A Play Of Light And Shadows

Chapter 7: Wishful Thinking

The gears in her mind turned and turned, and a few silent, thoughtful minutes later, practical-minded Nyx thought she had already found the answer.

"A coin that doubles when you spend it. That way, you'll always be getting twice as much as you spend", she proclaimed proudly.

"Wrong!", the formerly invisible cat exclaimed, strangely enough with a tone of disappointment in his voice. "You have two guesses left."

"Wait a second," Nyx said, still standing by her first guess, "Why is it wrong?"

It was not the cat who answered, however, but Selene. "Because if you spend the coin, you'll get back two coins, but the magical one is now in the possession of someone else."

Nyx, crestfallen, set to thinking again, kicking herself over already losing one guess. When did she become so competitive over this elusive prize anyway?

Silence settled again, hanging over the two friends and the mysterious beast for several long moments. This time, it was Selene who finally broke the silent atmosphere, shattering it with a dry cough.

"I'd like to use our second try," she said, looking over to the cat to see him nod before continuing. "Someone who makes you happy, and you make them happy in return. That way, neither of you will ever leave the other, and that makes it a gift that keeps on giving. That's my answer."

Nyx stared at Selene for a moment, baffled by the answer she had given. Having known Selene for so long, she had expected her answer to entail something practical, perhaps something to do with knowledge. She didn't expect it to be so... Emotional. Something that Nyx had been trying to provide her for a while now.

On the other hand, she was also quite sure that it wasn't the answer to the riddle.

"That person might still die," she said quietly, still looking directly at Selene. "And then your gift is gone."

Selene looked back at her, clearly surprise at the raw emotion in Nyx' reply. Then her gaze flicked over towards the cat once more, dark curls dancing around her shoulders with the movement of her head.

"Your pale friend is right, you know," the creature with the patchy fur said matter-of-factly. "But you have one try left, so if at first, and at second, you don't succeed, try, try again." Again, he sounded oddly disappointed.

Nyx heaved a sigh, as Selene's gaze trailed over their surroundings. Somehow Nyx got the feeling Selene was avoiding eye contact with her. But as her friend started twirling a curl between her fingers, Nyx figured she was just thinking over the riddle again, and tried not to put to much thought into it. Her mental energy was now better spent elsewhere.

About ten minutes later, after a short debate over possible answers, Nyx was sunken into thoughts again, searching for an answer she now thought impossible to find. She didn't notice Selene's widening smile, until the large cat pointed it out.

"What are smiling about, bronze girl?", he said, eyeing Selene suspiciously.

"I'm sure I found the answer now," Selene replied, now grinning widely. "Surely, your company would be that gift that keeps on giving. Really, what else could it possibly be?"

The dishevelled beast returned her grin, nodding enthusiastically.

Inside Nyx' brain, all the pieces of the puzzle fell together now. The creature had seemed disappointed the two times they had guessed wrong, which made sense given his massive ego. Why wouldn't he be let down, when two visitors failed to guess that his mere companionship was the gift that keeps on giving? And the forest, who tasked the cat with prompting the riddle? If Nyx had been a forest, she would do so as well, just to get rid of his egotistical tendencies.

She sucked in her breath sharply, before exhaling slowly. "You've got to be kidding me."

The once invisible creature now stood up, stretching lazily. "I never kid about things this serious. Now, as promised, your reward!" He jumped off his branch, strutting this way and that in front of Nyx and Selene. "Well, my new travel companions, where to next? I could show you around in these forests, there's still plenty to see."

As Nyx opened her mouth to reject his offer, Selene shot her a warning glare, prompting Nyx to roll her eyes in surrender.

Selene merely smiled serenely, giving the creature a reply. "We'd love to be shown around by a local guide. We're out here discovering some new sights, and extra company is always welcome. The more the merrier, I always say."

And so the travelling duo became a trio; a proud cat strutting in front, followed by a delighted Selene, and finally Nyx, dragging her feet reluctantly.