Some hours passed, and Nyara sat sobbing, her salty tears cutting trails down her soft cheeks, dripping onto the dusty road and pooling at her feet. Where had the evil wizard taken everyone? Why had he done such evil to these good people? What was happening to them, and to her? Why? Oh, why hadn't she stayed in bed and been a good girl? She could have gone to school and... no, if she had stayed, she would have been taken too. But at least she would have been with her family.
Just then, Nyara felt a warmth on her shoulder. A hand, genlty touching her. She looked up with a start. Her yellow eyes wide with fear, her pupils as large as saucers. "It's okay, little kitten. Don't cry," the furry shape spoke softly. "Tell me what makes such a pretty kitty so unhappy that she allows her fur to become so matted with dust." He looked like a large brown rat with long whiskers and sharp teeth, but his demeanor was soothing and calm. "Don't be afraid, I am Cui. I am a wanderer, and adventurer. I am an enchanted flying weasel. Very rare and clever, and I on a quest for knowledge," he said proudly, seeing the fear in her eyes begin to melt away. "Tell me, what has happened that brings you to this deserted place?" He remvoved his hand from her shoulder and pulled two large apples from the fruit stand nearby, and joined her in the dust.
It was comforting to have someone to talk to, and she hadn't eaten all day. She took one of the apples, thanked Cui for being so kind, and between crunchy bites, began to explain what had happened. They talked for a long time before Cui suggested that they had better seek shelter in the forest. "That wizard may come back, looking for stragglers. We need to find your family, and then undo what evil this wizard has done," Cui said. A PLAN! That was what they needed, thought Nyara, but Cui was right. It was best that for the time being, they leave this place and find out what was happening.
They talked and walked through the forest in the fading daylight, until they came upon a signpost. "What does it say," asked Cui. "I thought that you were so clever, and searching for knowledge", laughed Nyara. "Can't you read the sign?" With some indignation, Cui responded, "I can't SEE the LETTERS in the DARKNESS. Hrumpf." Nyara could see the letters, but she couldn't read all of the words. She was embarassed to tell her new friend that she couldn't read, so she left it at that. "Well, I guess we should sleep here until dawn. We can read it better in the light of day," she said, moving towards a soft tuft of grass beneath an old and sturdy tree. She set herself down, pulled at the grass until it was bunched up like a big green pillow, and then settled into a tight ball to keep herself warm. Cui preferred the branches to the grass, and scampered up the tree to find a comfortable spot. Sleep came fast, and no dreams disturbed Nyara's slumber.
