The boy seemed serious about it, and I felt stunned once more. I tried to explain that I was only checking the celebration and that I had no intetion of taking part in the orgy, but he made me go silent with a mere wave of his white hand.

"I know you are new here. What ever is your name, please tell me that", he continued. I told my name and kept myself from getting stunned because of the new twist. "Why, Spark, I am called Northern", he said, and then offered me his hand. I took it cautiously and followed him to an outlying fire. Looking at his sample I sat, though keeping a proper distance to the boy, and then stared at the dancing flames for a while, not knowing what to do next.

"I did not think of... such togetherness", said Northern from among the rattle of the flames. "I would merely like to get to know you" he continued, and turned his head to catch my eyes. I forced myself to look at him in the eye, and then I noticed that his pupils were black, too, against their white background.

"It'd be nice", I then said, and as if I had given him a permission, Northern moved nearer and put his hand behind me on the ground. "Have you thought of joinig us?", he asked, looking intensively me in the eye. I couldn't say no, I couldn't say yes, so I only shook my head and told that I wasn't sure about it yet.

"I hope you would join... Spark", Northern said velvetly, and smiled a little. I felt weird warmness and I assumed it wasn't because of the fire. The evening had gone dark and was turning into night. The voices around the clearing were becoming quiet.

It was nice to talk with Northern, and after a moment I noticed that I was tightly against his side. His hand was around me and I felt safe there, as if I was leaning against a soft cirrus. I was just thinking about falling asleep there, when I suddenly remembered that I should've been at home already. But, wonder of wonders, it didn't bother me at all, and sighing a little, I pressed my head against Northern's chest.

"This part of the celebration is beginning to end", said Northern looking over the clearing. I didn't answer, because I felt so tired. "Where are you going to sleep?", he then asked, turning to look at me. "What?", said I faintly and lifted my head a little. "Why, I assume you must sleep somewhere, must you not?", said Northern, touching my hair gently and smiling with his white lips.

I asked where was he going to sleep, and he said he wasn't sure yet. "Us Black-and-whites, we sleep where we can during our celebration. I have heard there is a cabin near, and a barn where we can sleep", he continued. "It's our cabin", I notified, and Northern told that the clan memebers had slept there many times before, too.

"Could I come there with you?", he asked, and for a moment I pondered my answer. "Yes", I then said, "I suppose you can. But I would not like to walk..."

"I will carry you", said Northern immediately, and offered his hand to lift me up. I tried to splutter something as an objection, but he told me to just jump on his back and be silent. Finally I agreed and felt surprised when I noticed the boy's hidden power that locked me tightly against him. At first I thought I should instruct the boy, but apparently he seemed to know the way. I leaned against his shoulder and fell asleep like a child.

"We are here, Spark", I heard Northern saying after a moment that felt like a second, and let him put me down on the ground. I saw that there was a light coming from the cabin, as well as from the sauna, too, and I assumed that the other members of the clan had already come. Even in the barn there seemed to be a candle or two.

We went in the cabin, and immediately the happy chatting in there fell silent. Then someone called out to Northern. "Northern, hi!", he said, and with that the others greeted him too, looking at me curiously. I didn't know what to do. After all, it was our cabin, but on the other hand there were plenty of the clan members, and they had been there before over the night. Luckily Northern solved the problem for me by introducing me.

"This lady here is Spark, the mistress of this cabin", he told, and at that moment all the faces in the room turned concerned. "If it is suitable for Spark, you may stay here", Northern continued and turned to me, as every other person in the room. For a moment it was silent, and I didn't know what to say. I looked from a black and white face to another black and white face, and all of them were inquiring.

"Yes, it's okay", I finally promised, and immediately a sigh of relief echoed in the room. After that a couple of them came to thank me and shake hands, and soon I was surrounded by them. Everyone wanted to say thanks and pad my back or to hug me or kiss my hand, and it made me feel a bit stunned. Finally they drew back and then Northern invited me with him on the double-bed.

"You looked as if you were scared", he said, and stroked my cheek. "Why you... I mean they acted like that? Though you're fighting a war against humen?", I asked quietly, looking shyly around the room where the Black-and-whites were sitting and laughing.

"Well, Spark. You see, we are still humen, though a bit dissimilar", he started. "Sacrificing a faceless mass does not feel so bad. But having to face an aboveground individual is yet confusing, even scary. We are not ruthless killers, at least not every one of us, and those who are, do not want to spend their nights near these superterranenan buildings, for they loathe the aboveground humen so much. So we feel as welcomed to a foreign house as you yourself would feel."

His voice was so soft and velvet-like that I started feeling sleepy again. I leaned against his side and tried to figure out that since when had I become attached to someone as much and as fast. Then I yawned widely, and Northern suggested going to bed.

I took the gown off, and then tried to discover a place where I could change to my night shirt. Finally, when I had realised there was no place hidden from all the people, I turned towards a wall and did the changing in the living-room.

"You are beautiful", said Northern simply as I returned to his side, and I conjetured that he had been looking at me all the time. I smiled and climbed on the bed next to the wall. I noticed that someone had taken my sleeping bag, but it didn't bother me. I lifted the counterpane and slipped under it.

Northern also took his clothes off, save for underpants, and came next to me under the blanket. He left a distance, but I, suddenly encouraged, moved near him. Someone circled around the room blowing out the candles, and as the last flame went out, the room became totally dark.

I felt Norhtern's warm skin next to mine, and suddenly I wanted to kiss him immediately. I aspired upon him and searhed his lips with mine. I felt him responding to my kiss and drawing my body tighter against him. I wasn't going to let the situation go any farer than that, however, so I set my lips apart of his and stuck tightly by his side. I fell asleep almost right away, and didn't wake up until the next morning.

The next day was heading towards midday, when I felt the lips on my cheek. All the others were already awake, and Northern had come finally to wake me up, too. "I told them to be quiet", he said and touched my hair. "But at last it is time to get up. The celebration contienues."

I got up and dressed up in the same clothes I had had yesterday. With Northern and the other Black-and-whites I left the cabin, without eating any breakfast, because they had me convinced that I'd get some at the clearing. It was also some rule of theirs; you weren't allowed to eat anyhting outside the celebration. And soon we were there, a part of a crowd that strolled from the woods.

"Why hello, Spark", said Smildon as he came next to us from the mass. I greeted him, and he started walking along with me and Northern. "I see you've found some new friends", he said, referring to Northern, and then greeting him by name, too. "Have you made your decision yet?", he continued, looking at me.

"Yes", said I, surprising even myself. All of us three stopped, and both Smildon and Northern were looking at me inquiringly. "I", started I, keeping a dramatical pause before continuing:"am going to join the Black-and-whites." A smile rose to Northern's face and he emraced me warmly while Smildon was alighting happily next to us. "That's great!", he said and padded my shoulder.

At that moment I remembered my father and Rick, and for a fleeting instant I pondered how were they and whether they were worried about me. But the harder I tried to keep their picture in my mind, the faster it seemed to fade, and soon I had forgotten the thought again.

"The affiliation ceremony can be kept tonight", told Smildon. "Don't be afraid, it's not bad. I've been talking 'bout it with the Darkest already. Here are some other humen who are going to join, too, so you don't have to be alone there."

Soon Smildon went to take care of his own duties, and I stayed there with Northern. He told that they had some plants for breakfast, like white flowers and black berries and olives.

When the Darkest had once again knocked the stone with his stick, we began eating. I sat with Northern on the icy and snowy ground, and wondered whereof the gown I was wearing was made. It didn't get wet when it was in touch with snow and it didn't even let the coldess through. When I was just about to ask about this from Northern, Smildon came there with his own plate.

While we were eating, Smildon told me more about the upcoming ceremony. I heard that the Darkest himself would take care of the rituals, and that he would also seal the whole thing with a kiss. That part astonished me a bit, but Smildon assured that it was merely a common custom with both men and women, only a formality. Still I felt a small feeling of fear in my stomach as I thought about it.

During the afternoon I had some spare time with Northern while the superiors and the Darkest were planig their next attack. We circled around the clearing and chatted. At times we would stop to embrace or kiss, and then I kenw I had found something special, someone to love. Though I had met Northern only the previous day, it felt as if I had known him for years. I wanted to be with him until the last fight, and I told it to him, too.

"And soon you are able to do that", he said. "When you become a member of the clan, you can come with us to live under the ground. It is pretty nice there, although it might not sound like it. I am sure you enjoy it there." He held both of my hands and looked at me with those strange eyes. I lifted my hand to stroke his soft white hair, and smiled. I wondered if my hair became black and white, too, after the change, or only black as the others had. I hadn't come to think of asking about Norhtern's white hair before, but now I did it.

"My grandfather was Father Frost", he answered, and explained that the whiteness stays in the family for a couple of generations, because Father Frost was all over white. The other Black-and-whites, as he told me, were just original aboveground children, and for that reason black-haired.

"I wonder if I'll have black hair too", said I, and I assumed him to tell that it would be so. "I am not sure. White hair is rare amongst us, but on the other hand your hair is quite blond...", said Northern, pondering. "My own hair was nearly white even before the change", he told. "Maybe, if you have some peculiarly white, powerful character in your family, it is possible for you to have at least partly white hair."

I was pondering about this, when I noticed that the clan was gathering together again. I remembered it was the time for the hunt to begin again, and I assumed I would be left alone during it. Northern hugged me before he stepped forward with the other men to get himself a weapon. Then each of them left in their own direction, and soon there were only women in the clearing.

Jolie and Nave came to me after a moment, and the other of them seemd gloomy, wheras the other seemed a whole lot of happier. "Hi, Spark!", said Jolie perkily, but Nave merely nodded, low-sprinted. "Did u have fun last night?", asked Jolie, emphasizing the word 'fun' so that I'd certainly undrestand what she was trying to say.

"Well, not exactly fun as you say it", I answered. "But pretty fun, still." Jolie was giggling when she told me that she had been with Smildon all night long. Nave didn't say a word about her evening, but instead asked how had I been. I told them that I had met Northern, and they said they had heard of him.

"Weird guy", said Jolie. "I don't trust 'im at all, 'cos he's so damn white hair. 'T's so... unprecedented", she continued. I decided not to comment, because I assumed Northern to be a decent boy, as Smildon himself had also accepted him.

Soon the men came back from the woods with impaled animals, teh same way as the night before. I took my palce between Jolie and Nave and started skinning the animlas along with the other women of the clan. This time it was somewhat easier for me, and I had altogether four birds and one rabbit skinned before the meat was collected to the baskets and carried to be cooked in the fire.

After I had feasted with Smildon and Northern I began getting ready for the ceremony, where I was about to become a member of the clan. Smildon told me that the ceremony would't last for long, and that after it we were allowed to have spare time until the next day. He had planned that he'd keep a welcoming party for me in our cabin, but he didn't want to tell anyhting more.

The ceremony began after everyone had come as near to the pile of stones as they could. At first the Darkest invited every upcoming member on the top, and after having an encouraging kiss from Northern I climbed up the rocky side of the pile. There were three other aboveground people together with me, and they looked as scared as I felt. We were standing in a row while the Darkest was scrutinizing us. I stood between two young boys and extremely in the right there was a woman, about thirty years of her age.

Suddenly the Darkest stopped in front of me and by bending his black finger he invited me to step forward. I was paralyzed with fear, but somehow I managed to step onwards. To my relief the Darkest merely directd me to a new position, to the left side of the row, and removed the boy standing next to me to cover the hole that had formed. I didn't dare to look at the crowd that stood below, silent. I new that every eye was looking at us.

The Darkest turned around and disappeared for a moment into a cellar-like hole between the stones. When he came back he had one black and one white bottle, and a big goblet in his hands. He poured some potion from both bottles in to the goblet and stirred it with his stick. Then he lifted the goblet high up, and as from one mouth the crowd started chanting some kind of a mantra that was impossible to understand.

For a moment nothing happened. Then, out of the blue, a tiny piece of lightning fell from the black clouds straight in to the goblet, forming a small explosion. After that a thin streak of steam rose from the goblet, and I assumed that the potion in it was extremely hot.

The round began from the right verge. The Darkest raised the goblet on the lips of the thirty-year-old woman and bended it so that the vaporing liquid was able to flow inside her mouth. After the woman had swallowed it the Darkest took a firm catch of the woman's occiput with his black hand, and then pressed a kiss to her mouth shamelessly, but still very formally.

Immediately it seemed as if the woman's skin flashed like a lightning, and when the Darkest let her go, her skin had turned white as snow and her hair was black as night. The crowd began cheering, but the Darkest made them fall silent before he moved onwards in the row.

He repeated the same action with the young boys, too, first giving them the potion and then kissing them immediately after they had swallowed. It was the same with them, too: first their bodies flashed and then their skin had gone white and their hair had gone black.

At last it was my turn. Before the Darkest started the ritual, he stood looking first at me and then up to the sky, where the clouds had taken charge over the lights of the sky. Finally he turned his gaze back at me and stepped onwards with the goblet. I bended to drink from it, and assumed that the vaporing potion would burn my mouth, but I was truly surprised as I noticed it wasn't so. The potion didn't taste like anything I had tasted before, and I drank everything that was left of it in the goblet.

The Darkest bended quickly to kiss me, and somehow I felt that there was some weird passion in that kiss, something that I hadn't noticed during the other rituals. I felt an odd electric feeling going through my body, and for a moment I saw how the whole clearing was covered with a pale light that seemed to have come from my own body. The crowd sighed with admiration as the strange halo appeared, and a moment after that they sighed again as all the clouds in the sky withdrew and let the full Moon become visible.

The Darkest let go of me and looked at my new body, smiling with his black lips. Then he grabbed my hand and lifted it high up towards the sky, shouting audibly: "The daughter of the Moon in the ninth generaton!" Everybody started cheering and clapping, and it seemed as if the Moon was shining even brighter now. I hadn't known myself that I was a grandchild of the Moon, but to my suprise I wasn't even stunned about it.

At the end of the ceremony the Darkest welcomed us, and then read some of the most important rules of the clan aloud. Then we were allowed to return among the oters to spend the rest of the evening as we wanted to.

"I did not know that you were an offspring of the Moon", said Northern when I came to him. I stared at my white hands with bewilderment, and told him that I hadn't known it myself, either, until this day. "You have some white in your hair, too", he notified, and took the strand in his hand, showing it to me. It really was white, and it was in the same spot as Northern's black stripe. "The Moon is white, also", he explained and took me into his embrace.

Shortly after that Smildon came to us too, and notified the same thing. The Moon was still shinig as brightly in the sky as a moment before. "Shall we then leave for the cabin?", asked Smildon after welcoming me to the clan. To me and Northern it was fine, and so we left. Smildon had also invited some of his familiars, including Jolie and Nave, and they left with us as we walked past them. There were altogether ten Black-and-whites, half of them unfamiliar to me.

When we reached the cabin I stood in front of the hall's mirror and examined my metamorphosis through it. I was now completely black and white, too, and my skin was shining pale when the moonlight hit it from the open door. Somehow I noticed that I was more beautiful than before, and it was interesting to see how perfectly those two colours assimilated with each other in my body. Nothing was red anymore, the green of my eyes had turned into black and even my mouth had changed it's color from the inside; everything, including my tongue, was now black, and only my teeth were still shining white.

Northern came next to me and put his arm around my waist. We were a bit like yin and yang when there was a black stripe in his white hair and I had a white stripe in my black hair. We looked at our reflection for a while, and the Moon was our only light. When someone finally started lighting sme candles we moved to the living-room. Smildon had a bag from which he took a couple of black bottles and one white, and invited us all to have a toast as an honour for the new members.

"Smierc, could you bring the box that lies next to the doorway?", he said to a man who had long face and who's hair was combed amazingly srtict from the middle to both sides of his head. The man, Smierc, had not been seated yet, so he turned around to fetch the box. When Smildon got it, he opened the cover and took some goblets out of it, giving one for each of us. Then he opened one black bottle and poured some beverage for everyone, emptying it.

"For the new Black-and-whites!", he said, and we lifted our goblets towards the moon beam that came from the window. I tasted the drink, but I couldn't connect it to anything. But at least it wasn't the same we had drank during the meals.

"But isn't it forbidden to drink outside the celebration?", I asked from Smildon suddenly. "No, only eating", he said. "You can drink, if the liquid has come from a black or white vessel. And, as you can see, this bottle is black, as well as the goblets."

When everyone had drank their first gobletful, Smildon asked if someone else would like to suggest a toast. Northern made a movement next to me and I turned to look at him. He smiled and said: "I would like to, Smildon". Smildon looked at him inquirinly, but Northern was focused to look at my eyes. "To Spark and me. To us", he said, and a small feeling of happiness tickled in my stomach. We raised our goblets but instead of drinking from them as the others did, we kissed, and it felt as if we had just made a deeper commitment. All the others started clapping and whistling, and some of them laughed happily.

After a couple of gobletfuls the athmosphere was more relaxed, and I assumed that the drink contained something sronger. Smildon brought the white bottle spectacularly up, and some of the men in the crowd cheered, impressed.

"And at last but not least", said Smildon, opening the bottle. He poured some white vapouring fluid into the goblets, and as I looked at it I would've thougth it was liquid sky, because it seemed so strange. At first it seemed to be completely tarnsparent, then ice blue and then more like silver.

"Let this be to... Well, to the clan, and to the attack of tomorrow. It will be the best for so long", said Smildon while raising his goblet. Feeling curious I put the goblet to my lips and let a string of that odd potion flow in my mouth. The taste of it was the most weirdest, and I didn't manage to find out whether the drink was hot or cold, or something from in between. I tasted another sip, but still I remained as unaware of the nature of it. It was good, though.

After a couple of sips I felt weird, as if I was drunk or something. Then I came to think that maybe I was. After all, I had drunk something that I wasn't quite sure of what it was or even what it was called, so it could have been possible. And besides, when I was watchig the way the other attendants were acting, I noticed that they certainly had no conrol over themselves anymore. I turned to face Northern, and suddenly he fell to my embrace, clearly drunk. I didn't protest, though, only let him give me his wet kisses and touch my intimate places. It didn't even feel that awful.

"Th'liquor, 's over, Smildon?", asked one of the men, and Smildon told him that so was the case. "I couldn't get any more", he explained, his voice lisping a bit. At that moment I remeberd that daddy had a wine stock outside, in a root cellar, and as an aberration I told this to the others. Only an instant after I remembered that all the bottles were green, and therefore forbidden.

"Hey, les get 'em!", said Smierc, making the others, even Smildon, agree with. "But the bottles are green", I notified before no one had time to anything. "They're forbidden", I continued, though I was sure that everyone knew it.

"Why, 't can't be that bad", said Smierc, pointing his words more likely to Smildon than to me. "Yes... Well I g'ss not", said Smildon to my surprise. "We can drink from these goblets!", he continued and rose up right away to fetch the bottles from the cellar. I tried to make him stop, but Northern grabbed my arm before I could do or say anything. "Hey, wouldn't u like ta hav' som' more? Like a better feelin' or som'thin'?", he spluttered, and I told him that actually no, no I didn't.

When Smildon finally came in with the bottles, I didn't dare to object him. There were altogether four wine bottles. It wasn't that expencive, the wine, though it was a bit old. Smildon emptied bottle after bottle in the goblets, and after two bottles some of the attendants already passed out in the corners. Finally I agreed to take one gobletful of the wine, because I thought that maybe Smildon knew what he was doing, when he ws after all the next Darkest-to-be.

Eventually there were only me, Smildon, Smierc, Northern and Jolie, who were still up, though Jolie looked as if she might fall on the floor at any moment. Northern was all over drunk, and I had to almost hit him to keep him away from me. I didn't like it at all anymore.

"Sho, lasht dropsh", said Smildon and poured the contents of the last bottle in three goblets. The men drank their drinks with one gulp, and after that Smierc finally suggested going to bed. I agreed happily, because I had been tired for a great while, and I hadn't dared to go to sleep when the others were still awake. I lifted Northern up and guided him to the double-bed. He fell on the bed and passed out as he did so, which was a relief to me. I climbed over him on the other side of the bed, without bothering to take my clothes off, and fell asleep immediately.

The morning dawned down, sinister; black clouds were covering the sky and it seemed as if the whole outdoors had turned into grey. I woke up before the others, feeling only a small headache. I pushed Northern and he moaned, but didn't wake up. I pushed him again, and this time he rolled from side to side before he finally opened his eyes.

"Hey", he said with a husky voice and looked as if he was trying to focus his gaze at me with a very troublesome manner. I answered lamely and told him that the day had passed the midday already. "Did you have some action today?", I asked, and he pondered a while before answering. "Yeah... We had. That attack...", he said, looking a bit more sober now.

He found Smildon with his eyes and climbed arduously off the bed. "Smildon! Hey, Smildon, wake up!", he said and shook the man by his shoulder. Smildon woke up, grunting, and asked immediately what was the time. "It is a little over midday", said Northern, and Smildon rose up quick as lighting.

"We're in a hurry"!, he cried, and began waking the others. "Spark, take those bottles and break them in the forest", he told me, and I grabbed the empty wine bottles he pointed, two of them in each hand. I ran a long way in to the woods, away from the cabin and the path that lead to the clearing. Finally I found a stone the size of my head, and knocked each of the bottles broken against it. I covered the slivers with snow as well as I could, and when I came back I tried to cover my footprints, too, using a spruce branch.

As I came back to the cabin, there was no one there, and I assumed they had already left for the clearing. I started pacing along the path fast, and in no time I was at the clearing. It seemed that all the Black-and-whites were already there, gathered around the pile of stones. I ran to he crowd and tried to see Smildon or Northern, but they weren't there. Jolie and Nave I saw standing near the pile, and I slalomed past the people to them.

"What's going on?", I asked, but Jolie didn't answer, only shook her head and put her finger to her lips as a sign of silence. I looked around me and saw that all the faces were serious. I still couldn't see Smildon or Northern in the crowd, and it made me feel worried.

On the top of the pile the Darkest yelled with an inhuman voice and lifted his stick towards the sky. The clouds began moving around and gathering even more tighter above the clearing, and the people around me started moving uncomfortably. Some of them began walking towards the border of the clearing, and more and more of the others followed their sample.

"Come", said Jolie to me and grabbed my arm, but I refused, telling her to wait. "Tell me, Jolie, what is this?", I said, and the girl stopped. "He knows", she said. "The Darkest knows everything." The knowledge of this struck me little by little, and when I finally relised waht it meant, I asked, if we were going to be punished.

"No...", said Jolie slowly, equivocating. At that moment there was some new movement right from us. When I turned to look at there, I saw a huge black wolf walking towards the pile. Apparently it had its mouth full of something, but because of the distance I wasn't sure of what it was.

The wolf stopped when it reached the pile, about 15 feet from us, and dropped the contents of its mouth on the ground. Small, crimson drops fell together with those things, and when I looked a bit more accurately I saw that the things the wolf had dropped were slivers of glass. Green slivers of glass.

I stared at them, terrified, and though I tried to think that they weren't the same I had left in the forest, I knew I was wrong. Jolie grabbed my hand again, now tighter, and drew me along with her. I cast one last glance to the slivers lying on the ground, and turned to face the direction we were heading.

As I did so I saw a row of men coming towards us, and I slipped past them, turning to look back again. The men lined up around the pile like into a form of a wall, and to my shock I noticed that the whole pile had been covered by a black cloud, so that the top wasn't visible anymore.

Again I turned around to flee from the pile, and then I saw some of the last men coming towards me. Four of them were unfamiliar to me, but the rest of them were Smierc, Smildon and Northern. In other word, there were all the men that had been at the cabin last night. They all looked serious and scared.

I rushed towards Northern who went sad as he saw me. When I reached him I tried to ask what was happening, but he only put his finger on my lips to make me fall silent. I embraced him tightly, and somehow all of that seemed as if it was final, and heart-breakingly sad. He pressed me firmly against himself and let go way too fast. He glanced at me for the last time and then walked past me. I turned around and saw him disappearing through the wall of those gown covered men, who were all a lot taller than him.

Jolie came next to me again, taking me with her, and I ran, hanging from her arm, to the border of the forest. We sat on a rack of a fallen tree and stayed there, looking at the pile, though nothing was there to be seen. I wanted to ask like a milloin questions, but nothing came out of my mouth.

Time went on, and the black cloud rolled slowly around the pile, rising up to sky and melting with the other clouds there. I wonered what was happening inside of it and I was scared because of Northern. I wanted to believe that the punishment couldn't be that bad, but I had seen the seriousness and fear on every face, and felt it in Northern's last embrace, too. I buried my face in my hands only a second before something happened.

A horrible noice echoed over the clearing, a noice that sounded as if a raptor had shrieked. I lifted my glace and stood up right away. Jolie grabbed my gown, but let go an instant after. From between the men that formed the wall I saw other men coming out of the circle; obiviously they were the same men that had entered the crowd last, including Northern. Now all of them roamed with their heads down and their hair covering their faces, and their movement was clumsy and robot-like.

I began walknig towards them, alarmed, and ran the last steps to Northern. I stopped him by putting my hand on his chest, feeling terrified as I didn't know what was wrong with him. Fearfully I touched his white hair and moved them away from his face.

The shock I felt was something I had never felt before. Northern's face looked as if it had become flat in any means. Where his eyes and nose were supposed to be, was now only bloodred, gaping holes. His mouth was open and I saw that his tongue no more existed in it; it had been cut off. I backed down a couple of steps and realised that the boy was no more in this reality. He acted like a robot and didn't react when I touched him, and when I let go of him, he only contienued his strolling like nothing had happened. Feeling terrified I noticed that Smildon and the others were in the same condition. I stood there, not wanting to look at the way those seven creatures were heading.

As I stood there a huge downpour began, and after a moment the snow that had been on the ground had melted away, revealing the expired weed and the ugly brown autumn soil. Feeling moody I stood there and let the rain make me all over wet, and I would have never moved away if Jolie hadn't fetched me with her. I didn't, or couldn't understand her words. I blamed myself because of this all, for I was the one who had told about the wine.

I let Jolie drag me away with her to where ever it was she was going, and in a moment I noticed that I was back at the cabin. Jolie took my wet clothes off and put me on the bed, covering me with a blanket. I didn't even try to resist her. It was still daytime, but yet I fell asleep like baby. Maybe it was better that way.

*****

The Sun tickled the tip of my nose, and I grunted to its warmth. I turned to my other side so that the beams no longer touched my face, and opened my eyes. I was at our cabin, and I noticed that the time was about nine in the morning. I sat up and looked around me. The place seemed unchanged. First I put my feet on the floor and then stood up carefully. I walked to the window and saw that the ground was covered with snow. The first snow, I thought, and looked at its beautiful integrity that contienued as long as the eye can see.

After a moment of watching I walked to the kitchen's side and put the coffee on the making. I went to the table to wait for the water to boil, and wondered, what was it that I had forgotten, because there was a strange feeling in my chest. A feeling of emptiness and hurt, and it felt like I had wasted a part of my life somewhere.

Then I came to think of my hands. They weren't the same they had been last time, I relised. They were white, white as snow. I stared at them, first scared, then interested, and after that I walked in front of the hall's mirror.

My first notice was that my hair was now black, with only one white stripe. The second notice was that my skin was white in my face and legs, too, and the third notice was that my pupils were entirely black. I examined my reflection and tried to remember. I couldn't find any memory considering this metamorphosis of mine.

Then I came to think that maybe I was dead. The dead were white sometimes, weren't they? I showed my tongue to the reflection, and saw that it was black, too.

The water boiled over on the oven at the same moment my cell phone rang. I grabbed the kettle and put it away and then searched my phone from my bag. I looked at the screen where the text 'Daddy calling' flashed inquirinly. That didn't grab my attention, though. The thing that did was written on the up right corner of the screen. The text there told me that it was Sunday, the 28th of October.

the end