Another one story (His Dark Materials)

Meeting her

It was darker outside, the evening was coming. No one could be seen from a distance. Everyone was inside Jordan, preparing for diner. Even waiters and servants. They all groomed, changed, and gathered in the large dining room. When they arrived, everyone stood up and the Master began to recite a prayer and the others started to do as well. A little boy named Roger came running during the prayer. He could have been about 11 years old. A small pet landed on his shoulder. It was his daemon, his soul in the form of a little bird. Rodger looked across the dining room as if looking for something or someone. And he did. He watched one girl chant prayer along with all the scholars. Her name was Lyra and she was his best friend. Her daemon was an animal named Pantalaimon. Pantalaimon (Pan) had its frequent form of snow-white ermine. Lyra also looks across the dining room as if she was looking for something or someone. And when they looked at each other, Lyra stopped saying a prayer and smiled. With the last word „amen", Master finished the prayer. They all settled down and the waiters began to bring them an appetizer. Roger, a small servant, brought Lyra a plate of appetizer. She thanked him and smiled at him like no one else. Except for her Uncle Asriel, but she only saw him a while before he flew back to the North in the airship. Roger smiled at her quickly before he had to run away.

Everyone already had a plate in front of them, but they didn't start eating. The first always start Master, who sits next to Lyra (as always), only one chair away. The chair on her left was exceptionally empty. Nobody sat on it, but after all, a plate was laid on the table, It was a place left for a special guest who just arrived.

He walked into the room, more precisely a woman. She walked down a narrow aisle along with a long table. She was only a few steps away from the table and where she was supposed to sit (next to Lyra) when something suddenly popped up on the chair. It was a monkey. And not so much usual, it was a golden one. Lyra had never seen such a monkey, and she looked suspicious. Finally, the Master said, „Good evening Mrs. Coulter".

In the meantime the woman who walked to her chair, the golden monkey was sitting there and looking at Lyra all the time (the woman was looking at Lyra as well) and she smiled and replied softly „Good evening Master. Thank you for the invitation." The golden monkey was a demon of the woman. He just jumped down to the floor and Mrs. Coulter then sits on the chair.

Master then said „ Mrs. Coulter, this is our Lyra, Lyra Belacqua, the niece of Lord Asriel. Lyra, this is Mrs. Coulter, a friend of a Jordan College. She may be of some interest to you." and he looked away from them. He started talking with another scholar, who was sitting in front of him.

Lyra looked at her and smiled. She had never seen such a beautiful and young woman before. Throughout her life, she had only met female scholars from the neighboring college she hated so much. She hated it as they were dressed, and she was horrified when they once said her, if she didn't listen, they would put her on this college. But this woman. Who is she? Lyra was surprised by how she looks like. She didn't seem like other and she wasn't even dressed like them. Which is why she becomes curious even more than before.

Lyra said „oh, hello Mrs. Coulter." and looked to her with a smile on her face.

Mrs. Coulter smiling then said to her „I am not used to grandeur of this. You have to tell me which knife and fork to use. I don't want to make a fool of myself." and looked to her eyes.

Lyra then asked her: „Are you a female scholar?" and looked curiously. Mrs. Coulter answered: „You seemed surprised Lyra." still smiling fondly at her.