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The Child - Ten The Child-Ten yeah,” he nodded, “in a couple of days. How about ou? “My friends and I will be leaving next week,” she said. “How wonderful that you’re going home, Ted! Have you told your parents yet?” Ted didn’t answer right away. As he looked at Maya, he realized sadly that he might not see her again for a long time, and he was very reluctant to say goodbye. “T wish I could tell you what your friendship means to me,” he said. “If it wasn’t for you, the way you’ ve listened to me and my problems, I don’t know how I would have gotten over Jill. You’ve made a big difference in my life.” Maya smiled but said nothing. “T really love you,” Ted continued. “You’re my best friend, Maya, and leaving you is the hardest part of all.” “You have to go, though,” she said. “My friends and I won't be here, anyway, so we couldn’t see each other even if you stayed in Sun Valley.” “T know, but we don’t have to lose touch,” he insisted. “Give me your phone number so I can call when I get back home, okay?” “You can’t call, I’m afraid,” Maya replied. “My people don’t actually have telephones.” “What? I know you all live up in the mountains, but just where exactly?” he asked. “A long, long way up in the mountains,” she said evasive- ly. “It’s really very isolated.” “Well, don’t you go to school somewhere?” Ted was becoming very puzzled. How could a group of people live without telephones, so far up in the wilderness, and still have the schools that Maya and her friends attended? “Yes, I go to school,” she answered, “but not exactly like you do.” CANT ae An 22 ale 2 2 We Lee ee eee 9 “What do you mean? You have teachers, right?” “Oh, yes,” she nodded. “Ts the school in a town?” he asked, wondering if he could phone her there. “No, not a town,” she shook her head. “You wouldn’t understand. Masquerade of Angels 96 “You're right, I don’t understand,” Ted said. “How do you go to school, for pete’s sake?” “We have teachers in our group,” was all the explanation Maya gave. Ted was completely frustrated by that time, yet he stub- bornly determined to keep digging. “T’ve been up in those mountains, Maya,” he said angrily, waving his arm toward the northern snowy peaks. “All the way across the summit! There aren’t any towns up there. There aren’t any houses. Most of the time you can’t even drive across there because of the snow. And you’ re trying to make me believe that you live up there? I don’t understand why you're doing this, because it can’t be true!” “Yes, it is true. All I can say is that it really isn’t me, or my choice,” Maya told him. “I’m there with my family. They’ re living up there because we’ re waiting.” “For what?” Ted asked in bewilderment. “For something to happen.” “Waiting for what to happen?” “You wouldn’t understand if I told you,” Maya replied. “Tt’s far too complicated, Ted, please believe me. But you will understand one day. Let that be enough for now.” “Why do I have to wait?” he argued. “Can’t you at least try to explain? I’m not stupid, I can understand a lot of com- plicated things, you know that by now!” Maya was unmoved. “You really would not understand,” she shook her head. “I’d like to explain it, but you can’t grasp it right now. You will someday.” Taking another tack, Ted persisted, this time with ques- tions about her family. “If you don’t have telephones,” he said, “and you don’t live in a town, and there aren’t any houses up there, just where does your family live?” “We live in the mountains,” Maya answered patiently. “In?” Ted echoed, trying to understand. “In the moun- tains? You mean, actually inside them? Like in a cave?” “Yes,” she said, as if no further explanation were required. “But how do you get your food? I don’t understand any of this!” Masquerade of Angels 97