The Firework-Maker's Daughter Page 5

  LILA: No, he didn’t.

  LALCHAND: It’s not a substance. I tricked you on that. The golden pot with the green lid-LILA: Isn’t Royal Sulphur.

  LALCHAND: (Disappointed.) You knew?

  LILA: Of course.

  LALCHAND: I thought it might give you a little confidence...

  LILA: You did it out of love. It gave me strength. What is Royal Sulphur?

  LALCHAND: You’ve more Royal Sulphur than I’ll ever have... It’s wisdom. You gain it by suffering and risk - by taking the journey to Mount Merapi and walking into the flames. It’s what the journey is for. Each of our friends the other Firework-Makers has made his own journey in a similar way, and so have Rambashi and Chulak. You didn’t come home empty-handed, Lila. You brought back the Royal Sulphur.

  LILA: I see...

  LALCHAND: You know what this means?

  LILA: What does it mean?

  LALCHAND: It means you’re a Firework-Maker.

  LILA: Now, I see.

  LILA throws up her hand and a huge spray of silver covers the two of them. There’s a small explosion. They’ve disappeared.

  The End.

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