t Lee Scoresbys g  under t sun of morning.

    Golden, but also yelloreaks of brigcoo, ops of a particular kind of grass just coming into flohe sky.

    And quiet, but not silent, for a soft breeze rustled ttle stems, and a billion insects and otures scraped and oo o be seen sang little looping falls of bell notes nohe same.

    In all t   and still o back, under tcrop of rock at top of a little bluff.

    till, so pale, t t  lines around t and mud and not a little blood. And from te passivity of t stages of exion.

    Lyra  to  came past touco stir, and .

    But tly s;Pan, Pan...quot;

    Under t move for some time, because  of  limp  still s ttle breeze and ttle insect scrapings and t bird  en he world was.

    Presently sill fast asleep. ,  iff  and s. S ime, at ttle pulse in , at  rising and falling slo te shem.

    irred. Not ing to be caug  ttle grave t before, just a couple of ialys and t rest. t stone nearby; s up and prized it loose from t it uprig t up and so gaze across the plain.

    It seemed to stretc ; gentle undulations and little ridges and gullies varied tand of trees so tall to be constructed ratraigrunks and dark green canopy seemed to defy distance, being so clearly visible at  have been many miles away.

    Closer, t, at t of t more ttle pond fed by a spring coming out of ty she was.

    S up on so. trickled t again and again, washe mud and grime

    before lifting ter to  eet .

    t . Sood for a long time  and ter around her calves.

    S doo dip er and  ting it trail out and flicking it back again, stirring it o lift all t and grime out.

    a little cleaner and  isfied, so see t ill ing  across t tent of it. And at t, and at t t.

    So join ting ttle one, and setting it more firmly in the soil.

    quot;Are t;  the daemons.

    quot;Dont kno t far a I dont know. Dyou remember w ;

    tle cracking noises in hen he blinked and shook his head.

    quot;Not muc; ;I picked up Pantalaimon and you picked up, t ;

    quot;And your, t jumped out of my arms,quot; s;And I rying to see Mr. Scoresby to see  t;

    quot;It doesnt feel like o ted.quot;

    quot;No,quot; s;t. I remember ry and play  it never really oo big to o knoly range,quot; sarily as if srying to dispel some encment. quot;  I dont feel torn apart, I feel safe, and I know ;

    quot;toget; ill said.

    quot;Yea be.quot;

    ood up suddenly.

    quot;Look,quot; ;over t;

    ing. Sant tremor of movement, quite different from t haze.

    quot;Animals?quot; sfully.

    quot;And listen,quot; ting his hand behind his ear.

    No out, sent rumble, almost like thunder, a very long way off.

    quot;t; ill said, pointing.

    ttle patc t on for a fes. t became suddenly quieter, t  already. till gazing in tion, and sly after start up again. And a fes later came the sound.

    quot;t be; said ill. quot;Are t;

    quot;Cant really see. Yes, turning, look, t;

    quot;ell, if ,quot; said ill, and ook to tream, . .  sy of soap, and for some clean clothes.

    Lyra cever trange.

    quot;ill,quot; s;t;

    But s uncertainly. tle o look. It o see individuals no a dozen strong, and telopes and motorcycles, but tranger t, even: trunks like small eleps.

    And tention. ill took out t Lyra, sitting on turning ter.

    It responded quickly, ill a fely left and rig and left, and Lyra felt  to tly as a bird.

    quot;t; s;its all rigs odd, I cant quite make it out... Dr. Malone ?quot;

    So  believe Dr. Malone ill, ter indicated  couldnt give  it aood up slowly beside ill.

    quot;I to t; s;t going to  us.quot;

    Some of topped, ing. ttle, trunk raised, and trokes of eral limbs. Some of tures o to drink; ted, but not y of co a gate. telligence and purpose. they were people.

    ill and Lyra moved doil to speak to te of w Lyra  he knife.

    quot;I dont knoand me,quot; Lyra said cautiously, quot;but I knohink we should...”

    trunk and said, quot;Come see Mary. You ride. e carry. Come see Mary.quot;

    quot;O; surned to ill, smiling .

    tures ted irrups of braided cord. Not saddles; turned out to be comfortable enoug t neit comparison. rol, and t t: tirrups o give to o and balance ures the decisions.

    quot;; ill began to say, but o stop and regain ure moved under him.

    t slope, going slo  uncomfortable, because tures  t tting on c.

    Soon to  seen clearly from tco find roads of smootime before.

    tures rolled onto t off, soon picking up speed. tercourse t broadened into  ot split into narroably. It e unlike tal, rational  across valleys on bridges of concrete. t of t an imposition on it.

    ter and faster. It took ill and Lyra a  used to tone. Lyra found it more difficult t first, because s knorick of leaning into t s, and soon sing.

    too muco speak. Instead, to point: at trees, in amazement at t a flock of birds, trangest t ing, screion t a fat blue lizard as long as a ures divided to ride on eit, and it took no notice at all).

    to slow down.

    And in takable,  smell of toly ter than a walk.

    Lyra, stiff and sore, said, quot;Can you stop? I  to get off and ;

    ure felt tug at t ood o a . ills did, too, and botiff and ser tinued jolting and tensing.

    tures alk togetrunks moving elegantly in time er a minute to ed, grass-ures op of t to concentrate on o curned.

    As to top of topped, and ill and Lyra ;Mary close. Mary t;

    tance, and at t of trees and roables, stood a village of tcures like t among tended crops, or rees.

    quot;No; said the leader.

    t far to go. ill and Lyra climbed up once more, and tures looked closely at tirrups runks, as if to make sure they were safe.

    t off, beating teral limbs, and urging til t a terrific pace. ill and Lyra clung tig t to ture of speed, tures loved t their joy and laughed in happy response.

    topped in ter of trunks and speaking words of welcome.

    And t;Dr. Malone!quot;

    Mary  of one of ts, , ocky figure, range and familiar.

    Lyra ran and embraced igood back, careful and doubtful.

    Mary kissed Lyra o tle mental dance of sympatook place in a second or less.

    Moved by compassion for tate t meant to embrace  Mary  kind of response o a man s knoing above all to  cause o lose face.

    So instead s , and a current of understanding and respect passed bet it became liking at once and eac t they had.

    quot;t; said Lyra, quot;old you about him...”

    quot;Im Mary Malone,quot; s;and youre arved.quot;

    Surned to ture by ing sounds, moving her arm as she did so.

    At once tures moved a cus ree nearby, w shade.

    And as soon as table, ts broug lemony astringency and tery taste; and salad plucked fres, t oozed a creamy sap, and little cs tasting like s carrots.

    But t eat muc oo riced to do justice to ty, but t from t, sligis or tortillas. It ried some of everyt like ill s a little e enough.

    Mary managed to avoid asking any questions. t to talk about it yet.

    So sions about told t tree, because sheir heads nodding.

    quot;You dont o do anyt sleep,quot; she said.

    ternoon air ill, and tree s. Less tes after t of t asleep.

    tal, surprised. But ell?

    Its easy, said Mary. t sly.

    t muc t come to them?

    I dont knoime soon. I dont know w o us.

    No ically.

    table garden. Mary o save o bend doal used runk, so tion ermittent.

    But you kneal.

    Yes.

    as it ticks t told you?

    No, said Mary, blusist; it  to consulting t t was a nigure, she confessed.

    took their dreams very seriously.

    You dont like nigures, Atal said.

    Yes, I do. But I didnt believe til noold me to prepare for them.

    sort of voice?  speak if you couldnt see it?

    It o imagine speec trunk movements t clarified and defined it. Sopped in ted curiosity.

    ell, I did see it, said Mary. It  very old and yet not old at all.

    ise one  Atal ensely interested.

    old? said Atal.

    It is a make-like, said Mary.

    Atal swung runk, reassured.

    Mary  on as best sold me t I s t not  look after them.

    t and tired, said Atal. ill top the sraf leaving?

    Mary looked up uneasily. S o c ticles reaming aer than ever.

    I  I dont know how.

    In t and t stars , a group of strangers arrived. Mary ed murmur of talk, and  of her house, drying herself.

    ill and Lyra ernoon, and t stirring noo see Mary talking to five or six of ted; but ell.

    Mary saw her and broke away.

    quot;Lyra,quot; s;somet explain and its... I dont kno is... Ive got to go and look. Its an o anyt stop, too anxious...”

    quot;All rig; said Lyra, still dazed from her long sleep.

    Mary looked under tree. ill was rubbing his eyes.

    quot;I really  be too long,quot; s;Atal ay ;

    tient. Mary sly tirrups over ed at once. turned and drove ao the dusk.

    t off in a neion, along t to tter of to t, and its silver-sepia ligo envelop ical icism h.

    Sime to time and touc, but s use it till topped moving. And tly,  ing to stop for anyter an one road and moving slowly along a

    trail of beaten eart ran betand of otle gullies, rickled dorees t clustered there.

    It o ted eadily at to the gully.

    Srickling of t  sound of to one anotopped.

    In t a fele knife. It  so it a little  as if inside t it . And out of it was coming a procession of gs.

    Mary felt as if t art, seizing t branc till  of it.

    Soo, more and more t of to t, and vanished.

    t rangest took a feeps in t, and looked around, transformed  t or smoke, ted a of t breeze.

    Some of toed to tell  t touctle ss, an old woman, beckoned, urging o come close.

    then she spoke, and Mary heard her say:

    quot;tell tories. trut tell true stories, and everyt tell tories.quot;

    t  s ably forgotten, and back in a flood comes all tion  in our sleep. It ried to describe to Atal, t picture; but as Mary tried to find it again, it dissolved and drifted apart, just as the dream was gone.

    All t  ness of t feeling, and tion to tell tories.

    So to t endless silence, more of ts urning to their homeland.

    quot;tell tories,quot; so herself.