Part 11 (1/2)
”You are walking on air,” he breathed.
”Get me down!”
He caught her around the waist and hauled her toward the sand. She seemed to have the buoyancy of a balloon, and wasn't hard to bring down to the ground.
”Oh, I felt the tingle,” she said.
”Because you left the island-and returned,” he said. ”Now you have a different talent.”
”Just as well,” she muttered.
They walked along the sh.o.r.e, as she had foreseen. When they figured out an unwanted talent, they took turns lifting each other off the ground and getting new talents. Actually, after the first time, Edsel was worried about Pia's strength, trying to haul him up, so he tried jumping. That did it too. Talents were flighty, here in the Isle of Talents.
”At this rate, we won't be able to hang on to talents we like.” Pia complained. ”We need some way to anchor good ones.”
They came to a sign. CONFISHV IALK TO THL TLIJ HR ”What's the teller?” Edsel asked.
”Here's something,” Pia said. She picked up a small disk from a pedestal beside the sign.
”Maybe it's the teller, ” Edsel said.
She held it up ”Are you the teller?”
”Yes,” the disk said.
Startled, she dropped it Edsel picked it up ”How do you work?”
”I announce your talent ”
Edsel glanced at Pia ”This could be useful ” Then he addressed the teller again ”What's my talent?”
There was a tingle in the hand holding the disk ”To turn things transparent, so that only their ideas show ”
”Ideas?” But the disk was silent It seemed it didn't qualify its announcements.
Pia took the disk ”What's my talent?”
”To become what is needed, while it is needed, when you know what is needed ”
”I don't understand ” But the disk was silent.
”This is nevertheless better than nothing,” Edsel said.
”I suppose,” she agreed doubtfully ”But doesn't it seem rather, well, convenient that we should encounter this helpful sign and disk right when we needed them?”
”You mean, like a path to a tangle tree?”
”Yes”
”Good point Let's put it back ”
She set the disk back on its pedestal and they went on.
”I don't think I like becoming what is needed,” Pia said ”That might be a meal for a dragon.”
”Or a s.e.x object for an ardent man.”
She had the grace to laugh ”That's not a talent. That's the state of being female.”
”Then jump and change it ”
”Then I won't know what my talent is any more.”
”Urn,” he agreed ”Maybe we do need that teller.”
”Maybe so,” she agreed reluctantly ”But I feel as if I'm being herded.”
”Yes. Let's take it until we get talents we want, then leave it and the island.”
”Yes”
Pia leaped, exchanging her talent. But Edsel wanted to verify his. He looked for something to turn transparent. All he saw was the wooden pedestal they were approaching. So he focused on that.
It became transparent Inside was the wavering image of a tree.
”It's a tree,” Pia said ”Or it was It still has the idea of its nature. That's sad.”
”And I suppose if I tried it on a person-”
”Don't try it on me!” she cried, alarmed.
What, indeed, would become of her if he turned her transparent? These talents didn't seem to be reversible. This one could be dangerous. So he ended it by leaping.
Pia picked up the teller ”What's my talent?” she asked.
”To amplify noise.”
”I don't like that ” She leaped ”Now what's my talent?”
”Making paintings come to life ”
She considered. ”Maybe that will do.” She kept her feet on the ground and handed the disk to Edsel.
”What's my talent,” he asked.
”Waxing the moon's green cheese.”
Edsel laughed, then realized that the teller was serious. In Xanth, the moon really did have green cheese on the side facing the ground. On the side facing away, he understood, it was milk and honey, because that was not polluted by the sights it saw. Thus a honeymoon was by definition to the far side.
But how was he going to get to the moon, to encase its cheese in wax? So this did not seem useful. He jumped ”What's my talent?”