Chapter 4: Of Songs and Townsfolk Part 3

—Tell me about the town, Farhana —I said, trying to sound casual, though knowing that firsthand information is always the most valuable.

Farhana stretched in her chair, her little hat teetering dangerously on her head, and she adjusted it with a quick gesture while her tail moved lazily in small circles. She was watching us, evaluating us. We knew she was interested in us—both Mi Fan and me—but she still hadn't completely lowered her guard. There was still some ice to break. We needed to reel her in... something Sherry would do with grace.

—But first, what beautiful fangs you have —I said, with that light, carefree tone we sometimes forget we handle so well.

Farhana opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, flashing a playful smile, showing her sharp teeth as if teasing with the idea of biting but without any real intention to do so. It seemed she liked the compliment.

—You’re quite the charmer, Mr. Mimic —she replied, her smile just a bit wider than necessary.

We returned the smile, knowing we were making progress. Sometimes, all it takes is an unexpected comment, an out-of-place compliment, to start revealing cracks.

I smiled at Mi Fan, looking for that complicity. I wanted her to join the game we were all playing implicitly. I even think Farhana was waiting for it, with a hint of expectation in her bright eyes. But Mi Fan, as always, kept her stoic expression.

I gave her a couple of light nudges with my elbow, trying to break the silence and encourage her to say something, to join in the act we were putting on. But she just looked back at me, blinking first with one eye, then the other, slowly and deliberately.

It was her way of telling me she wasn’t convinced at all.

We knew how to read those gesturesⁿ.

—Come on, Mi Fan —I murmured, without stopping my smile at Farhana—. Say something nice to the lady.

Mi Fan paused for a long moment, as if weighing the importance of the moment, then let out a small sigh and, with her usual neutrality, muttered:

—You... have a very long tail.

Farhana let out a small laugh, covering her mouth with her hand, clearly amused by the unexpected comment.

—Thank you! That’s very kind of you —she said, with a warm smile.

With the pleasantries out of the way, we could finally focus on what really mattered: information.

—So, Farhana... about the town —I said, leaning forward a little.

—Ah, right, the town... —she responded, settling into her chair, while her tail lazily swayed to one side—. We’re a small community, fewer than two hundred inhabitants, mostly dedicated to apple trading and repairing some metal junk brought in from nearby towns. They say most of us are descendants of great engineers and mechanics. The old folks are always bragging about how things were better back in the day when the great metal machines crossed the ocean. —Farhana looked out the window, her eyes drifting to some distant point—. But those are relics of the past, left behind by Mahayan Industries as if they never passed through here.

I already knew that, of course. The Mahayan family had founded this place to repair trains, to keep their technology a secret. Only the Mahayan and a few members of the elite truly understood how those ancient beasts of steel worked.

I, on the other hand, preferred to forget and pretend that all I knew was that the train went brrrrm.

Farhana started laughing, but the sound wasn’t filled with joy—there was something bitter to it, like someone who’s grown accustomed to laughing at their own misery.

—The old folks always talk about how this town was "chosen" by the gods —she said, mimicking the words of the elders with a mocking tone—. That the Mahayans used it because it sat on some kind of energy residue... or something like that. It always seemed like superstition to me. If it were true, this place wouldn’t be so... empty. The stones of the earth don’t work right here anymore. It’s like this place rejects technology, or as if the Mahayans are still laughing at us, even after they’ve gone. —Her laugh echoed with a kind of resigned bitterness.

I stayed silent for a second. That "residue of energy" made me think of ley lines, of the forces said to flow beneath the earth. But it wasn't the time to interrupt her. I let her keep talking.

—Since the Mahayan family disappeared from the town—Farhana continued, her voice tinged with a shadow of melancholy—, and since the UCN (Continental Union of Nations) imposed the regulations that banned the passage of transoceanic trains along the agreed routes, this town started to... die. —Her eyes seemed to drift off for a moment, as if she was remembering something—. Now, only those of us who couldn’t escape this cage are left.

The word "cage" echoed in my mind.

—We only have one school. No nearby universities. One doctor for the whole town. And… a dumb sheriff who spends his time constantly accusing people left and right, as if that’s going to solve anything. —She gave a bitter smile—. And now… a murder.

We felt the weight of her words, though I always found a way to see things from a slightly lighter perspective. It was easy for people in this place to get trapped in their stories, their nostalgia, their sadness.

Farhana shrugged again, as if she had already resigned herself to the town’s fate. But there was something in her eyes that suggested she didn’t completely accept it. Maybe it was that spark of buried hope, the same one that drove her to dream of studying in Ajna.

—But you two are different —said the raccoon, smiling at us with all her teeth on display. I knew she liked the comment. Sherry’s charm never fails. As she spoke, her little hat continued its eternal battle to stay on her head.

—You’re from Mauria, aren’t you? —she asked, pointing at me with curiosity.

—That I am. —I smiled, striking a slightly dramatic pose—. What gave it away? My beautiful fur, my unique view of the world, or my blue eyes?

She let out a little giggle, but her eyes focused on my face.

—The bindi... that blue mark on your forehead. —She said as she stretched out her hand, trying to touch it.

Instinctively, I gently pushed her hand away, stepping back at the same time.

—P-please … Don’t touch it —I said, my voice firmer than usual, while I softly ran my hand over my fur, as if to calm myself.

—Sorry... —she murmured, a bit startled by my reaction. Then, she turned to Mi Fan, trying to ease the moment—. And you... are you from Zhou?

—Yes, from the Yangzen region —Mi Fan replied, with that sense of pride and belonging so characteristic of the Fan family. That was something I always liked about her family; they knew exactly who they were.

The raccoon’s eyes widened, clearly impressed.

—Fēnyīn shū rǎojīn, nèn sǎo de? —Farhana said, her tail wagging excitedly.

—Wò bā shū rǎojīn, dàn wò néng huà tā shì dùn yàn mào.—Mi Fan responded, with a small flick of her tail. Both girls burst out laughing.

I laughed too. They thought I didn’t understand Zhounese, but they were wrong. I had learned it, of course, but I didn’t want to spoil their little moment of connection. Besides, even though Mi Fan had just called me "dumb," I preferred to let them enjoy their little joke.