The Bridge To Nihon (BOOK ONE)

Chapter 10 - The Red Seal

Not much time had passed since the Assessors' visit when Aunt Sybil asked Sofia to come up into the tower. As Sofia climbed the steps that suddenly seemed very steep, she was filled with dread as if her bones had been replaced by lead.

Aunt Sybil was sitting at her usual place, looking out the window. A chair was placed in front of the table. It was a wordless request to sit down. A large leather-bound tome was lying on the table. It was closed with an unscathed red seal.

"Come in," Aunt Sybil said when Sofia hesitated. "Sit down."

Sofia did as she was told. She kept a physical distance from the table, from the book, from the window that she was supposed to be looking through for the rest of her life. She still had not told Orì that she was supposed to become Guardian of the Bridge. It would mean that their friendship was in direct violation of what she would have to swear to uphold.

"You have made a good impression on the Assessors," Aunt Sybil said. "They were quite taken with your seriousness and attention to detail. And with your honesty." Nothing in Aunt Sybil's expression alluded to the dishonesty of Sofia's testimony, as if she had forgotten what had really occurred. She had accepted the Assessors' conclusion as her own. "They have approved you as the next Guardian of the Bridge. I am very glad. I am certain that you will not disappoint."

She gave Sofia an encouraging smile, and Sofia forced herself to return the smile. Inside, she felt like her heart was sinking into an abyss.

"You don't need to worry," Aunt Sybil said. "We will bestow as much time on your training as necessary. You won't be required to know and do everything right away, and I am well aware that this work takes a while to get used to, to build up the stamina. I wasn't as lucky as you, to have a teacher who cared about me." A hardness entered Aunt Sybil's face. "When I started my training, the Guardian was an old woman named Tessina -," she practically spat the name. "She was not very understanding. She wanted to give over her duties as quickly as possible, and after Sermon had proved himself an unsuitable candidate, she had little compassion for any weakness on my part. It was a tough time. But being the Guardian of the Bridge is a worthwhile and meaningful occupation, and I will make sure that you will get all of what I didn't get. Time, understanding and compassion. And a complete and thorough training, of course."

"Thank you, Aunt Sybil."

Aunt Sybil gestured towards the book. While she had been talking, Sofia had examined it more closely, not able to keep her natural curiosity completely at bay. There was an elaborate print on the cover, an abstract map depicting the two worlds with as few details as possible. The border ran precisely through the middle. The book was closed with a strap, fastened with a thick red wax seal. The stamp showed a bridge, not unlike the one outside the window, but while the bridge started out from a piece of land, it was cut off before reaching the other side, as if the world had come to its natural end, into nothingness.

"Open it," Aunt Sybil said.

Sofia tentatively put her hands on the book. It was heavy, and it smelled of stone and rain and as if it had been stored in a cellar.

"You need to break the red seal," Aunt Sybil explained. "It is your book and yours alone. You will be the only one to open it, read it, and care for it. You are allowed to enter notes, and at the end of your tenure, it will be handed over to the Assessors for safekeeping."

Sofia looked at Aunt Sybil's small ledger, bound in nondescript brown leather.

"Where is your book?"

"This is not it," Aunt Sybil said. "This is just for my daily notes, as a memory aid. Your Guardian Book contains all the instructions you need, the history of our two worlds and the guidelines for peaceful coexistence. You may write notes and suggestions, but you should always be respectful and humble. We follow a tradition that is centuries old and has been very well thought out. There is no need to put your personal stamp on it."