A Curious Mask

XII- Understanding

Finch stared up at the stars, his little hands clasped behind his head. His dad lay next to him, his much larger frame in the same position. They had worked hard all day on the field, and Finch could hear the signals of his father's impending sleep: the slowing of his heart and breathing. He had to get some questions answered first.

"Dad?"

"Aye, Finch?"

"What are the stars?"

His dad looked over at him, and Finch met his gaze, curious for the answer.

"They're stars."

"So, you don't know what they are?"

His dad exhaled loudly. "Do you want me to tell you the entire tale?"

Finch nodded and shifted so he lay on his side, facing his dad.

"Remember what I was trying to tell you about death?"

Finch nodded. "When a body dies, the mind inside stops."

"Well, there is another part of a person's being; it's called a spirit. When a person dies, their spirit loses its place and begins to wander the earth."

Finch wanted to ask a question but bit his tongue. His dad would stop giving him answers if he interrupted him.

"After the spirit wanders the earth, it finds its way to the sky. Bright, happy people go to the sun to give us light in the day. People with tough, horrible lives who had to go through pain and heartache become stars to help guide us through the darkness."

He paused, so Finch assumed he was done. "Then who goes to the moon?"

"The moon is the caretaker of the spirits. She makes sure their lights don't go out."

Finch looked back up into the vast sky and colorful stars.

"Why do the stars have different colors?"

"They don't have different colors. They are all light."

"Aye, but different colored light."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, boy."

"How do you not see the colors? Aren't they as diverse as the colors on the ground?"

Finch heard grass shift past his dad's hair. There was silence for a few minutes before his dad whispered in a voice so quiet Finch questioned whether he was supposed to hear it or not.

"Guide his way, spirits of the night."

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Finch's eyes flicked over the stars, trying to count how many were up there. He was at 254 when he heard Rianna shift. He broke his gaze from the stars and looked to her, still asleep on the other side of the ashes from their fire. The starlight was more than enough for Finch to make out the pained expression on her face.

What is she dreaming about?

She still wore her shirt and trousers. He reminded himself to buy her new clothes at the next town when he saw the tears on her trousers where the lust wister had started to attack her.

Why did she try to disguise herself as a boy?

His gaze flicked over to the horses, both snoozing quietly on their feet. He taught her how to take care of them when they made camp. She rode Sugar; he rode Spice, and he figured the names were rather appropriate.