The journey continued, and in each village they came to, Ham found more Lamplighters and Shadowpushers. He was hailed as the Lightbringer, and found himself accepting the name, even embracing it.
The physical changes in the villages grew, with each village he came to. And each time he asked about the changes, the Lamplighters and Shadowpushers explained to him that after a while, the changes just seemed to be the natural next steps from what he’d taught them originally.
Finally, Ham returned to Dusk.
It was not the Dusk he’d left.
First, there was a clear road between Drear and Dusk. Not just the hint of a path that he’d walked when he left, but a road – hard-beaten, clear edges, well-used.
As Ham approached the village of Dusk, he saw that there was a fence. Not a gate or a fence to keep people out, just a sort of boundary around Dusk. And where the road pierced that boundary, there was an arch. The arch was made of well-cut and smoothed wood, and it had words carved on it. As Ham got closer, he saw what the words said:
“Welcome to Dusk, the Home of the Lightbringer.
Bring light or take light.”
Ham stood still in the middle of the road. After this long, he was no longer uncomfortable at being called the Lightbringer. But this was different.
He was home.
And home was, seemingly, proud of him.
As he walked through the arch, his family came running to greet him.
“Messengers came from Drear, telling us that you were on your way. We’re so proud of you! Who knew, when you told us of your dream, that you were the Lightbringer!”
There were so many differences that Ham nearly stumbled as he walked. First was the fact that his family, so previously typical of Huddlers, were lively and vital and excited.
And then he realized that the rest of the village was much the same – lively, vital, and excited.
He saw the kinds of physical changes he’d seen elsewhere, which surprised him. After all, when he left, there were no Lamplighters to be left behind. There was no one with whom he’d shared his learning or experience.
