Will closed slammed the door of the flat and sank to his knees inside of it. He opened the parlor window, which he did every day to let Kirjava hop in and out as she pleased. Today she was waiting just on the other side. She popped inside and curled into a warm, sunny spot, baring her stomach so Will could give her a belly rub. She nuzzled his fingers for a while, then sat up to lick at his chapped lips. "You need to take better care of yourself. Just look at you. All this dust business is making you crazy. You haven't shaved in a week, your hair is dirty as the city dump, and those clothes are shot to hell. You need to shower. Right now."
Will was accustomed to be told what to do by his daemon, so he went into the tiny bathroom and emerged half an hour later wet, clean-shaven, and dressed in fresh clothing. He reclined on the scuffed floor and stared at her pensively. He had picked up a habit of running his left thumb and forefinger over his chin, and was doing so now. "So tell me again what's going on and why I must fix the knife." Will spoke softly, too softly for a boy such as he. Any person could see that, at seventeen, he had already experienced disaster in his life. He has wise, sad eyes that did not fit his form. He had been asked for dates many times in recent years, and had declined them all. He knew that he had promised to move on, but how could he? Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her face. It had become painful for him, being in love with this, this, this phantom! It had been four years, could he never stop this love? He was very upset at the thought of seeing her again. He didn't want to. It would hurt him just that much more to say goodbye again.
All of this Kirjava understood, and his sadness was also her sadness. But nothing could be done. "Powerful scientist-magicians in the world of Salinell have learned about all that happened in Lyra's world. For reasons not yet clear, they wish for the borders between worlds to be erased. They are weakening them yet. And once erased, they can never be replaced. All of this is being worked on by the doctor."
"But why is this bad? We would be with Lyra and Pan forever!"
"Think about it, you moron. You don't see because you don't want to see. What am I made up of? What is Pan made up of? What is that special part of everyone made of, created by? Dust! They're destroying dust! You destroy dust, you destroy everyone's souls! Remember the people who the specters took in Citigazze? You will be as them, and I, I will be gone! It's already happening at the poles! Look!" Kirjava thrust an excited paw at the newspaper on the ground. The headline ran 'All Inuit Peoples Die Under Mysterious Circumstances'.
"But why must I fix the knife?"
"So we can go get Lyra and then" Kirjava had that gleam in her eye that she got when she was reaching her point on something "We leave for Salinell."
As usual, her enthusiasm rubbed off on Will. "I will fix the knife." His voice was louder, stronger this time. More like the voice he had left when he left Lyra.
I kind of wrote this one right after chapter 3 because they go together- I kind of had to explain to myself why Iorek Byrnison was behind the door. I might need to reread the trilogy before I write any more, to brush up on my HDM. I haven't read them in a couple of years... they always make me cry. I promise (don't trust me though) to have the next chapter out by mid-January. I kind of write these things one-shot though, so when I'm in that writing mood... Please tell me which character you'd most like to see in the coming chapters.
Book recommendation by author: Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs. Not for young readers.