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1 " But Gemma, you could change the world." " That should take far more than my power," I say." True. But change needn't happen all at once. It can be small gestures." " Moments. Do you understand?" He's looking at me differently now, though I cannot say how. I only know I need to look away...We pass by the pools, where the mud larks sift. And for only a few seconds, I let the magic loose again." Oi! By all the saints!" a boy cries from the river." Gone off the dock?" an old woman calls. The mud larks break into cackles." 'S not a rock!" he shouts. He races out of the fog, cradling something in his palm. Curiosity gets the better of the others. They crowd about trying to see. In his palm is a smattering of rubies. " We're rich mates! It's a hot bath and a full belly for every one of us!" Kartik eyes me suspiciously. " That was a strange stroke of good fortune." " Yes it was." " I don't suppose that was your doing." " I'm not sure I don't know what you mean," I say.And that is how change happens. One gesture. One person. One moment at a time. "
2 " Fate determines your caste. You must accept it and live according to the rules." You can't really believe that!" I do believe it. That man's misfortune is that he cannot accept his caste, his fate." I know that the Indians wear their caste as a mark upon their foreheads for all to see. I know that in England, we have our own unacknowledged caste system. A laborer will never hold a seat in Parliament. Neither will a woman. I don't think I've ever questioned such things until this moment. But what about will and desire? What if someone wants to change things." Kartik keeps his eyes on the room " You cannot change your caste. You cannot go against fate." That means there is no hope of a better life. It is a trap." That is how you see it," he says softly.What do you mean?" It can be a relief to follow the path that has been laid oud for you, to know your course and play your part in it." But how can you be sure that you are following the right course? What if there is no such thing as destiny, only choice?" Then I do not choose to live without destiny," he says with a slight smile. "
3 " Do you ever feel that way?" " Lonely?" I search for the words. " Restless. As if you haven't really met yourself yet. As is you'd passed yourself once in the fog, and your heart leapt - 'Ah! There I Am! I've been missing that piece!' But it happens too fast, and then that part of you disappears into the fog again. And you spend the rest of your days looking for it." He nods, and I think he's appeasing me. I feel stupid of having said it. It's sentimental and true, and I've revealed a part of myself I shouldn't have." Do you know what I think?" Kartik says at last." What?" " Sometimes, I think you can glimpse it in another. "
