Now, directly ahead was a tall signpost sticking out of the underbrush. A faded wooden arrow pointed in each direction. Both were labeled in offwhite lettering:
— THE BONE YARD ——+
Max stood there for a moment looking at the two signs. This “Bone Yard” held a certain intrigue, and he wondered if it bore any resemblance to the one Justin described on Benton Island— though how such a thing could be in the midst of such a beautiful garden bothered him. From the immediate upward slant of the left-hand trail, he suspected that the “Top of the World” likely referred to the top of the mountain, where that giant globe was.
Up to that point, he was beginning to weaken in his resolve to stall for time, of half a mind to go back in spite of himself, but this indication of potentially interesting landmarks recaptured his attention. Gave him an excuse to continue doing what he was already doing. Even gave him an idea of how he could do both things at once.
After all, if he hurried, maybe he could surprise Justin and Shades at the globe, he was sure they would go there before they were done.
Idly, he found himself wondering how the two of them were doing. He had two visions of them. In one, they had quit bickering and were getting to know each other, and were perhaps even starting to become friends. In the other, which he tried not to dwell on, there were still arguing, or worse, not even talking to each other at all.
Shades had told him a couple times about the ongoing feud between his old friends, Tom and John, and his lamentations about being caught in the middle. Now Shades was on one end of the rope, Justin the other, and now he had to play the peacemaker. If they were still fighting now, he feared he might have to ask Shades how he used to deal with it, because he was only drawing blanks. He hated the feeling that he was being forced to choose between two people he wanted to be friends with, wondered why both of them argued so much, from the moment they first met.
Wondered if the old and venerable Abu-Sharrah might have some insights into the matter, if he could actually have a word with him alone; there was something about a dispute like this, talking about it in front of everybody, that just… didn’t work, much as he would prefer to sit and talk everything out.
Trying to outpace his thoughts, Max quickened his stride.
