The Stranger - Max Frei [265]
“What do you mean, ‘why’? Vile little word. After all, you happened to appear in Juffin’s life, so for me you’re a sort of nephew. Excuse me for resorting to such primitive terminology. But they really are like family ties.”
I smiled. This made sense to me.
“Well, now. I think that’s enough for today,” Mackie announced abruptly. “First, walk outside the city, then come back here and we’ll continue our family reunion in the evening. Otherwise I may end up telling you more than will fit into your hapless head.”
“True, that!”
I didn’t know whether to be glad or to regret the sudden end of the conversation. Maybe I really was in need of some time-out.
“Just tell me one thing, please. How should I get home? I mean, which of these maps is right?”
“They all are,” Mackie said with a shrug. “The fact is that I couldn’t remember exactly how Kettari really was arranged, so there are several floating around out there. The bridges connect the fragments of my reminiscences. You see, I had to create Kettari again from scratch, because the real Kettari was completely destroyed. It’s a sad story—and no witnesses remain alive.”
“Some Mutinous Magician or other?” I asked knowingly.
“Who else? And not ‘someone or other,’ but the cream of the crop: Loiso Pondoxo, the Grand Magician of the Order—”
“—of the Watery Crow!” I added triumphantly, unable to conceal a smile.
“I’d like to see you smile if you met up with this fellow. Although, maybe you would be the one who could really keep smiling,” Mackie said. “Loiso Pondoxo was so formidable, I still can’t imagine how Juffin managed to win that Battle. Perhaps I’m just used to considering him to be young and foolish. Most likely—it’s always like that with pupils. I guess it’s the same way with children. Well, then, to answer your question, it’s all very simple. The Down Home Diner is on all the maps, right?”
“Right.”
“You bet it is. It was my favorite tavern down through all the peaceful centuries. From here you may reach any destination you have in mind. Just use any of the maps that show the house where you’re staying. The bridges themselves will take you where you need to go. Just remember—if you ever get lost, try to find your way back to the Down Home Diner. It’s your point of reference, your touchstone.”
“Great!” I said. “But my heart tells me I’ll have to try to find Lonli-Lokli. What if he ended up in the Kettari where there’s no Old Riverbank Street?”
“Don’t worry. Your friend didn’t cross a single bridge. I’ll let you in on a little secret—he never even left the Country Home.”
“You’re kidding! And he calls that ‘entertainment’? What’s he been doing all this time, eating?”
“He’ll tell you all about it. Don’t worry about him, Max.”
“Thank you, Sir Mackie. I’m grateful to you for the coffee, and to Sir Maba for the cigarettes. I never dared hope—”
“We had nothing to do with it,” Sir Mackie Ainti said. “It was all your own doing. You always get what you want—sooner or later, somehow or other. Strictly speaking, that’s a very dangerous quality. Never mind, though, you’ll manage.”
“I get everything I want?” I was astonished.
This announcement, in my view, didn’t conform to reality at all. Just what “everything” did he mean?
“Yes, that’s what I said. But don’t forget—sooner or later, somehow or other. That changes things, doesn’t it?”
“Yes,” I sighed.
Then we both fell silent. I thought over the new formula for my own happiness, and Mackie observed this process with kind curiosity.
“As I understand it, I can come here anytime?” I asked, getting up to go.
“You? You sure can. Good night, Lady Marilyn.”
“Good night, Sir Mackie.”
I went outside, armed myself with the first map I hit upon, and turned toward my lodgings. I had to gather my thoughts, but the main thing was to make sure my new home still existed.
Everything went off without a hitch. The bridges led me back, just as Mackie had promised they would. And lucky for me, unlike Maba Kalox, he