"Well, you might decide to go and see for yourself, or your neighbor might. Knowing more about the world rarely hurts."

"That'd take a mighty long time and by then whatever it was would likely as not be news any more. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad there's traveler types out there like you, but it's not me."

"Oh, absolutely. If we were all travelers, there wouldn't be much to travel to. But I think it's good to show people little glimpses of other places. Sometimes it gives them ideas about what to do closer to home."

"Oh, like what, are they doing amazing things with pea farms overseas?"

"Not that I've heard, but you might learn something else that helps you out. About... raising children, or dealing with arguments with your neighbors."

"What've you got about raising children, then?" (The children, except for the sleeping baby, have been spending this conversation playing with dried empty peapods and a straw doll.)

"Hmm, I didn't have anything specific in mind...", he says, but pulls a book out of his satchel.

He slowly flips pages, forward and backward. "No, no... Less useful with the little trees here..."

"There's bigger trees some places but this area's mostly clear for the farms."

"That one was about kids climbing trees - it can get them in big trouble with tall pines, and there are a lot of little boys who are damn hard to discourage from trying to climb them until it's gone wrong for them. But the trees here grow more out than up, and I don't know if there's other things that are a similar kind of tempting."

"Huh, one of the girls is our climber."

"I can get onto the barn roof!" beams the gaptooth girl.

"And you can get down again safely? That's the real trick, with the big pines."

"Yeah I can!"

"Well, if you're not worrying your mother too much with it, then good for you. I bet you can see people coming a long way, from up there."

"The roof gets all warm in the sun, I like napping there."

"That's good, too. You're fine to get down if you nap a little too long and get stuck up there in the dark?"

"That's never happened."

Her mother cuts in. "There's a trapdoor above the hayloft, she can get in that way if she wants."

"Then you have none of our problems with our tree-climbers and might as well enjoy yourself." He flips another page in the book.

"Is that your notes or is it published somewhere?"

"Not quite. I can use it to look through Baborakon's libraries, and write straight back into them like making an offering. All her acolytes carry something like it, especially when traveling."

"Ooooooooh, that's so cool! Is that her acolyte power?" says the uncle, who's apparently been eavesdropping while minding the fire.

"It's most of it, yes. It makes sure we never lose access to her knowledge, and we never lose the ability to give ours back."

"Cooooool. But if it's the acolyte power I guess you can't just leave a book in a church or anything."

"Indeed. If I left the book here it would, well, just be a book. A poorly-organized one, too."

"Oh well."

"Anything you want me to look for? It works just fine for now, and curiosity is a virtue."