A day came when Ham realized it had been a long time and he had not found one hint, one whisper, one clue about the Lightbringer. He felt sad and disappointed and frustrated. He had traveled farther and wider than anyone he’d ever heard of, he still had his dreams and his vision, and he had not found what he sought.
This happened as Ham and his friends were sitting on the logs in the center of a village near the well. It could have been any of the villages he’d visited during his travels.
Ham’s current traveling companions were Hope and Rob and Bess and Fred. Each had come from a different village along the way, and had been with him for varying lengths of time. Each seemed transformed from the people he’d originally met, standing straighter, being clearer of eye, and speaking in whole, clear sentences.
Ham looked at each of them and smiled. He might not have found the Lightbringer, but he had made many friends, learned many things, and traveled a great distance, seeing many new and different things.
It was time to go home.
Ham thought of his family: his father Horace, his mother Hannah, and his sister Helen. He didn’t know exactly how long he’d been gone, but he knew it had been quite a while, and wondered how Helen had grown.
He thought about Hyram, the mayor of Dusk, and the Huddlers who were all he’d known before he set out on his quest.
It was time to go home.
Ham told Hope and Rob and Bess and Fred that he was going home, and that they were welcome to travel with him.
As had happened many times before, some chose to stay and some chose to go with him. This time, it was Hope and Rob who were going with him, and Bess and Fred who were staying.
