Later that evening, Pétur said his goodbyes to Edda, carrying the newly acquired bucket full of leftover seawater. He cleverly volunteered to empty it in the morning for Edda. Pétur quietly walked towards his home with his bag and the bucket. He avoided thinking about the weighty topics his babka had shared and wandered in his thoughts instead. Pétur speculated how many different lands Psarás had visited in his lifetime. He began dreaming up numerous adventures the fisher and his father must have had in their youth. Pétur’s imagination wandered as he quietly walked past his house. Moving slowly, he passed several homes whose windows were unlit by candlelight. Despite the darkness, Pétur could see perfectly fine because of the moon’s brightness. He marveled how luminous the town seemed in the soft white light of the moon. With the village asleep, he could get to the church in no time.

Pétur was strangely beaming with confidence. It was as if his previous anxiety had melted away. He walked towards the back of the church on the building’s left side. There was a side entrance for workers that Kaplan Rufa required Pétur to use each morning. With his free hand, he attempted to open the door. It seemed unlocked but would not open. Leaning in, he gave the door a shove, almost falling as the door swung open.

Sileny, reaching for the now opened door, looked at Pétur with confusion. “I was going to help you if you had waited.”

Stepping inside, Pétur smiled, “I had it.”

Sileny smirked back. “Come on.”

Sileny held a lit candlestick with one hand, and with the other, she reached out to help Pétur carry the bucket. He shut the door quietly behind them. Noiselessly, they made their way downstairs to the tapestry. They put the bucket down, accidentally touching their hands as they did. Pétur blushed but was getting used to these little moments. Sileny pulled back the tapestry while Pétur pushed the hidden door in the wall open. The grinding sound broke the silence making Sileny slightly nervous.

Distressed, Sileny whispered, “Hurry in case Rufa heard that. Grab the bucket and pour the water into the geuleus.”

Pétur picked up the bucket and then turned around to face Sileny. Perplexed by her final word, he questioned, “Pour it in what?”

Sileny made a face of annoyance at Pétur. Answering, she articulated, “In the stone zdela.”

“Oh,” Pétur said with a sound of understanding. He began to stare into Sileny’s eyes. Pétur knew she was brilliant and funny, but he had never previously taken in her natural beauty before. Waves of warmth washed over him as his heart began to beat faster. His eyes slowly dilated, and SIleny seemed to glow like in a dream.

“Pétur! We are running out of time.” With that, Sileny grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. She then shoved him forward to get him to move.

All Pétur could focus on was Sileny’s touch. Moments later, reality came crashing as he started to trip. Snapping out of his trance, he caught himself before he hit the stone ground, unfortunately sending the bucket upwards in the process. Seconds later, Pétur was soaked, and Sileny was scowling at him.

“By all the seirei, how are you this clumsy?” Sileny yelled in hushed tones.

“I’m so sorry Sileny. I can run to the shore and get more seawater for you.” Pétur thought it best not to ask her what seirei meant right now. He just assumed it was from her native tongue.

“There is no time. It is now or never. Pétur, take off your clothes.” Sileny said in all seriousness.

“Wait, what?” Pétur said in shock.

“Take off your clothes and squeeze the water into the zdela.” Sileny grabbed Pétur and started pushing him to the center of the room where the stone bowl was.

“I am not undressing in front of you, Sileny!” Pétur objected.

“I will turn my back, but please just hurry. If he finds us down here …” Sileny pleaded in fear. She turned around quickly, shaking at the thought that the kaplan would find them.

Pétur noticed Sileny’s enhanced fear. Embarrassed as he was, he knew she was deadly serious. Pétur took off his shirt and squeezed out as much water as he could. He then untied his belt and repeated the process with his pants. The bowl filled up about a third of the way, which Pétur hoped was enough. He started to put his clothes back on.

“Can I turn around yet?” Sileny impatiently asked.

“Not yet!” Pétur exclaimed.

“I have no interest in seeing you in your gaće!” Sileny sighed, sounding more like herself.

After about a minute, Pétur finished reclothing himself in still mostly wet clothes. “Ok, you can turn around now.”

Sileny ran up to the stone bowl and looked in. “It has to be enough. Quick the milk!”

Pétur reached in his back and pulled out his waterskin filled with milk. Handing it to Sileny, he preemptively got the petals out of his bag. Pétur looked at Sileny as she carefully poured the milk into the bowl with the seawater. She didn’t dump it in but instead mixed it slowly until the mixture was semitranslucent. He handed Sileny the petals the moment she extended her hand towards him. She scattered them into the bowl and stared intently.

“What is it you are doing?” Pétur inquired curiously.

“You will see,” Sileny said with delight.

Moments later, the bowl lit up like it held the moon itself. It shone with brilliant white light filling the entire room. Sileny started laughing excitedly while Pétur stood in amazement at the magical sight. Large amounts of force poured out of the fountain, almost knocking him over. As Pétur’s eyes adjusted, he saw translucent yellow chains become visible in the light. These led to Sileny, who was bound by these now visible manacles. Reaching her hand inside the liquid, she pulled out a golden key. She took the key and quickly unlocked the shackled band on her hands and legs. In an explosive flash of light, the chains disappeared. The stone bowl was now empty, leaving only steam emerging from it. The supernatural illumination faded, and all was before. Sileny was smiling at Pétur while tears of joy streamed down her eyes.

“Are you ok?” Pétur said in worry.

With almost a melodic tone to her voice, Sileny responded, “Yes. I am more than ok. I am free because of you.”

“Sileny, what just happened? It is like we are in a dream.” Pétur looked to her for answers.

“For me, Pétur, this is the best dream.” With that, Sileny seemed to begin to glow white softly. She raised her hands towards the sky. Sparkling light spiraled from her fingertips, coming down like a gown of magic. As the energy pulsed and twisted, Sileny’s outfit miraculously began changing. Her brown dress transformed into black silk, shining like midnight. The pale pinafore became white with an iridescent silver shimmer. The belt widened, changing into a deep indigo fabric, cinching her waist the way a noblewoman might have. Sileny’s messy braided hair untwisted itself, altering the style into a partial topknot decorated with a golden crescent diadem. The final modification was visually stunning as her hair shifted into a vibrant purple.

The spiraled light glittered to the ground before finally disappearing. Pétur gazed at Sileny’s new appearance with amazement and wonder. He saw something more magical than the fantastic happenings of the last few minutes. Pétur saw Sileny genuinely happy for the first time since they met without pretense. To him, this was the real miracle, seeing his friend happy. In a moment of silence between the two, Pétur realized that Sileny was the most astounding person ever. His eyes dilated a bit, and his heart raced. This foreign feeling washed over him, pulling him out of his comfort zone. Strange as it was, he liked it.

Sileny broke the silence awkwardly. “Thank you so much, Pétur. I am more grateful than you know, but I need you to come with me now. We can’t stay here. It isn’t safe.”

Pétur nodded in agreement while picking up the empty bucket. Sileny ran over, seizing his hand and dragging him behind her. They moved quickly and quietly, leaving the temple behind the tapestry. They moved like the wind up the stairs and down the long corridor. In what Pétur thought were mere moments, they were back in the main hall, making their way to the side entrance. They made it to the door, stopping suddenly.

“Open the door,” Sileny whispered to Pétur while refusing to let go of his hand.

Pétur handed her the bucket. He opened the door as stealthily as possible, letting in the fresh night air. Pétur stepped through the doorway while Sileny remained still with her arm outstretched. He gently tugged her arm, but she seemed to be afraid again.

“What’s wrong?” Pétur mouthed.

Tears started streaming down Sileny’s eyes. She sat the bucket down by her feet, blocking part of the opening. Still holding Pétur’s hand, Sileny used her free hand to wipe her tears. She took a deep breath and squeezed his hand. As Sileny stepped through, translucent yellow light seemed to pass around her like she was crossing some invisible boundary. She dove headfirst into tenderly hugging Pétur.

“Sileny?” Pétur waveringly said as waves of intense feelings came over him. He stood there, not hugging her back, unsure of everything.

“You did it. You wonderful person. You set me free!” Sileny pulled back while still embracing him. She looked deeply into his eyes with intense gratitude.

Pétur stared back into her eyes, feeling her joy. He observed different attractive features in her face unnoticed before. Pétur couldn’t help but appreciate her beauty both inside and out. He thought about her wit and humor being like a light to him in the dark. Her smile lifted him from his loneliness on so many occasions. She was both a mystery and a marvel all in one. Pétur was still unsure of everything except Sileny. In an unbridled burst of teenage emotion, he hugged her back and started crying.

“Silly, why are you crying.” Sileny smiled.

“Because you are the most important person in my life. Because I…” Pétur struggled for words that in the past had been alien to him.

“Pétur, there is no need for words right now. Save them for another time. We still need to get somewhere safer than here. The beginning of a forest is nearby, next to a cliff overlooking the sea. Do you know it?” Sileny asked.

“Do you mean the cliffs that overlook the docks?” Pétur puzzled.

“Those are the ones. We need to go there next.” Sileny pulled away from their embrace while grabbing his hand again.

“I know the way. Let’s go.” Pétur started dragging Sileny much in the same way she had him inside the church.

***

Quietly under the brightness of the moon, they worked their way towards the cliff. Pétur pointed out his house and Edda’s along the way. Sileny grinned but seemed more focused on their destination. After arriving, she pulled him to the cliff’s edge with her back to the sea. The full moon shone almost directly above the cliff, appearing significantly more prominent than when Pétur left.

“The bucket!” Pétur exclaimed.

“I accidentally left it inside the church when you pulled me through the threshold,” Sileny explained.

“We have to go back! That was my babka’s bucket?” Pétur urgently looked back towards the church.

“There are things more important than a bucket right now.” Sileny attempted to soothe Pétur.

“But I made a promise to her, and what if the Kaplan finds it?” questioningly urged Pétur.

“Pétur, focus!” snapped Sileny. She took his other hand and pulled him towards her under the moonlight.

Frustrated as Pétur was, he was still enjoying the comfort of Sileny’s touch. “So, what else do we need to do?”

“Under the light of the full moon, I just need you to answer one question for me. Pétur, will you be my friend?” Sileny emphasized the last two words more than the others as she spoke.

Pétur was bewildered by her words. “Of course. I thought we were friends.”

“Pétur, please answer the question. Yes or no, will you be my friend?” Again, Sileny stressed the words “my friend” in an unusual way.

“Yes. I will be your friend.” Pétur smiled, lost in the moment.

Soft light from the moon intensified around them both. Energy flowed between their hands as they held them. Sileny looked intensely at Pétur, causing him to blush slightly.

“Then, by this light and your free will, I declare that you are my prieteni from this day forward.” Sileny pulled Pétur downwards, and once she could reach, she planted a kiss on his right cheek.

Pétur’s emotions all but exploded inside of him. His face had flushed to the color of a ripened jabłka. For some odd reason, he inadvertently let go of Sileny’s hands, panicking in his naivety. The moon’s illumination returned to its typical intensity while he spoke, “You um ... you, I mean we … is that what friends ….”

Sileny laughed. “Well, normally, I kiss people on the forehead to seal the pact, but I thought you deserved a greater reward since you saved me from that place.”

“Saved you? What do you mean?” Pétur’s mind was swimming with the surrealism of the night amplified by his untamed feelings for Sileny. Although he liked the kiss, something felt off about it. Pétur started to feel uncomfortable, not unlike the way he felt when his mother suggested courtship. He did not understand the discomfort because he deeply cared for Sileny. After a moment of reflection, he realized it was his shame. He was inexplicably and suddenly feeling remorse over accepting Sileny’s affection from this evening.

Sileny’s face tensed as she became serious. “Pétur, now that we are friends. I need you to come with me into the forest away from the village. There is a shrine, a kind of sanctuary, that will protect us from Vadim. We can rest and plan our next move, but we must make it there before dawn.”

Being overwhelmed, Pétur had reached his breaking point. Tears began streaming from his eyes inexplicably. “I can’t. I need to get home. My prysiaha is tomorrow, and my mother will be home in the morning.”

Sileny tried reaching out for Pétur’s hand, but he pulled away. “You don’t understand. It’s not safe for us. Once Rufa discovers I have been freed …” Sileny paused, seeing her words were not swaying him. “Look, I have a bad feeling about tomorrow, and my feelings are never wrong. Trust me.”

Pétur’s shame and remorse seemed to ignite into anger. “Feelings! Your feelings got me into this mess. I am not abandoning my mother and grandmother! I am sorry you do not like Monsa, but my people took you in and gave you a home. I know the Kaplan is annoying, but he isn’t evil, nor are the Monsans. I do not know what happened to you or your people, but it has nothing to do with me.”

“They are not your people, and I never said the Monsans were evil! The only evil one is Vadim. He is a liar and a murderer! He is an enemy to all spirits and gods …” Sileny shouted.

“Vadim is not real! I have never seen him or these spirits my grandmother was rattling on about. You are all just … crazy!” Pétur blustered back.

Sileny screamed at Pétur, “Not real! Not real! Are you blind? Did you not see my transformation, my powers? I have been held prisoner for years by Vadim’s servants, and you say none of it is real?”

“I do not know what I saw. Some roots and leaves cause false visions. How do I know that the petals I brought you didn’t make us both hallucinate? For all I know, this is a dream caused by the full moon.” Pétur roared.

“A dream. A dream! By all the … I will give you a dream!” Sileny raised her hand towards Pétur, causing a blast of bright white light.

Pétur was momentarily blinded. He began to stumble and stagger around before finally collapsing. Within moments he was dreaming all sorts of ridiculous and horrific things in a nightmarish realm. Although Pétur came to no harm in his dreams, for the remainder of the night, he was chased by one creature or another through various landscapes. Finally, with the dawn’s light, he awoke sweating in his bed. Pétur heard his mother calling to him and realized he was home. He was unsure about what happened and what was real. Like anyone with a maddening dream, Pétur did his best to shrug it off and return to his everyday life.