Roger stopped and stepped aside. He pointed to a small hole in the ground and said, "There you are. That's the entrance to your asylum for the night."
Arthur and Dan still looked a little bit suspicious, so Robert was forced to speak. "That's the entrance to the colony, according to the map that Tim gave me."
Dan straightened up a bit, seeming pleased. "Thank you for your guidance," he said formally to Roger.
"Not a problem!" Roger said happily. "It was quite interesting getting to talk to all of you today. If only we could have extended our visit."
The goodbyes, however, were interrupted by a greeting. Tim had apparently been waiting for them just inside the gateway, for he emerged with a smile on his face. "Well, this is a pleasant surprise! I was just starting wonder whether the four of you would decide to show up, you know," he admitted cheerfully.
"We thought that we should experience the outside properly, and that includes staying the night with your colony," Dan said diplomatically.
"Wonderful! Whenever you're ready, just tell me, and I'll get you settled in for the night." He suddenly paused to look around. "Aha, you've found another mentor!" he exclaimed, upon catching sight of the rabbit.
"I would hardly call myself that," Roger said bashfully. "I only answered their questions and made sure they got here safely. My job here is done."
"Actually, not quite," Jackie interjected. The group had been talking, and they had decided that they could benefit from Roger's specific brand of expertise with the castle. The possibility of meeting his aware friend only helped the case. Rob was particularly eager to maintain contact with him for a reason that he refused to specify, but everyone assumed that was merely the aware rabbit.
"If it's possible, we would be happy to talk to you tomorrow," Dan said.
"You can even meet us to watch the sunrise in the morning," Rob added eagerly.
"Well, that's quite kind of you!" Roger said.
"Indeed, I see that you've made a valuable ally," Tim said to the mice. "I urge you to take them up on their offer," he added.
"I can't refuse it, then," Roger said. "I'll be out here tomorrow before sunrise," he promised.
"Thank you!" Rob said.
"Goodnight!" Jackie shouted as he hopped away.
As they watched Roger hop away, Tim started to speak. "Is there anything left that we can tell you about?"
"Of course," Arthur said.
"I have quite a few questions for you," Dan agreed.
"If you don't mind, though, it would be nice to go inside now," Jackie suggested. "It's getting rather chilly out here."
Tim jumped up. "Oh my! Of course, of course! What a bad host I'm being! Please, come in! Make yourselves at home."
"Is it me or has it been getting darker outside?" Arthur asked suddenly, taking off his visor.
Roger had been talking about the castle and its inhabitants in great detail, answering all sorts of questions. He had been patient and very perceptive, knowing exactly what details they most wanted to hear. Now he looked up in surprise.
Jackie took off her visor. After a couple of rapid blinks, she said, "It seems to be a bit more colorful. The light isn't so white anymore." She had momentarily taken off her visor at the beginning of their exploration of the outside, and she was sure that the light had not only been whiter, but much brighter back then.
The others followed their example, forgetting all about their discussion of other creatures and where they roamed. "It's very colorful," Rob agreed. "They sky is a bit of a different color, too."
"Time went by so quickly that I didn't even notice night approaching," Roger said in wonder. "I suppose that this marks the end of our little bonding session." No one seemed to be paying attention to him. "I'm sure you all have somewhere to be now?" he added hesitantly.
"Tim mentioned this before!" Dan said suddenly. "Is this the sunset?" he asked, not expecting an answer because he had already forgotten about the presence of Roger.
"You," Roger started to get a bit choked up. "You've never seen a sunset before? How have you been living?" He was met with startled looks. "Even when I was in the castle I got to look out the windows!"
"Now, you have to remember that we never left the walls back in the castle," Jackie said reasonably. "Anyway, now you have a chance to tell us about the sunset."
Roger pulled his ears over his eyes. "I don't believe this. Look for yourselves, please."
"Where?" Arthur asked gently.
"West," Roger said automatically. Then, just to be safe, he added, "Look in the direction of the fields, please."
"Oooh!" There were a few gaps and even a squeal. The sunset must be nice today, Roger thought idly, still afraid to uncover his eyes. Still, the urge to peak past his ears was too strong to resist, so he look out.
As far as sunsets went, there had been many sunsets that were much more impressive than this one, but there was something to be said for someone's first sunset, he supposed. The sun was a deep yellow now, dark enough to look at and orange enough to look significantly different. There were only a few wispy clouds in the sky, and they didn't do much to reflect and vary the colors.
"I can almost see it moving," Dan said in disbelief.
"It is," Roger said. "It'll be completely gone in a short while. Don't take your eyes off it, though. The sunset gets better closer to the end. That's when the colors usually get very interesting."
"It looks so orange, especially reflecting in the fields like that," Jackie said, sounding very much like a person in a daze.
"Why does it do that?" Robert asked.
"There's really no reason why," Roger admitted.
"How does it work, though?" Rob insisted.
"We don't know," Roger said truthfully. "The sun disappears at night and comes back in the morning. It just does. It doesn't need a reason."
"Don't you ever wonder what makes it happen?" Dan asked.
Roger rolled his eyes. "This is not the time for the deep questions. Just enjoy what you're watching." Sensing discontent, he added, "No questions until the sun has set properly!"
In the end, the sunset was quite nice. The group of wanderers was completely amazed. Even Roger appreciated the chance to watch the sunset. Once you were used to something, it was so rare that you would stop to appreciate it. It had been quite a while since he had actually watched a sunset.
"So that happens every day?" Jackie asked after a suitable period of time had passed in silence.
"Yes, well, no," he stopped again, "but yes."
"Well, now that we know, we can move on," Rob joked.
"Hush, you." He took a deep breath to start again. "It does happen, every day. It has to. It's not guaranteed, however, that you'll be able to see it. When there are more clouds, particularly when it rains, the sky is almost completely hidden and you can't even get a glimpse of the sunset."
"This disappointing," Rob said.
"I dare say that even you four would be able to get used to the sunset and be able to live without seeing it every single day," Roger said, wondering if there was anyone else on the outside who could feel so passionately about a sunset. "Anyway, you do get two chances every day, in a way."
"How does that work?" Arthur asked.
"In addition to the sunset at the end of the day, there's the sunrise at the beginning of the day," Roger said.
"Does it look the same?" Dan asked curiously.
"Well, it's very similar," Roger admitted. "You might describe it as the opposite of what you just watched out here. As the name implies, the sun rises at that time, getting brighter and moving further up in the sky."
"We'll have to watch that, too," Rob said firmly. No one really dared to challenge him.
"Now, I must ask you where you're all going for the night. It would be horribly irresponsible of me to let you run around unwatched," Roger said, almost as firm as Rob had been.
"Oh, we forgot about that!" Jackie said. "The gates to the castle must be getting closed now."
"Not to worry, there's still enough time to get inside before the doors are closed for the night," Roger said reassuringly. He was very aware of when exactly the gates closed. he never wanted to get locked out. After all, it was a bit more difficult for a rabbit to sneak in than it was for a couple of mice.
"Actually, we don't have to get back inside. The mouse that gave us our first introduction to the outside invited us to stay with their colony for the night and have our questions answered," Dan said.
"We have directions to the colony, you don't need to worry about us," Robert added dismissively.
"Apparently, I do need to worry about all of you quite a bit. In case you haven't noticed, it has gone dark outside and it'll be difficult to find your landmarks to get to your destination quickly and easily."
Arthur looked around, a bit confused. "I can see pretty well, actually."
"Same," Dan said, as the others nodded.
"Oh, right, mice!" Roger said. "Sorry about that, I managed to forget that you are quite capable of being nocturnal creatures. All the same, I would feel better if I were to accompany you as far as the colony."
The group exchanged nervous looks. They had begun to trust this large and fluffy rabbit, but they weren't sure if they could trust him with the location of a mouse colony.
Roger caught on from the silence that there was some sort of problem. "You don't want to give away the location, then. I understand. Tell me which colony you're going to and I'll lead the way. That way you can run away if you like, with no risk of giving away their location."
"We don't actually know what the colony is called," Dan admitted.
"Not a problem. Just tell me this: is it near the fields, the forest or the lake?" Roger said.
"The forest," Robert answered quickly, surprised, but a little bit more trusting now. He definitely knew something about the colonies.
"Good," Roger said. "That's fairly close." He paused awkwardly. "I would have offered you a ride over, so you wouldn't have any trouble keeping up with me, but for some reason, I don't think that you're going to accept."
Jackie looked a little bit disappointed, but the others were happier with that turn of events. "I think that we'll manage to keep up," Rob said bravely. "Lead the way."
Rob kept a close eye on the map the whole time, and it was clear to him that Roger knew very well where he was going. He would have even guessed that it was a common path for Roger to take. That was a good sign. He tried to convey this to the rest of the team with a discrete thumbs up, but only Jackie noticed it. As a result, he had to settle for looking cheerful as he followed the map and hope that the others would get the message.
At the edge of the forest, Roger stopped and stepped aside. He pointed to a small hole in the ground and said, "There you are. That's the entrance to your asylum for the night."
Arthur and Dan still looked a little bit suspicious, so Robert was forced to speak. "That's the entrance to the colony, according to the map that Tim gave me."
Dan straightened up a bit, seeming pleased. "Thank you for your guidance," he said formally to Roger.
"Not a problem!" Roger said happily. "It was quite interesting getting to talk to all of you today. If only we could have extended our visit."
The goodbyes, however, were interrupted by a greeting. Tim had apparently been waiting for them just inside the gateway, for he emerged with a smile on his face. "Well, this is a pleasant surprise! I was just starting wonder whether the four of you would decide to show up, you know," he admitted cheerfully.
"We thought that we should experience the outside properly, and that includes staying the night with your colony," Dan said diplomatically.
"Wonderful! Whenever you're ready, just tell me, and I'll get you settled in for the night." He suddenly paused to look around. "Aha, you've found another mentor!" he exclaimed, upon catching sight of the rabbit.
"I would hardly call myself that," Roger said bashfully. "I only answered their questions and made sure they got here safely. My job here is done."
"Actually, not quite," Jackie interjected. The group had been talking, and they had decided that they could benefit from Roger's specific brand of expertise with the castle. The possibility of meeting his aware friend only helped the case. Rob was particularly eager to maintain contact with him for a reason that he refused to specify, but everyone assumed that was merely the aware rabbit.
"If it's possible, we would be happy to talk to you tomorrow," Dan said.
"You can even meet us to watch the sunrise in the morning," Rob added eagerly.
"Well, that's quite kind of you!" Roger said.
"Indeed, I see that you've made a valuable ally," Tim said to the mice. "I urge you to take them up on their offer," he added.
"I can't refuse it, then," Roger said. "I'll be out here tomorrow before sunrise," he promised.
"Thank you!" Rob said.
"Goodnight!" Jackie shouted as he hopped away.
As they watched Roger hop away, Tim started to speak. "Is there anything left that we can tell you about?"
"Of course," Arthur said.
"I have quite a few questions for you," Dan agreed.
"If you don't mind, though, it would be nice to go inside now," Jackie suggested. "It's getting rather chilly out here."
Tim jumped up. "Oh my! Of course, of course! What a bad host I'm being! Please, come in! Make yourselves at home."