The Firework-Maker's Daughter, Page 5
Philip Pullman
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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