The Bridge To Nihon (BOOK ONE)

Chapter 7 - The Assessors' Visit

The day of the Assessors' visit was off to a bad start. Sofia overslept, and when she went outside, Orì was nowhere to be seen.

For the past few days, they had met up every morning in secret. Orì taught Sofia how to make colors appear, and she was slowly getting better at it, though still frustrated that Orì was so much better than her. Yet when Sofia hinted at teaching her other tricks, Orì became evasive. Sofia had an endless amount of questions, but she restrained herself. She didn't want Orì to get annoyed with her.

From what she pieced together from Orì's words and deeds, people in Nihon were only held back by the limits of their imagination. And when Sofia wondered aloud what these limits were, Orì laughed and called her silly, and said there were none.

As if there was nothing more obvious in the world.

But Sofia wasn't sure that she understood what that meant, and she wasn't entirely sure that Orì understood it either.

The night before the Assessors' visit, Sofia hadn't been able to close an eye. She had overheard Aunt Sybil and Uncle Tomas arguing after dinner, their angry whispers as clearly audible as if they had been shouting.

"For once in your miserable life, can you be there for your family?" she had heard Aunt Sybil hiss.

"I am always there. You barely let me talk to Sofia."

"When have I ever been able to make you do something you didn't want to do? It is because you are a bad influence on her."

"I am a better influence than you! All she learns from you is how to be a cold-hearted recluse."

"I wasn't always like that if you remember!"

"Honestly, I cannot."

"That," Aunt Sybil had retorted with unveiled triumph in her voice, "is because you can't remember anything anymore!"

The next sound had been the door opening, and Aunt Sybil whispering, "Don't you dare! On this night of all!" Then the door had fallen in its hinges. Silence had descended and Aunt Sybil had kept sitting at the kitchen table for almost two hours. It was a long time before Uncle Tomas had come back.

In the morning, when Sofia returned to the house after having waited in vain for Orì, Aunt Sybil was sitting in the kitchen, instead of being at her post.

"Your uncle is still sleeping," she said. "I tried waking him, but -"

"That's ok," Sofia said. "We don't need him, do we?"

Aunt Sybil smiled bitterly.

"No, we don't. Anyway, we don't have a choice."

Sofia sat down next to her.

"Aunt Sybil, are you scared of the Assessors?"

"There is no reason to be scared. They only want what is best for us." Aunt Sybil thought about it for a moment. "I guess, I don't want to fail them. I feel rather small when I am in front of them."

Sofia looked at her aunt hesitantly. She didn't know what she meant.

"I'm going to be good," she said, trying to comfort Aunt Sybil.

"Of course you are, Sofia. Don't you worry," Aunt Sybil said, shaking off her gloom and getting up. "Now get yourself washed and dressed, and make sure that your clothes are nice and clean."

"Are they coming here?"

"Why, no. We will meet them at the guildhall. We are not the only people they will be talking to."