After breakfast however, thoughts of Mitral floated back to his mind. Recently some more people had moved in to their village. Were the newcomers vampires as well? He really wanted to find out. But how? It reckoned it would be rude if he simply asked the newcomers if they were blood thirsty vampires. What if they weren’t? It would be like an insult and Xuhn didn’t think they would respond very nicely to him.

The firewood.

Wouldn’t he be going around the village selling firewood? Maybe he could ask the newcomers if they needed firewood and in the process find out their true identity? It was well known after all that garlic repelled Vampires like nothing else. If any newcomer behaved oddly he would know their true identity.

He didn’t have garlic.

Aunt Laxmi was an easy solution to the problem and he also delivered her share of wood when he went to her house asking for garlic. He was almost about to say that he didn’t need the money when she offered him both the garlic and the money for the firewood together, but held back his tongue just in time.

Never say ‘no’ when someone offers you lovely coins, a voice yelled in his head.

“How’s Vivek?” he asked instead.

“As usual,” she replied with a sad smile. “Tries to stand on his feet before the pain gets too severe and he needs my help to lay him back to rest.”

“Can I see him?”

“Of course, come in.”

Vivek was sitting on his bed. His eyes were focused on some spot on the wall opposite him and his brows were drawn together in a foul frown.

“Hey!” Xuhn said, making Vivek snap out of his trance.

“Xuhn,” Vivek said and tried to smile. But his smile came off as an awkward expression, full of gloom.

“What are you doing?” Xuhn said, and at once regretted as Vivek’s face darkened.

“Sitting,” he replied.

Xuhn went and sat next to him on his bed.

“You will get well, Vivek,” he said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I guess,” Vivek said. “Someday maybe. Though I don’t think I’ll be able to run fast again.”

Vivek had won every single race at every fair that had been organised in the past two years.

“Hey Xuhn,” Aunt Laxmi called from the other room. “Tell him to smile sometimes. I slave away for him all day and all I get in return are grimaces and frowns and eyes swimming in self pity.”

Xuhn grinned.

“She’s right, you know,” he told Vivek. “Be happy. You’ll heal faster if you are happy, I promise… plus, look at the luxuries of getting your leg fractured,” he dropped his voice to a whisper, “your mother doesn’t even scold you for not going to master Mahendra’s place!”

Master Mahendra was the scholar of their village. He seemed to know a lot about everything. He taught young people such things as reading and writing and history and geography.

Vivek smiled— a genuine smile.

“I guess you’ve got a point there,” he said. “But I’ll have to go there after I get well. You are lucky that you’ve left the classes forever.”

Xuhn himself had been going to master Mahendra’s place until recently deciding that he had had enough education. Master Mahendra charged money for his lessons— he had to for he was a frail man and there was no other way he could support himself and his family— and Xuhn needed money for other things more. Yes, half knowledge was a dangerous thing, but he didn’t have a choice. Besides, it wasn’t really possible to have full knowledge. There was always more to learn about something or the other.

“You know it’s because I can’t afford it,” Xuhn said. He just wanted to make it clear to Vivek that he wasn’t the only one having problems in life and not to incite sympathy or anything—Xuhn actually enjoyed not going to the master’s house every morning.

“Nah, you won’t be going there even if you had the money,” Vivek said, grinning. Now that was the Vivek of old.

“True!” said Xuhn.

After some more minutes of talk, Xuhn got up to leave.

“What’s the garlic for?” Vivek asked suddenly.

“How did you know?” Xuhn said, surprised. The main door was far away from Xuhn’s room and he couldn’t have possibly heard Xuhn asking garlic from Aunt Laxmi earlier. Plus, he had put the garlic in his pocket and Vivek hadn’t seen it either.

“My sense of smell has sharpened I guess,” Vivek said, winking.