It was called Sky Forest because it was where the sky danced with the land. There were arches of rock, clothed in old, persistent greens, under which roots dangled and birds nested. There were waterfalls that never landed, their waters blown to mist. Bears and catbats made homes in the caves. An ancient sky dragon roosted in the hollowed mountain by the sea to the east, though rumor was that it had slept for so long it had turned to stone. The world through Red’s eyes was limitless, and she loved every part of it. And if there was anything she couldn’t do herself, she knew Wolfram would help her. No matter how busy he pretended to be, he would always go swimming with her in the sink hole if no one else wanted to. Knowing that she would always had him made her brave.
Today she wanted to catch a catbat. She had made a web out of rope and she had checked every inch of her abseiling gear. Her parents didn’t know, of course, otherwise they would have forbid her from going. But Wolfram had made her promise to tell him about these things before she did them. In return, he promised that he wouldn’t tell on her, but if he felt it too dangerous, he would come with her, which was fair enough given that it was more fun to have Wolfram around anyway.
She found him in the library, pouring over books while he compiled a letter, so absorbed in the process that she wasn’t noticed until she stole his inkwell.
“Ah, here’s trouble,” Wolfram said, grinning.
Red sheepishly returned the ink. “Do you want to catch a catbat?”
“Of course I do.” Wolfram put down his pen and stretched his arms. “But I have to send this letter today.”
“What is it about?” Red knew that it was rude to pry into people’s correspondence. She had been scolded by her father for reading his letter just because she could read. But she had evidently not learned her lesson for even now she was trying to read Wolfram’s words upside down.
“Well, it’s a suggestion for leniency in the new law that will be read soon.”
“What’s leniency?”
“Let me see… it means to be tolerant or to have mercy.”
“Mercy for what?”
Wolfram waited until Red looked up at him to answer. “For the people in this kingdom found guilty of committing a crime.”
“Criminals?” Red stuck her tongue out. “Why?”
“Because punishments only tell people what not to do, they say nothing about what people should do instead. Instead of cutting off someone’s hand for stealing, wouldn’t it be better to show them how to earn a living so that they can buy things for themselves?”
“Some people are born bad, Wolfie.” She had heard this assertion from the king himself when she last went with her father to court. And if the king said it, then it must be true. “Bad people do bad things. That’s why there’s the law.”
“There are no ‘bad people’, Red, but sometimes people do bad things because they don’t know any other way. I believe that there is goodness in everyone, but not everyone is given the opportunity to do good.”
“How do you find the goodness in people who do bad things?”
Wolfram scratched his head. “Well, I start off with the assumption that there is goodness. Then I look very hard, and I listen very carefully. I find an opportunity, and then I do something very risky.”
“Risky?” Red’s eyes bulged. “What do you do?”
“I put my trust in them.”
He laughed at Red’s confused expression. “I suppose catching catbats is more your speed at the moment. Give me an hour to finish this up and I will come with you.”
Today she wanted to catch a catbat. She had made a web out of rope and she had checked every inch of her abseiling gear. Her parents didn’t know, of course, otherwise they would have forbid her from going. But Wolfram had made her promise to tell him about these things before she did them. In return, he promised that he wouldn’t tell on her, but if he felt it too dangerous, he would come with her, which was fair enough given that it was more fun to have Wolfram around anyway.
She found him in the library, pouring over books while he compiled a letter, so absorbed in the process that she wasn’t noticed until she stole his inkwell.
“Ah, here’s trouble,” Wolfram said, grinning.
Red sheepishly returned the ink. “Do you want to catch a catbat?”
“Of course I do.” Wolfram put down his pen and stretched his arms. “But I have to send this letter today.”
“What is it about?” Red knew that it was rude to pry into people’s correspondence. She had been scolded by her father for reading his letter just because she could read. But she had evidently not learned her lesson for even now she was trying to read Wolfram’s words upside down.
“Well, it’s a suggestion for leniency in the new law that will be read soon.”
“What’s leniency?”
“Let me see… it means to be tolerant or to have mercy.”
“Mercy for what?”
Wolfram waited until Red looked up at him to answer. “For the people in this kingdom found guilty of committing a crime.”
“Criminals?” Red stuck her tongue out. “Why?”
“Because punishments only tell people what not to do, they say nothing about what people should do instead. Instead of cutting off someone’s hand for stealing, wouldn’t it be better to show them how to earn a living so that they can buy things for themselves?”
“Some people are born bad, Wolfie.” She had heard this assertion from the king himself when she last went with her father to court. And if the king said it, then it must be true. “Bad people do bad things. That’s why there’s the law.”
“There are no ‘bad people’, Red, but sometimes people do bad things because they don’t know any other way. I believe that there is goodness in everyone, but not everyone is given the opportunity to do good.”
“How do you find the goodness in people who do bad things?”
Wolfram scratched his head. “Well, I start off with the assumption that there is goodness. Then I look very hard, and I listen very carefully. I find an opportunity, and then I do something very risky.”
“Risky?” Red’s eyes bulged. “What do you do?”
“I put my trust in them.”
He laughed at Red’s confused expression. “I suppose catching catbats is more your speed at the moment. Give me an hour to finish this up and I will come with you.”
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