Martin and Folly travels away from
Amber.
Martin hands Folly up and then mounts behind her. He slides
his arms around her waist and takes the reins, pausing to let her
get comfortable before they ride out.
His route takes them out of the stables and to the north, around
the west side of the mountain. Martin doesn't seem to have
anything to say, and doesn't press Folly for conversation. After
a while, he begins singing. Some of the tunes are familiar to
Folly, but others are not.
"... two were fishes and the other was me ..."
The faintest touch of rose in the sky blossoms, then grows, and
it's dawn. Then, later, daylight.
"... the serving boys you saw last night, they are not here
today ..."
The mountain path is different from the one Folly recalls taking
on previous trips. She's not sure quite what in the early morning
gloom just yet, but it is.
"... 'Son,' he said, 'grab your things, I've come to take
you home' ..."
After a while, Martin pulls out a waterskin and offers Folly some
before drinking himself.
"... Shoot me the pot and I'll pour me a shot ... "
The mountain they're on is much smaller than Kolvir, Folly
realizes.
"... just go put on your cleats, and come and trample me
..."
They come off the mountain and into hills that Folly knows aren't
the ones on the north side of Kolvir.
"... it's not your fault, but your honesty touches me like a
fire ..."
They ride past a herd of llamas on a hillside, and the llama-herder
waves at them. Martin waves back.
"... but I showed him a thing or two by blowing the jail to
hay-ull ..."
The hills flatten out further and then they're on a flat plain.
"... my infatuation has led to the deflation of my opinion
of myself ..."
In the distance, there are trees, and Martin urges the horse to a
gallop towards them. When they get there, Folly happens to look
back, and the grasses of the plain are a different color from the
grasses of the plain they rode through to get there.
"... and then she fell into my arms, beside the banks of
Avon ..."
They stop, then, to break their fast quickly and stretch weary
legs and let the horse drink from a convenient creek. Soon
enough, they're back ahorse and moving again.
"... twenty-five bucks? f**k that s**t ..."
The trees seem to thicken as Folly and Martin ride onwards.
"... the latest one by Barbara Cartland, or something in
that style ..."
Their character is slowly changing, too, and Folly notices that
it's getting a bit warmer. Maples and such have given way to
soaring pines.
"... you love her, and she loves him, and he loves somebody
else, you just can't win ..."
And thence, after a while, to magnolias and cypresses.
"... and I don't wanna wind up being parted, broken-hearted
..."
Folly has begun to notice that it's not only hot, but damp, in a
sort of unpleasant tropical way.
"... the swan was in her movement, and the morning in her
smile ..."
The horse is occasionally crossing little streams and such. After
some more time, the ground itself becomes damp and a little
squishy.
"... and I love the ground whereon she stands ..."
Moss covers more and more of the trees.
"... let the broken sky break above our heads ..."
The changes still come, but they are slower and more subtle. Time
seems to have stabilized, too, and it's now late afternoon.
"... you make me feel like I am clean again ..."
Along a bayou path, Folly and Martin see something moving. Martin
touches the horse and it moves along a little more quickly. He's
singing more softly now, and although Folly knows his voice is
wearing out, she doesn't feel that that's the reason.
"... cut a six-inch valley through the middle of my soul
..."
The sun begins to slide below the horizon, slowly, lingeringly.
"... you shine like the moon over water, and you darken the
sky when you leave ..."
And the full moon rises, low and heavy in the sky.
"... give me cof-fee, ja-va, cup-pa joe ..."
Then they break out of the jungle-like woods at the water's edge.
There's a dock with a small sailboat tied to it. In the
moonlight, Folly can read the name of the boat: the Bonne Chance.
Up the shore a ways there's a cabin, and lamplight shines from
the windows. As Martin dismounts and helps Folly step down, the
door bangs open and a voice calls, "Who's there?"
Martin calls back, "It's Mr. Chance, Jim."