Beneath the Dark Crystal

Chapter 13

Thurma sat by the large fire outside of the tent, warming up with the tumbeloth and the mystics' creature. She kept glancing up at the tent's entrance, secretly hoping for Mavra or Kensho to show up at her side. She looks over at the tumbeloth as it started to bounce about and follow after a lightening bug. She giggles and stands up, chasing after the creature she had named Tumby. "Tumby, get back here!" She scoops up the animal while hiding behind some barrels that were close by the entrance of the tent.

She scratches Tumby's head, saying, "You've got the shard, silly. We can't lose you! Tasty bugs or otherwise."

"Your friends seem very kind, Kensho," Kolba's voice spoke from within the tent.

Thurma's round ears perk in curiosity as she scoots closer to the barrels to get a good listen.

"Yeah. I-I'll admit, I was kind of suspicious of Thurma, but once I got to know her, I think I found myself trusting her. Of course, um ... Mavra is amazing. Always has been. We just went out for a walk tonight and it was ... nice," Kensho goes on, sighing dreamily at the thought of Mavra.

Kolba chuckles at her son's silliness, slyly saying, "Well, looks like somebody's taking a liking for the princess."

Kensho feels the blood rush to his cheeks and he sheepishly rubs the back of his head. "Well ... uh ... m-maybe I have. I do care for her a lot ... a-and Thurma as well."

Thurma grins and looks down at Tumby with confidence. Kensho's smile drops, thinking back to the Crystal shard still tucked in his pocket.

He sighs and starts to stammer, "Mother, I ... I've done something ... terrible."

Kolba frowns in worry and gently rubs his shoulder to comfort him. "What is it, dear?"

Kensho finds it hard to get the words out of his mouth. His hands wringing his hair anxiously while he tried hard to avoid eye contact with his mother. "I lied to them both about something ... something really important."

Thurma sits up straight and feels her shoulders tense in suspicion. What? What does he mean, she thinks, leaning in closer to the barrels.

"What do you mean?" Kolba asks him.

"Mother, I-I haven't told you everything. The Crystalline Eminence didn't let me leave. Mavra and I are trying to save Thurma's home, but to do it we had to steal something really ... really important. When we took it, some bad things happened," He explains, rubbing his arm nervously, "So, I thought maybe if I brought it back, and gave it to the Elders ... maybe they could find a way to fix both of our worlds!"

Thurma's face falls to one of disappointment as she knows what's coming.

"So ... so I stole it back from them," Kensho says, tearing up a little.

Thurma's eyebrows knit together. She tried scrunching up her face to hold back the blobs making their way past her eyes. She looks down inside Tumby's shell, seeing that there was no Crystal Shard. He was telling the truth. He lied to them. She backs from the barrels and over to the fire, quietly letting her tears of lava run down her cheeks.

Kolba stares at her son and sighs, wiping away his tears. "Kensho--"

"--A-And they don't even know that I did it! I don't know what I feel worse about ... that I'm helping a stranger a-and possibly risking the life of my friend, or that I lied to the Crystal--"

"Kensho," Kolba repeats more sternly, rubbing both of his shoulders. "You have a goodness in you that few possess. Many here owe their lives to it."