his wings as he flew away. I couldn’t help but feel this might be a bad omen, but I chose not to voice my concerns to Kishan.
When he asked for a story that night, I told him one I’d read in a book that Mr. Kadam had given me.
“Odin is one of the gods of the Norse people. He has two ravens named Hugin and Munin. Ravens are notorious thieves, and these two pet ravens were sent all over the world to steal for Odin.”
“What did they take?”
“Ah, that’s the interesting thing. Hugin took thoughts and Munin took memories. Odin sent them out early in the morning, and they came back to him in the evening. They perched on his shoulders to whisper the thoughts and memories they had stolen into his ears. This way, he knew everything that happened and everyone’s thoughts and intentions.”
“They would be convenient to have during a battle. You would know what moves the enemy was planning.”
“Exactly. And that is what Odin did. One day, Munin was caught by a traitor. When Hugin returned to whisper thoughts in Odin’s mind, he immediately forgot them. An enemy snuck in that night and overthrew Odin. After that, the people stopped believing in the gods. Hugin flew away, and both birds disappeared. The legend of Odin’s ravens is one of the reasons that seeing a raven is a bad omen.”
Kishan asked, “Kells, are you afraid the raven will steal your memories?”
“My memories are the most precious things that I possess right now. I would do anything to protect them, but no, I’m not afraid of the raven.”
“For a long time, I would’ve given anything to have my memories wiped clean. I thought that if I could forget what happened I might be able to get on with my life.”
“But, you wouldn’t want to forget Yesubai, just like I wouldn’t want to forget Ren or my parents. It’s sad to remember, but it’s a part of who we are.”
“Hmm. Goodnight, Kelsey.”
“Goodnight, Kishan.”
The next morning, as we packed up for the day, I noticed the bracelet Ren had given me was gone. Kishan and I looked everywhere, but couldn’t find it.
“Kells, the camera is missing too, and all the honey cakes.”
“Oh, no! What else?”
He pointedly looked at my throat.
“What? What is it?”
“The amulet is gone.”
“What happened? How were we robbed in the middle of nowhere? How could I not feel someone taking things from off my body as I slept?” I cried frantically.
“I have a suspicion it was the raven.”
“But it’s not real! It’s just a myth!”
“You said yourself that myths are often based on truths or partial truths. Maybe the raven took them. I would have known if it was a person. A bird I ignore when I sleep.”
“What are we going to do now?”
“The only thing we can do. Keep going. We still have our weapons and the Golden Fruit.”
“Yes, but the amulet!”
“It’ll be okay, Kells. Have a little faith, remember? Like the Ocean Teacher said.”
“Easy for you to say. You didn’t have your only picture of Yesubai taken from you.”
He looked at me silently for a moment. “The only picture I ever had of Yesubai is the one in my mind.”
“I know, but—”
He slid a finger under my chin and tipped my face up. “You have a chance to get the man back. Don’t worry so much about the picture.”
“You’re right, you’re right. I know. Let’s get going then.”
We chose the left side of the tree trunk and began walking. The trunk was so huge that I could barely see it curve in the distance.
“What happens when we see the snake, Kells?”
“It’s not a vicious snake. It simply guards the tree. At least that’s the way it looked from the omphalos stone. If the snake feels that we have a legitimate reason to pass, it will allow us. If not, it will try to stop us.”
“Hmm.”
An hour or two later, I was trailing my finger along the bark when the trunk moved.
“Kishan! Did you see that?”
He touched the trunk. “I don’t see anything.”
“Put your hands on it. Feel it right . . . here. You see? The texture changes. There! It’s another shift! Put your hand on top of mine. Can you feel it now?”
“Yes.”
A section of the trunk about six feet wide began to move. Another segment above that shifted in the opposite direction. The patterns seemed familiar, but I couldn’t put it together. It was confusing, like seeing the giant tree and mistaking it for